"Heavy if the Crown" documentary poster
On August 13, 2016, near Sherman Park, Milwaukee police officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown shot and killed Sylville Smith, a young Black man who had attempted to run away after being stopped because of his criminal record. As Smith ran, he tossed his gun by a fence. Heaggan-Brown still shot him, killing him at close range.
By early evening, word of the killing had spread quickly through Milwaukee’s Black community. A crowded uprising followed in Sherman Park. Police swarmed the area in riot gear. Residents confronted them, and what began as anger over the shooting grew into a multi-block uprising. Buildings and businesses were burned, and the damage was tragic.
A deep wound was created that night, and the social scar is still visible a decade later.
At the time, Vaun Mayes, the central character in Heavy is the Crown, was consumed by anger over what he saw as police mistreatment of his community. He disliked cops, and cops disliked him. Once a homeless teenager in this very neighborhood, Mayes had become a street leader, determined to protect local residents from what he considered police abuse.
But Heavy is the Crown extends beyond the uprising. It is about what came afterward. The film begins with unsettling news footage from that dramatic night, the anger and hatred almost palpable. Then, gradually, it changes direction, following a positive pathway toward healing that unfolds over the next decade.
Unusual Approach
Directed by UWM professor Sean Kafer and created by Mayes, the 90-minute documentary is unusual in its approach. There is no voiceover and no traditional on-camera narrator. Instead, people talk. They gather. They argue. They remember. Mayes interviews people, and sometimes they interview him. Neighborhood activities and personal stories become the narrative.
“We started off our film with the uprising in 2016 and then found kind of a ground zero to build from after that,” Kafer said. “In other words, how these members of the Black community kind of raised up their community over a 10-year period.”
Mayes noted that the interviews in the film were intentionally informal. “They were more like conversations,” he said. “There hasn't been a lot of positive stories coming out of Milwaukee. I wanted to show the positive part of the Black community.”
And that is what makes the film interesting.
Community Leader
Mayes gradually evolves from an angry protester and former lawbreaker into a community leader and influencer who works with residents, police officers and community organizations to improve both conditions and attitudes. His own journey becomes part of the story. In a sense, Mayes goes through his own catharsis.
The people around him add depth to that transformation.
Judge Lena Taylor, formerly a state senator, recalls several difficult personal encounters with police. Sedan Smith, Sylville Smith’s brother, takes an uplifting approach to the aftermath of his brother’s death, organizing community rebuilding events and giving away book bags and bicycles to children.
Milwaukee police sergeants Pamela Holmes and Ricky Burems talk about the difficult task of overcoming the animosity that developed between police and residents. Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball puts the responsibility for safer neighborhoods in broader terms: “To have a safe community, everybody must do their part. It’s not all about arresting people, but it’s about helping people.”
Activist Farina Brooks, founder of the nonprofit Dream Team MKE, appears at community events where neighbors come together. State Rep. Sequanna Taylor interviews Mayes and a group of young Black men as they plan a basketball tournament and discuss cleaning up a neighborhood park. Later, the film shows a large contingent of young people and community groups actually doing that cleanup in Sherman Park. Mariah Smith, a teacher and racial justice advocate and organizer with The Peoples Revolution of Milwaukee, talks about the challenges of teaching in a predominantly white school.
Program in the Parks
Then there are the organizations Mayes has created or championed. Program in the Parks, the nonprofit he founded in 2016, turns community parks into neighborhood hubs for inner-city youth and families. His ComForce MKE organization is a resident-led grassroots effort aimed at preventing violence and supporting young people.
Even Fire Chief Aaron Lipski appears toward the end, supporting the continuing efforts to heal Sherman Park.
There are no easy answers in Heavy is the Crown. The film doesn't pretend that one community event or one neighborhood leader can erase years of anger, distrust and poverty. Instead, it shows something quieter: people showing up.
Again and again, Mayes and the people around him gather in parks, organize events, talk with police, clean up neighborhoods, give away bicycles and school supplies, and try to create something positive for children.
Another Side of the North Side
The final sequence brings that idea home. It is Christmas Eve on Milwaukee's North Side. Santa Claus and his elves are handing out gifts to children as part of RBGiftMust, a charitable venture founded and carried out by Mayes. He is kind of a Santa Claus. His helpers are volunteers from ComForce MKE.
They had raised more than $10,000 to purchase gifts, toys and bicycles. What begins as a gift-giving event becomes a festive caravan of cars, U-Hauls, vans and Milwaukee fire trucks loaded with wrapped presents.
It is a remarkable contrast to where the film began. Kafer said Mayes wanted the film to present a different picture of Milwaukee’s inner city. “Vaun really wanted the film to show off the North Side in a good light because it gets a lot of negative reviews.”
And Mayes believes something really has changed between police and residents. “Over these last many years, the attitude of the police has changed from anti-community to supporting residents,” he said. “Police Chief Norman has done a good job. We are super cordial. He includes me in meetings to discuss policy changes in my area. The police officers are listening to residents now.”
Of course, I had to ask Mayes about the meaning of the film's title: Heavy is the Crown. “I’m kind of an unelected official,” he told me. “I get held to a higher standard than elected leaders because I’m on the ground floor, meaning when there are complaints or tragedies, I hear about it first. It’s kind of a heavy responsibility.”
Mayes wears a crown that he never asked anyone to place on his head. But he accepts the responsibility anyway.
And perhaps that is what Heavy is the Crown is ultimately about, not one man, one uprising or one neighborhood, but the difficult and sometimes very slow work of trying to heal a community.
Heavy is the Crown will have its world premiere 4:30 p.m. Sunday, September 27, at the Oriental Theatre.
