The connection between the movie and Yusef Hawkins
In the beginning of the movie, Spike Lee dedicated the movie in memory of Yusef Hawkins. Hawkins, was a 16 year old who was killed by Italian men in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn as he and his friends were attacked by the mob. Hawkins had gone to Bensonhurst that night with three friends to inquire about a used 1982 Pontiac automobile that was for sale. The group’s attackers had been lying in wait for either black or Hispanic youths they believed were dating a neighborhood girl. Innocently, the victim, Mr. Hawkins, and his friends, walked onto the ambushes’ block. One, armed with a handgun, shot Hawkins twice in the chest, killing him.
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