Emergency Needs considers the 1968 Hough Riots and the Glenville Shootout in Cleveland, Ohio, and the response to the crisis, as observed in color footage from a local press conference by Mayor Carl B. Stokes. Stokes, the first Black mayor of a major American city, maintains calm and measured composure; his demeanor and words help diffuse an already incendiary situation. Actress Esosa Edosomwan, dressed in a suit and tie, delivers Stokes’ statements. The footage of Stokes and the filmed performance of Edosomwan are rendered in split screen and combined with footage and reportage from the streets.
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