“It could have been me,” Jordan says of the untimely deaths of Grant and Martin. “Around the time I read the [Fruitvale] script, Trayvon Martin’s shooting had just happened a week or two before. I remember when Oscar Grant died in 2009 and how frustrating it was during that time. And then the Trayvon murder occurred, it was like all of this was happening again. I’m from New Jersey and Oscar is from Oakland, but the same things are occurring. When I was younger, I always hung out with my boys. So we could’ve experienced a situation that was similar to Oscar Grant’s. Being from the inner city, you have to do the best with what you have — even when the odds are stacked against you. People from outside your community may judge you because you may look different, walk a little different, or talk a little different. But, dealing on a more personal level, after I got a chance to get to know Oscar’s story, I saw a lot of similarities between Oscar and I. With the film, I really wanted to give him a voice. It’s kind of fun for me to dive into those characters as well.”
