Search Party is a short film about Donna Greene, a lower middle class mother living in the Grant Housing (Harlem) projects, hosting a surprise party that is interrupted by an uninvited guest—the police. The police are on a manhunt looking for an unidentified suspect in the area. Unfortunately, Donna has a gut feeling that the man they’re looking for is also the honoree of the surprise party: her son, Sean. Donna fights hard to drive the police away, because she doesn’t want anyone or anything to ruin her son’s special day.
Despite Donna’s efforts, things still head south. They single out all the young black boys around Sean’s age and zero in on Sean, who refuses to cooperate. When Donna tries to defend her son, the police become more aggressive, knocking over cake and threatening to take both her and her son down to the precinct. Guests take out their phones and videotape the event, which exacerbates the situation. Finally the police leave after receiving word about another lead from the dispatch. After the police are gone, Donna tries to salvage what’s left of the party, but by then it’s too late. The party has been ruined.