August 20, 2010
Arizona is getting a lot of attention these days because of it’s passage of SB1070. However, it’s not the first time immigration legislation of this type has been passed. A new film documents what happened in Prince William County, Virginia when a similar law was passed in 2007.
The film 9500 Liberty, a feature length documentary, depicts a community deeply divided over immigration, and politicians eager to position themselves within the conflict. The project began as the Youtube 9500 Liberty channel.
Eric Byler directed the film and he says that immigration in Virginia was not considered an important issue, until pre-election political rhetoric began to divide the community. “The election for the county board of supervisors chairmanship in Prince William County became about this crisis of illegal immigration, and a few months before we really didn’t even know it existed,” he told Arizona Public Media.
Byler says the events in Virginia closely resemble what is now happening in Arizona, and the narrative arc began about six months before the Virginia elections. “Once the sides were drawn, and it was determined this was the issue for the 2007 election, then it was no holds barred.”
You can now follow the story of SB 1070, and the immigration debate in Arizona at the You Tube channel for Liberty Arizona.
The film screened before a an overflow crowd on Friday, August 20, at 7pm at the Screening Room downtown. An additional screening was added to accommodate the large crowd.
Synopsis of 9500 Liberty:
A documentary based on the groundbreaking YouTube channel, 9500liberty. Prince William County, Virginia becomes ground zero in America’s explosive battle over immigration policy when elected officials adopt a law requiring police officers to question anyone they have "probable cause" to suspect is an undocumented immigrant. 9500 Liberty reveals the startling vulnerability of a local government, targeted by national anti-immigration networks using the Internet to frighten and intimidate lawmakers and citizens. Alarmed by a climate of fear and racial division, residents form a resistance using YouTube videos and virtual townhalls, setting up a real-life showdown in the seat of county government. The devastating social and economic impact of the “Immigration Resolution” is felt in the lives of real people in homes and in local businesses. But the ferocious fight to adopt and then reverse this policy unfolds inside government chambers, on the streets, and on the Internet. 9500 Liberty provides a front row seat to all three battlegrounds.
To prevent spam, comments are no longer allowed after thirty days.
