HispanicVista Columnists

From: "Jeffrey Mittman" jeffrey@activevoice.net
Date: 2005/11/30
Active Voice is working with the American Civil Liberties Union on informing the public and interested activists about an important new TV series – Freedom Files. From the ACLU and Robert Greenwald / Brave New Films (Unconstitutional and Outfoxed), the series is an engaging look at current civil liberties issues such as the PATRIOT Act, Dissent, and Religious Liberty. December’s episode covers Racial Profiling. (For more information about the series and the ten episodes, see www.aclu.tv.

Hispanic Vista’s readers will want to know that Racial Profiling airs on LinkTV on December 8th, and can be streamed from our website.   Also, for those who want to inspire activism in their own communities, a free DVD of the 30-minute episode is available (details below).

Racial profiling—an ongoing and challenging problem facing our country—may have fallen off the radar screen for some Americans. But for Carlos Gonzales, of Los Angeles, the problem is current and personal. The story of his police stop is told in Racial Profiling. As he notes, the police “go through the process that you’re guilty and then they find out that you’re innocent. Then they just turn around and say, ‘Oops, I made a mistake,’ and we’re supposed to be fine with that.”

See what happened to Carlos, and other compelling stories brought into sharp focus. Racial Profiling also tells about real solutions to the problem—like a national anti-racial profiling bill that has hit snags in Congress for years.

Hispanic Vista, in collaboration with the ACLU, is offering to all Hispanic Vista readers the resources to raise awareness about racial profiling today. You can receive a free 30-minute DVD of Racial Profiling simply by showing the episode at a house party or community premiere, or by telling five friends about the show. This engaging show features stirring accounts of current cases, and well-known musicians, activists and comedians.

To inspire activism and debate by hosting a community premier of Racial Profiling, to show to friends and neighbors at a house party, or to tell five friends about the show, visit: http://www.aclu.tv/producersclub <http://www.aclu.tv/producersclub .

Or you can email: FreedomFiles@ActiveVoice.net, or call (415) 553-2841, and receive all the necessary tools for a successful event—publicity templates, invitations, event agendas, and racial profiling talking points.

Despite the civil rights victories of our past, racial prejudice still pervades the criminal justice system. Data reports from more than 4000 cites in 20 states, covering millions of police stops and searches, show racial disparities against people of color. The “war on crime” in America is too often waged against innocent individuals who are suspects solely because of the color of their skin. The unequal targeting and treatment of minorities throughout the criminal justice process—from   arrest to sentencing—reinforces the perceptions that drive inequality. More minority arrests and convictions perpetuate the belief that minorities commit more crimes, which in turn leads to racial profiling and more minority arrests.

Help stop the cycle of inequality! Order your Racial Profiling DVD today and engage your community in the fight against racial profiling.
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Jeffrey Mittman | The ACLU Freedom Files A C T I V E   V O I C E - Putting a human face on public policy, 2601 Mariposa St., 3rd Floor | San Francisco, CA 94110
phone: 415.553.2817 | fax: 415.553.2848 www.activevoice.net