SPECIAL SCREENING AND DISCUSSION FOR DOCUMENTARY
Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness

for more information:
Ernie Slottag 789-2235

A screening and public discussion of a new PBS documentary, Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness, will be held from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Monday, September 12, 2011 at the Springfield City Council Chambers. The presentation is being hosted by the Coalition to Promote Human Dignity and Diversity and the Springfield Community Relations Commission.

Several years ago, the original Not In Our Town program was televised nationwide. The result was a greatly improved public awareness of hate crimes and hate activity. Now, PBS is preparing to present Not In Our Town III on September 21, 2011. Advance copies of the program have been made available for early screenings to groups that work to prevent hate crimes.

The film screening will be followed by a discussion about what local residents can do to stop hate in Springfield. People who attend the early screening will encourage others to view the broadcast so that everyone can work to prepare local solutions for the problems and questions that are raised by the program.

The screening is part of the Not In Our Town National Week of Action, held from September 18-24. During the Week of Action, communities across the country will use the film to find ways to prevent hate crimes and anti-immigrant violence.

Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness tells the story of residents of a Long Island village taking action after a local immigrant is killed in a hate crime attack by seven teenagers. While starkly revealing the trauma of hate, the film provides a blueprint for people who want to do something before intolerance turns to violence.

In 2008, a series of attacks against Latino residents of Patchogue, New York culminated with the hate crime killing of Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorian immigrant who had lived in the Long Island village for 13 years. Seven local teenagers were arrested for the attack and one was charged with murder. Over a two-year period, the story follows Mayor Paul Pontieri, the victim’s brother Joselo Lucero, and Patchogue residents as they openly address the underlying causes of the violence, work to heal divisions, and begin taking steps to ensure everyone in their village will be safe and respected.

Not In Our Town highlights communities coming together to stop hate. Developed by The Working Group in 1995, Not In Our Town began with a PBS documentary that told the story of how people in Billings, Montana joined together to respond to a series of hate crimes in their town. This simple, powerful story of people banding together struck a chord with audiences, and created a model that inspired viewers around the country to hold their own campaigns against intolerance.