I was really glad for the opportunity to see 9500 Liberty. The documentary was extremely well-done, and provided a close-up look at the effects of the "Probable Cause Mandate" in Prince William County, Virginia. Along with telling the County's story, the film acted as a logical argument against such laws.
As summarized by Eric Byler, one of the filmmakers, the Probable Cause Mandate was damaging to the county's economy, its housing market, and its reputation, making it hard to bring in new investors, business owners and home owners. The law itself would cost millions of dollars (14 million, to be exact), not to mention the lawsuit that would have followed in due course if a citizen of the county had found their human rights to be violated (the federal government planned to back up the first person who experienced this). The crime rate during the time the law was in effect went up - though in the last 15 years the crime rate had been dropping and the latino population had quadrupled. In addition to the law being morally wrong, the only argument in favor of the law that had any possibility of being valid was the claim that latino people commit more crimes - and there weren't facts to support this claim.
Though the argument that Prince William County's economy was hurting due to the Probable Cause Mandate is valid and important, it bothered me that citizens of Manassas weren't disgusted by the mandate to begin with. Did it really take the economy and housing market plummeting to cause regret that the bill had been implemented? What about the basic virtues of compassion, love and kindness? What about human rights? I am glad that the law was repealed, but its a shame that it to encouraged such hatred, anger, and fear within the community. The role that Greg Letiecq's blog played in the implementation of the bill was shocking. I'm glad that people like Alanna Almeda and Elena Schlossberg and others chose to speak out against it.
Watching this documentary helped me realize the messiness and complexity of immigration and made real to me just how strongly some people feel about this issue.
Mandy, I was also really glad that 9500 Liberty was a movie that we got to watch for this class. In my opinion, it's been the most fascinating and relevant one so far. I'm not very informed about how government things work, so this was educational in more than one sense.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was really interesting that the crime rate went up after the law went into affect. Although this seems illogical, I guess it just stands as proof that things aren't always how they seem. More importantly, it's reminded me of the importance of understanding the facts for myself. I can't get through life just basing my opinions/beliefs on what other people say.
I think this movie was an excellent one to watch. It shows how issues of illegal immigration are affecting places all throughout the United States, not just those states who share a border. I learned a lot of things about the opinions people have and how they back them up, even when the claim or proof is unrealistic.
ReplyDeleteIt was very interesting to see how the economy and the money needed for the cops was the thing that made them go against the law. I was very surprised that this was the thing to push them over the edge, not the fact of how racist or prejudice it was.
I too, along with Lavonne, realized the importance of understanding facts for myself. I think that so many times in the movie, something was said that it proved a certain point but with more research, you could see how much it really didn't. I found it interesting and thought that people making such big claims would have done more research and been more knowledgeable about the topic they were fighting for and finding accurate facts to help their case. Then, there were all the people that followed the blog and took what the man said as if he was always correct. It makes me want to believe things because I have found them to be true, not because I have been told to feel this way.
Mandy- I like your point about how you were bothered that the people of the county were not disgusted by the mandate in the first place. It definitely shows the priority in our country, which focuses more on money and financial gain/loss than human dignity and respect. It makes me wonder what would have happened if the financial aspects were not the only burden? How much longer would the ordinance have remained in place?
ReplyDeleteThis documentary did do a great job of showing the complexity of the situation. This became especially clear as party lines blurred and individuals changed the focus of their opinions. It is easy for me to often simplify the conflict into those on one side or the other. There are few people who are on an extreme polarized end. Instead, many people are still trying to better understand what they agree with or disagree with and how they can most effectively voice their personal thoughts.
I appreciate your description of 9500 liberty as a "logical argument" against the discriminatory "probable cause" phrase. Your second paragraph goes on to demonstrate this by citing facts and figures that the filmmakers used to argue against the law--its costs (which none of the supervisors considered when they voted for the law), and evidence that the crime rate had gone down during the 15 years when Latino immigration had increased dramatically. These are the kinds of facts that media and government agencies should be sharing with communities, rather than fueling fear and hate. You are right to point out, in your semi-final paragraph, to reinsert the importance of practicing the values of human dignity and liberty for all people that our country is supposed to endorse. Are those only values we extend to white people who have lived in the USA for several generations?
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