The ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties, along with the San Diego Lawyer Chapter and the University of San Diego School of Law Student Chapter of the American Constitution Society present:
Film Screening and Discussion on Civil Liberties and the War on Drugs
View a trailer of the film.
6:30 p.m.
University of San Diego School of Law
5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA
Warren Hall Room, 131
Featuring post-film Q&A with ACLU's Drug Law Reform Project staff,
Allen Hopper, Legal Director
and
Anjuli Verma, Advocacy Director
Pizza will be served.
RSVP here.
Click here to print out a parking pass.
American Violet, a critically acclaimed film based on the racially charged drug war scandal that rocked the town of Hearne, Texas, several years ago, explores the devastating impact of America's war on drugs. Directed by Tim Disney and written by Bill Haney, the film stars Alfre Woodard, Will Patton and Tim Blake Nelson.
As recounted in the film, the ACLU filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of 15 African-American residents of Hearne who were indicted in November 2000 on drug charges after being rounded up in a series of unlawful paramilitary drug "sweeps." These undercover drug busts, which led to the arrest of 15 percent of the African-American men between the ages of 18 and 34 in Hearne, were uniformly undertaken based on the uncorroborated word of a single unreliable confidential informant coerced by police to make cases.
Allen Hopper and Anjuli Verma of the ACLU's Drug Law Reform Project were involved in the litigation and the creation of the film. They will discuss their experiences and take questions from the audience.
This event is cosponsored by San Diego Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society.
