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Documentary exposes racism in law enforcement
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In summer 1999, an undercover cop unearthed a massive drug ring in Tulia, Texas, a rural farming community of about 5,000 inhabitants. Narcotics agent Thomas Coleman accused 46 people of selling him drugs. Suspicions arise when 39 of the 46 accused happened to be black. The families of the convicted were shocked with the extreme sentences, some up to 90 years in jail. Criminal-defense attorney Jeff Blackburn started an investigation on Coleman after finding discrepancies in his testimony.
The message projected through the documentary, “Tulia Texas” is an example of law-enforcement racism and corruption that can permeate those who claim to serve justice.
Going to the heart of the issue, Blackburn said, “This is a story about how our idea of justice gets corrupted when we declare a war on something.”
The Boise State University Cultural Center will present the documentary as part of the Diverse Perspectives Film Series, which aims to raise awareness and understanding about marginalized and oppressed groups. Ro Alvarado-Parker, Cultural Center coordinator, designed the screening to coincide with Martin Luther King Day and black history month.
“It’s such a powerful documentary about racism, surrounding a lot of the topics that are heightened this time of year,” Alvarado-Parker said.
The screening will take place Jan. 27, at 5:30 p.m. in Hatch B in the Student Union Building. It is free and open to the public. The film will also broadcast on Idaho Public Television Feb. 10 at 10 p.m.
The screening held in the SUB offers an opportunity to discuss the film with other viewers. The Diverse Perspectives Film Series provides a facilitator for discussion following the film for anyone interested. Topics include misrepresentation of people of color in prisons, class discrimination and the possibility of inherent racism written into drug laws, like crack versus cocaine sentences.
The U.S. war on drugs is another specimen up for dissection in the film. The filmmakers question the efficacy of drug policies set forth by lawmakers. They criticize the system for filling prisons at an astounding rate with drug violators. A statistic on the Independent Lens Website, which features “Tulia Texas,” states approximately 40,000 Americans were incarcerated in 1980 for drug-related crimes. In 2008, that number jumped to 500,000. Another statistic on the Website claims in 2008, one in 106 Caucasian men older than were in prison. For black men, that ratio is one in 15.
The Cultural Center intends to present films that provide students with a fuller view of the world. According to Alvarado-Parker, “It offers them a look at things through the perspective of other people."
TERESA ARENZ
Arbiter Journalist
