South Carolina examines immigration test case in Virginia

Feb. 18, 2011 - PRLog -- SOUTH CAROLINA EXAMINES IMMIGRATION TEST CASE IN VIRGINIA
University of South Carolina hosts director of “9500 Liberty” Monday Feb. 21

Feb. 18, 2011 (Columbia, SC) — Students at the University of South Carolina, concerned about the potential unintended consequences of anti-illegal immigration measures before the state legislature, are bringing the award-winning documentary 9500 LIBERTY and its co-director Eric Byler to campus for a Monday Feb. 21 5 PM screening.

9500 LIBERTY chronicles the rise and fall of a Virginia county law that required police to check the immigration status of people they had “probable cause” to suspect were undocumented immigrants.  Due to the federal injunction blocking Arizona’s S.B. 1070, this film documents the only time in U.S. history that a law requiring immigration status checks based on a subjective standard of suspicion was actually implemented.  But students at USC are more interested in learning about why the law was repealed.

“I think it’s really interesting that, after such a huge battle to get this law in place, the lawmakers changed their minds so quickly,” said USC senior Anna Walton.  “We’ve worked really hard to put this event together because we hope we can learn from their mistakes, and not pass this law in the first place.”

Both Arizona’s S.B. 1070 and the “Probable Cause” mandate in Prince William County, VA were drafted by an anti-immigration lobbying firm in Washington DC called the Federation for American Immigration Reform.  Byler, who arrives in Columbia Sunday, is a resident of the county where the film takes place.

“Our Board of County Supervisors passed this law under extreme political pressure during the run-up to an election,” he said.  “Six months later, they were able to reconsider their vote thanks to new data, and new voices from their constituents, in particular from the business, religious, and law enforcement communities.  Although there is a lot of suffering and fighting in the film, it’s given a lot of people hope.”

Byler, who co-directed the film with Coffee Party founder Annabel Park, is an Independent Spirit Award nominee for his first feature film, Charlotte Sometimes, and has won 16 film festival awards.

**9500 LIBERTY
**Monday Feb. 21, 2011
**5:00 – 7:00pm
**Gambrell Hall 153
**817 Henderson Street
**Columbia, SC
**Free and open to the public
Presented by Students Allied for Better Immigration Opportunities and
Amigos del Buen Samaritano
Co-sponsored by USC Student Government, Latin American Studies Program, Department of Anthropology,
Church World Service, SC Hispanic/Latino Health Coalition, and Palmetto y Luna

Contact:
Anna Walton: waltonal@email.sc.edu
Eric Byler:  Eric@CoffeePartyUSA.com

http://www.9500Liberty.com

ABOUT 9500 LIBERTY

9500 Liberty documents the only 2 months in American history where an “Arizona style” immigration law was actually implemented — and, why it was so quickly repealed.  Prince William County, Virginia’s immigration culture war began in July of 2007 when the Board of County Supervisors, under intense pressure from a small but fiercely vocal grassroots movement, suddenly adopted a regulation requiring police officers to question people they had “probable cause” to think was an an undocumented immigrant.  Filmmakers Annabel Park, Eric Byler, and Jeff Man began filming events in August, and in October they began releasing raw footage on YouTube, inviting residents of the county to add their voice to what became the world’s first “interactive documentary.” The feature film provides an inside look at how ordinary citizens used new media tools to respond to intimidation and other extreme political tactics and regain control of their county government.

The “probable cause” mandate in Prince William County was repealed after two months of implementation when citizens organized in opposition, citing its negative economic impact, the tax increases it had caused, and the threat of expensive law suits. After 15 years of falling crime rates, Prince William County saw an increase in crime during the year of its immigration culture war.  However, both the economy and public safety have improved since the repeal of the controversial provision. Both the Prince William County law and the Arizona law were drafted by an anti-immigration lobbying firm in Washington DC called Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), and one of FAIR’s top lawyers provides a dramatic moment in “9500 Liberty” when he proclaims himself the “mad scientist” and Prince William County his “field study.”

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Coffee Party began when Annabel Park updated her Facebook status with a "rant" about divisive, inaccurate political rhetoric. Our goal is to use people power and new media to reign in corporate influence, and usher in a new era of participatory democracy.