This Wednesday from 6-9pm, Second Act will screen two films produced by Not In Our Town (NOIT), a PBS series and nonprofit dedicated to ending hate crimes and creating safe and diverse communities for all. The event is free and open to the public.
The event is being hosted by Captain John Sanford of Park Station and the Park Station Community Police Advisory Board, as well as NIOT, the primary program of The Working Group, an Oakland-based nonprofit media production company founded in 1988. It's responsible for 100+ short films intended to "spark community dialogue, stop hate, address bullying, and build safe, inclusive communities for all."
The first film, Waking in Oak Creek, is about the 2012 killing of six Sikh worshipers, as well as Police Lieutenant Brian Murphy, by a white supremacist. The killing occurred at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and in the wake of the tragedy, the police force in Oak Creek formed close relationships with the Sikh community to grieve for the victims and end violence in their communities.
The second film will be A Prosecutor's Stand, which is about the work of San Francisco Assistant District Attorney Victor Hwang to uncover a skinhead network operating in the city. The network turned out to be responsible for brutal attacks on a Mayan dishwasher, an African-American homeless man, and a transgender woman, Mia Tu Mutch. Hwang's mission is to raise awareness about the importance of reporting hate crimes, so that the lines around proving them become clearer.
After the screenings, Second Act will feature a panel discussion moderated by Assistant District Attorney Marisa Rodriguez, with Assistant District Attorney Laura Claster, District Attorney Investigator Quincy Ruffin and SFPD Sgt. Peter Shields. Captain Sanford will also be in attendance. They'll discuss what local residents can do to address intolerance and raise awareness, following a rash of recent hate crimes in the city.
