CAPE (Movie)

Evelyn Espinoza

Movie

Another tactic we used to bring awareness to our issue was by showcasing a movie on our issue. We thought what better way to bring people together by showing a movie that will inform and hopefully motivate individuals to uncover and proactively join our movement or something they may feel passionate about.  This different type of movement activism was an attempt to draw attention to Citizens Advocating for Pre-trial Expansion (CAPE) because we want there to be awareness of the pre-trial programs and fraud that occurs with bonds and unfairness to certain individuals. We took an educational approach by showing a documentary at Fresno State to faculty, students, friends, and family. We publicized the event by posting flyers around campus and emailing to friends and family. The film we chose was "Broken on All Sides: Race, Mass Incarceration and New Visions for Criminal Justice in the U.S." The documentary centered on the mass incarceration and the role of race and poverty in the criminal justice system. This film identifies the problem of targeting people of color and subjecting them to harsher punishments.  The stories in the film were compelling and revealing of the racial inequalities that are enforced in the criminal justice system. Overall the film got across our message and hopefully empowered them to get involved in changing the criminal justice system.  Before and after the film we held a discussion to get a sense of the understanding everyone had on the issue and after was more of his or her insight and opinion on the film. This was a great way to inform individuals on an issue because showing a film is a great way to bring a crowd together. I feel that this could have resulted in a better turn out if we advertised it more and had complimentary snacks and beverages to encourage more attendees.