That's actually the name of a course at UC Berkeley (of course it is!) Don't you wish they had that class when you went to college? Well, Don, John and I went to speak today to the Rebellion and Conformity class today about John's ordeal and our documentary. They seemed like a very cool group of students. They seemed interested and engaged in what we had to say. It was a great way to spend an hour and a half. They started watching the film and are going to continue to watch it during their next class. We'll be interested to hear what they think about the documentary.
Invites for the fundraiser are out. Still, no word on the narrator. Send us your good vibes! I did have a positive dream last night... that's something right?
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2 comments:
Hi Dana, Don, and John,
I wanted to thank you again for coming up to Berkeley to screen your film in front of my class. Having you all there in my class was the most rewarding day of teaching I’ve ever experienced (in 9 years of teaching). John, you are an incredible person and I feel fortunate to have met you.
As for the film, we finished it in class on Thursday. Needless to say, I was blown away — so much so that I had to show it to my wife, Heidi, on Friday night. She found it emotionally compelling and the tears were flowing by the end of the film. I say this with as much objectivity as I can muster — that was one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen (and I’ve watched a lot of documentaries). The editing was insanely good — the way you built the story was incredible. Likewise, the guitar music was perfect, the visuals were great (I loved the torn American flag), and Don’s narration was awesome. Lastly, you could not have picked a more perfect song to end the film — absolutely perfect.
Let’s hope this film gets some major recognition!
Thanks again for taking time out to come up to Berkeley!
Geoff
Hey Dana, Don, and John,
My name is Jenn, and I was one of the students in the Conformity and Rebellion class that you visited here at Berkeley (or what we lovingly refer to as Bezerkeley). haha But anyway, on a more serious note, I wanted to thank you guys for taking the time out of your busy day to come and talk to our class. I remember when I first read that article that Professor Barker sent to us about John, tears were flowing down my face. I couldn't believe that something so horrible could happen to someone so innocent. And when you guys first introduced John, the tears started flowing again. I am someone who is an idealist, and likes to believe that everyone in the world is essentially good. But unfortunately, there are horrible people like the Kern DA that is just concerned with his political career and doesn't take into account the number of lives (and not just the people that were sent to jail) that he has ruined. It saddens me that the world is like this today, but I still have hope for humanity. In a country where so many people are apathetic and/or uninformed, I hope this documentary succeeds in exposing them to the wrongdoings of the American justice system, specifically the one in Kern County. I would also like to say that I admire you and Don so much for doing what you are doing because it is keeping my faith in humanity intact. As for John, there are no words to express how much I admire you. Everything that you have gone through in life has taken so much courage and strength and I am just so amazed that not only have you been able to survive this injustice, but have it to spread awareness about similar injustices that have happened to other people. You are an amazing guy and I wish you the best in life because you deserve it.
Again, thank you guys so much for coming in to talk to us; it was probably one of the highlights of my freshman experience here at Berkeley. The documentary was emotional, enthralling, well-made, and just overall, amazing. I think it would be really cool to come back here again to show a campus-wide film screening (such as in our Wheeler Auditorium, a lecture hall that fits ~800 people) with a Q & A session after the movie. I would totally be willing to help advertise for it. Any other help that you need to advertise for this documentary when it comes out, I'm there. My email is jennlerner@berkeley.edu. Good luck with everything; I hope this turns out to be a huge success!
-Jenn ;0)
P.S. I know our class was talking about how the title wasn't maybe the best fit b/c there was already an American witch hunt, and also that it specifically focused on Kern County, not all over the U.S. But we all thought that a title that still had something about America in it would be good. I think you should talk to Barker about this because he probably remembers more of my classmates' comments than I did.
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