Every Friday night for the last nine years, neighbors in our community have been showing free screenings of “Meaningful Movies” that cover issues around social justice, followed by an open community discussion about the evening’s topic. The screenings take place at the Keystone Congressional Church (5029 Keystone Avenue N.) from 7:00pm to 9:30PM. Many times, the organizers bring in advocates about the issues presented in the evening’s film, or the filmmakers themselves will stop by for a Q&A session after the film.
This Friday night (October 26), Meaningful Movies will show a special screening about the War on Drugs called “The House I Live In”. “A must-see prior to the upcoming election,” according to Meaningful Movies organizer, Rick. Here’s the synopsis:
‘THE HOUSE I LIVE IN’ (103 min, Eugene Jarecki, 2012) …The War On Drugs Is Not About Drugs. Joining us will be ALISON HOLCOMB, Director of NEW APPROACH WASHINGTON – YES! ON I-502 CAMPAIGN, for a discussion on the War On Drugs and the importance of I-502 the Initiative for ‘Washington Marijuana Legalization and Regulation’.
As America remains embroiled in conflict overseas, a less visible war is taking place at home, costing countless lives, destroying families, and inflicting untold damage on future generations of Americans. Over forty years, the War on Drugs has accounted for more than 45 million arrests, made America the world’s largest jailer, and damaged poor communities at home and abroad. Yet for all that, drugs are cheaper, purer, and more available today than ever before. Filmed in more than twenty states, ‘The House I Live In’ captures heart-wrenching stories from individuals at all levels of America’s War on Drugs. From the dealer to the grieving mother, the narcotics officer to the senator, the inmate to the federal judge, the film offers a penetrating look inside America’s longest war, offering a definitive portrait and revealing its profound human rights implications.
While recognizing the seriousness of drug abuse as a matter of public health, the film investigates the tragic errors and shortcomings that have meant it is more often treated as a matter for law enforcement, creating a vast machine that feeds largely on America’s poor, and especially on minority communities. Beyond simple misguided policy, The House I Live In examines how political and economic corruption have fueled the War On Drugs for forty years, despite persistent evidence of its moral, economic, and practical failures.
Trailer and more on the film: HERE.More info on I-502 – ‘Washington Marijuana Legalization and Regulation’: HERE
Download the flyer: HERE – Please help us get the word out!
(Event is FREE and open to the public! …but Donations are kindly accepted).