The Whistleblower…

This via Roger Ebert:

“The Whistleblower”, new yesterday on Netflix Instant. Here is a film to fill you with rage. It is based on the true story of Kathryn Bolkovac (Rachel Weisz), a police officer from Lincoln, Neb., who accepted an offer to join the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Bosnia. While there, she uncovered direct evidence that underage girls were being held captive and bought and sold in a profitable sex trafficking operation. When she presented her evidence to her superiors, it was ignored. When she persisted, she was fired. There is more. The American private security firm, DynCorp International, whose operatives committed these crimes and tried to cover them up, is still employed by the U.S. government in Iraq and Afghanistan, and was used in Louisiana after Katrina. Although its activities were at the center of Bolkovac’s report, she found that local police and U.N. peacekeepers themselves were also deeply involved.

 

Panelist Pat Mims Of BAWAR…

Pat strongly believes that a child should have the opportunity to be just that….a child.
He volunteers countless hours to facilitate life skills and support groups for young men
and women who are at risk for or involved in the juvenile justice system.

Pat Mims is a recognized expert in providing comprehensive advocacy and support
services to sexually exploited youth. As the Coordinator for the Sexually Exploited
Minors Program for Bay Area Women Against Rape (BAWAR), Pat has developed and
implemented BAWAR’s First Crisis Response and Advocacy program for Commercially
Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) that serves all of Alameda County. This program
serves children who have been or are currently being exploited and/or trafficked.

Pat strongly believes that a child should have the opportunity to be just that….a child.
He volunteers countless hours to facilitate life skills and support groups for young men
and women who are at risk for or involved in the juvenile justice system.

Panelist Nkauj Iab Yang…

Nkauj Iab Yang from Banteay Srei has been added to our panel, addressing sex trafficking in Oakland of Southeast Asian women aged 14-19.

Banteay Srei is a youth development, asset building organization that is non-judgmental of young Southeast Asian women who are at risk of or engaged in the underground sex trade. They provide resources that support their healthy development through self-empowerment and self-determination.

Panelist, Lead Alameda County DA Nancy O’Malley…

Head Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley will be one of our panelists at the screening. She has been integral in the conviction of human sex traffickers in the East Bay.

Panelist Sergeant Holly Joshi…

Panelist Sergeant Holly Joshi is currently the supervisor of the Oakland Police Department’s Vice and Child Exploitation Unit. It is a specialized unit devoted specifically to combating human trafficking and the commercial exploitation of women and children.

Jonathan Remple Of ITVS And Community Cinema…

Black Cinema At Large is hosting this event with Community Cinema/ITVS. Thanks to  Engagement Manager Jonathan Remple for helping us with the details and being in attendance. Jonathan also travels to local schools as a Poet Mentor with Youth Speaks.

Proposition 35…Yes or No?

Deals with the issues of sex crimes and sex trafficking; here is an article that says that it’s focus on the ballot is too narrow: HERE

Panelist Nola Brantley Of MISSSEY…

Nola Brantley, co-founder and Executive Director of MISSSEY, Inc., has been at the forefront of addressing the needs of commercially sexually exploited children in the Bay Area for almost a decade. As the co-founder of a non-profit specifically and exclusively dedicated to providing holistic services for child victims of domestic human trafficking, she has exemplified what it means to turn passion into action. Prior to co-founding MISSSEY Nola directed the Parenting and Youth Enrichment at a West Oakland community based organization where she developed the first community case management model for commercially sexually exploited children (CSEC) in Alameda County, which would lay the foundation for the City of Oakland’s Sexually Abused and Commercially Exploited Youth (SACEY) Program. In appreciation of her unwavering strength and perseverance for victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking she has been recognized with various awards including but not limited to; Bay Area Regional Jefferson Award (awarded by CBS 5), the Walk Against Domestic Violence Community Service Award (awarded by A Safe Place-Oakland), the Ruby Award and the Best of Women and Girls Award (awarded by Soroptimist International) and the Angel Award for Community Service (awarded by the Take Wings Foundation).

Moderator Eric K. Arnold…

Eric K. Arnold of Oakland Local (oaklandlocal.com) has been writing about art, music and culture since the mid-1990s. Since then, he’s been a columnist and investigative journalist for such publications as The Source, XXL, Africana.com, and the East Bay Express; his work has also appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Vibe, Wax Poetics, SF Weekly, XLR8R, the Village Voice and Jamrock, as well as the academic anthology Total Chaos.

Activist And Poet Deborah James…

Community activist Deborah James will read two powerful spoken words….”Child Woman” that deals with the topic of the prostitution, and a poem written by her granddaughter, “They Should Have Told Her She was a Queen”, at the beginning of our screening.

Half The Sky” Film Trailer…

“Half The Sky” is a film that focuses on the oppression of women globally and it’s solutions. Though there are six segments to the film, we will be screening just two, on human sex trafficking and prostitution. Our expert panel will involve the attendees present in a community discussion that focuses on solutions and resolution.

Oakland Venue Management/Downtown Oakland Association CBD

Black Cinema At Large and Community Cinema would like to thank Steve Snider and two of his entities, Downtown Oakland Association CBD and Oakland Venue Management for their efforts, time, and generosity in the involvement of our screening. They have been pivotal in the evolution of the Uptown/Downtown areas, bringing civic and cultural concern and funding for the betterment of Oakland, including First Fridays.

You can find out more about theses groups here:

http://www.downtownoakland.org/

And here:

http://www.oaklandvm.com/

FREE Screening, Sunday November 4th, 2-4pm: Geoffrey’s Inner Circle

Geoffrey Pete has been an Oakland institution for 3 decades, holding down firm businesses in the Downtown Oakland district. We will be at his latest incarnation, Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, at 410 14th Street (2nd floor), exactly one block from the 14th StreetBART station. It is the perfect atmosphere for a screening and community engagement discussion.

For those who may like to try it, Geoffrey’s soul food kitchen will be available for food purchase.