Local Events
2014 King, Gandhi, Chavez, Mankiller
Season of Nonviolence
Dedicated to the legacy of Nelson Mandela
Events at Central Oregon Community College
for more information, see the link above or contact Karen Roth at
541-383-7412 or kroth1@cocc.edu.
Beyond Bars: Rethinking Our Reliance on Prisons - A moderated discussion with Walidah Imarisha
Thursday, January 30, 3:30 p.m.
Wille Hall, Campus Center Building, COCC Bend Campus
What
role do prisons serve in our country? Is it possible to envision a
world where people are safe and secure, and where there is
accountability, without prisons? Does our prison system, in some cases,
actually cause rather than reduce crime? Participants in this program
will begin by exploring what they know about prisons. After a brief
multimedia history of prisons and alternative justice systems, Walidah
Imarisha, an author and editor, will lead a conversation about
alternatives to incarceration.
Film: American Violet
Monday, February 3, noon - 2 p.m., 306 Redmond Campus
Tuesday, February 4, 5 - 7 p.m., Hitchcock Auditorium
Based
on a true story, this film tells of a single mother’s struggles to
prove her innocence after being unjustly arrested on charges of dealing
drugs. Her story sheds light on the practice of targeting impoverished
communities of color in search of drugs and other crimes.
“From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Docks” Performance
Thursday, Feb. 13, 6:30 pm, Hitchcock Auditorium, 201 Pioneer Hall
Actor-playwright Ian Ruskin portrays the legendary union organizer Harry Bridges, capturing his passion, struggles and wicked sense of humor in this one-man play. This vivid dramatization brings to life the San Francisco labor leader who organized the poorly paid and greatly abused dock workers - self-proclaimed “wharf rats” - on San Francisco’s piers. Bridges’ ultimately successful effort to organize these workers was fraught with violence and personal consequences; he was frequently harassed, beaten and jailed. Written and performed by Ian Ruskin, the play features Harry Bridges’ own words, from his rallying speeches of the 1930s to his electrifying testimony at his own trials, plus eye-witness accounts in the words of his contemporaries.
Co-sponsored with Central Oregon Jobs for Justice.
Film: Harvest of an Empire: A History of Latinos in America
Monday, February 17, noon - 1 p.m., 306 Redmond Campus
Tuesday, February 18, 3:15 p.m., Hitchcock Auditorium, 201 Pioneer, Bend Campus
Harvest of an Empire
spans five centuries from the first New World colonies to the first
decade of the new millennium to chronicle the history of Latinos in
America. Based on Juan Gonzalez’s groundbreaking book, this film takes
an unflinching look at how U.S. economic and military interests
helped trigger an unprecedented wave of migration. By featuring family
portraits of immigrant Latino pioneers, the film recounts the events and
conditions that compelled them to leave their homelands.”
Discussion of the film: Gideon’s Army with Producer Dawn Porter
Wednesday, February 26, 4 - 6 p.m.
Wille Hall, Campus Center Building, COCC Bend Campus
This
film follows the personal stories of three public defenders who are
part of a small group of idealistic lawyers who are challenging the
assumptions that drive a criminal justice system strained to the
breaking point. They struggle against long hours, low pay, and
staggering caseloads so common that even the most committed often
give up in their first year. These courageous lawyers are challenging
the way Americans think about the right to counsel, indigent defense,
and the notion of “justice for all.”
Defending America in the Age of Mass Incarceration
Wednesday, February 26,7 p.m.
Wille Hall, Campus Center Building, COCC Bend Campus
America
imprisons more people than any other industrialized nation in the
world. The overwhelming majority of those who are arrested qualify for
free legal representation from one of the nation's 15,000 public
defenders. But these legal officers are struggling to keep up as more
and more people are arrested each year. At a time when our nation's
prisons are filled to overflowing with no end in sight, what can those
who represent the poor teach us? Dawn Porter, attorney and criminal
justice system reformer, spent almost four years making a film about
three remarkable public defenders on the front lines of a culture of
mass incarceration. She shares her insights into the criminal justice
system from this unique vantage point, that of the accused and those who
represent them.
The Changing Face of America: Immigration Then and Now
Wednesday, March 5, noon - 1 p.m., Wille Hall, Campus Center
Actor/author, Judith Sloan, discusses her performance of Crossing the BLVD and its relevance to our society today.
Theater Production: Crossing the BLVD: Strangers,Neighbors, Aliens in a New America
Wednesday, March 5, 6 p.m., Hitchcock Auditorium, 201 Pioneer
Crossing the BLVD: strangers, neighbors, aliens in anew America presents
the human stories of why immigrants and refugees have migrated to the
US and what their experiences have been since they came here pre- and
post-9/11. Based on Lehrer and Sloan’s critically acclaimed book,
actor/writer Judith Sloan channels many of the people that the couple
interviewed on their three-year journey around the world through the
borough of Queens, New York.
Co-sponsors: OSU Cascades and Corvallis, Deschutes Cultural Coalition