07.16.09

Free screening of “The Least of These” in Georgetown – July 27th

Posted in Georgetown, Good Stuff, T. Don Hutto, Take Action, Williamson County at 11:32 am by wcnews

Text of press release:

LIBRARY TO HOLD FREE SCREENING OF “THE LEAST OF THESE”

FILM BY FORMER GEORGETOWN RESIDENT AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBER

The Georgetown Public Library will hold the first screening open to the general public in Williamson County of the documentary, “The Least of These” made by former Georgetown resident and City Council Member Clark Lyda and premiered at this spring’s South X Southwest Film Festival.  The screening will be free of charge and begin at 7 pm, Monday, July 27^th, in the Hewlett Room of the Public Library, 402 West 8^th, in Georgetown.  A question and answer session moderated by Bob Libal of Texas Grassroots Leadership will follow the film.

The film deals with the detention of immigrant children and their families in the T. Don Hutto Detention Center, a former medium-security prison in Taylor, Texas. Attorneys for detainee families became aware of distress among the children of their clients as a result of conditions in the Center, which is run by the largest private prison company in the United States, under a contract between The Department of Homeland Security and Williamson County. A lawsuit filed to improve conditions resulted in a more humane program of care for the children, but now those mandated changes are set to expire. The film explores the role and limits of community activism and considers how American rights and values apply to the least powerful among us.

The film has been described as “quiet and measured“ but also “powerful and moving,” The Williamson County Sun said, “It is a complex story and Lyda and his team tell it in a straightforward narrative that holds one’s interest at a high pitch throughout.  Excellent work, well worth seeing for anyone with an iota of interest in federal immigration policy and its on-the-ground ramifications…This was not a “gotcha” documentary, a la Michael Moore.  It is an intelligent, thoughtful, and lawyerlike piece of work…” (3/22/09).

Come and view the film for yourself and learn more about this controversial topic. For further information, call Eric Lashley, Library Director, (512) 930-3551.

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