Filmmakers Julie Perini, Jodi Darby, and Erin Yanke are using Kickstarter to finish the documentary film, Arresting Power: Resisting Police Violence in Portland, Oregon.
Below is a statement they’ve provided about their campaign.
Arresting Power: Resisting Police Violence in Portland Oregonย explores Portland’s unique history of policing, race relations and community resistance from the 1960s to present.
Arresting Powerย has been in production for over two years, born out of frustration from witnessing decades of police misconduct, demands for change, and hollow responses from the city government. As media artists and community activists, we have spent time in meetings, on the front lines of protests and behind cameras and microphones collecting stories of local police issues for the past 15 years.ย Arresting Powerย is the culmination of that work.
We need help to cover the last remaining costs of creating this important document. As we have seen in the last few years, the problem of police violence is only getting worse in this country. The safety of people on the margins of society- poor people, people of color, the unhoused, people with mental health issues, queer and other non-gender conforming individuals- is something for which we all must take responsibility. This film has been our way of standing up against a force that seems overwhelming at times, in order to invigorate hope, inspire dialog and demand change.
Arresting Power- Resisting Police Violence in Portland, Oregonย provides a historical and political analysis of the role of the police in contemporary society and the history of policing in the United States. It provides a context for the systemic racism in Portland, with its history of exclusion laws, racial profiling, red-lining and currently active gentrification practices.
It also provides a historical outline of resistance movements that have been active throughout the past 50 years, from the Portland Black Berets and Black Panther Party to police observation organizations like Portland Copwatch and Portland Community Liberation Front.
Most importantly, the film explores alternatives to the current system of policing and considers strategies for keeping communities safe from harm without the threat of constant surveillance and ubiquitous violence.
Arresting Powerย consists of three subject areas:ย Memorial Stories,ย Community Storiesย andย Resistance Stories.
Memorial Storiesย feature interviews with the families of people who were killed by Portland police. These stories serve as memorials to dignify these individuals who were most likely stripped of their dignity by the mainstream media.
Community Storiesย are a collection of interviews with people who have survived intimidation, racial profiling and brutality at the hands of the Portland police.
ย Resistance Storiesย offer a historical overview of organizing efforts in Portland which have been effective at building community support and creating change within city government and the police bureau.Resistance Stories introduce viewers to community leaders and organizations including Walidah Imarisha, ย author of The Oregon Black History Timeline, JoAnn Hardesty and Rev. Dr. LeRoy Haynes of the Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition for Justice & Police Reform, Dan Handelman from Portland Copwatch, and Kent Ford, founder of the Portland Chapter of the Black Panther Party.
We appreciate you taking the time to learn about this project and hope that you will consider helping us make it a reality.
Your Help is Crucial.
Our final post-production budget is $20,000. This will go to sound engineering and mixing, ย color correction, archival footage costs, promotional artwork and printing, DVD reproduction, film festival submission fees and travel to festivals.
Clickย hereย to make an online pledge.
Thank you for your support!