9500 Liberty - Synopsis ============================== An immigration law implemented in Prince William County, Virginia sparked a political and vigilant campaign to rid the county of 'illegal' citizens. Hispanics were harassed and aggressively pursued vis a vis racial profiled traffic stops. Additionally, people looking for day jobs at local spots such as Home Depot were detoured by the daily presence of local law enforcement. Racial tension and threats of violence erupted. Supporters of the law ride a wave of hysteria to an election victory. But many reconsidered when the local economy feels the impact of a sudden exodus of workers, consumers, and business owners. In 2009, a documentary movie was released about the negative economic effects of losing Hispanic brethren as well as a show of characters in action (politicians, law officers, etc.). 9500 Liberty documents the first time in U.S. history that an Arizona-style immigration law was actually implemented—and the surprising grassroots opposition that led to its repeal. ========= Teaching the Lesson: 1. Students watch the 4 min 23 sec movie trailer (or the entire movie, 9500 Liberty). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjHUb9PqysI&feature=player_embedded 2. Explain to students that they are about to participate in a debate. Have students complete a graphic organizer (T- Chart) making notes about the two sides of the debate. 3. Show the video trailer a second time and ask students to take notes indicating what issues each side is arguing for/against. 4. Create in advance table tents with both sides containing one character’s biography and picture. 5. Hand out the eight character biographies. Decide in advance which 8 students will role play each character. Students not assigned a role should be placed as audience either for repealing the anti-immigration “Probably Cause” law or for the citizens who want the ‘illegals’ to leave their county. 6. Instruct students who are posing as one of the named characters to read their biographies and underline key traits. Instruct ‘audience’ students to make protesting signs and write mottos they can chant during the debate. * Remind students to dress their part as much as possible when they debate on Day 2. 7. During the second day of class, have the room set up for a debate. Prepare to record or take pictures. Use a microphone or prop to control the speaking parts to ensure only one person can speak at a time. Circulate around the room or sit in audience and encourage students to stay on track in ‘in character.’ 8. After the role play is finished, encourage students to ask questions to clarify any misunderstandings. 9. Students should complete the writing prompts in class or for homework. IMPORTANT POST ROLEPLAYING ACTIVITY As this is an intense role play with heated feelings expressed, it’s always good to ‘lighten’ the air and do something fun that everyone will enjoy. In Freedom Writers fashion, I always end role playing with our own, personal, ‘Academy Awards’ ceremony. In a trophy store, I purchased for $5 a trophy that looks exactly like the one Academy Award winners receive. On the plate in front of the marble slab, I had inscribed: BEST FREEDOM WRITER ACTING This phrase keeps everything gender neutral and allows me to ‘reuse’ the award for each person who receives an award. I purchased, again quite inexpensive, crushed red velvet fabric. I found some gold stars made out of cardboard. Lay out the ‘red carpet’ and scatter the gold stars to create the fun environment. Decide which categories you will award; (e.g. Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting, Best Staying in Character, etc.) One by one, announce the winners and have each recipient make a very brief acceptance speech. Your students will be talking about this for years to come. SCAFFOLDING SUGGESTIONS: 1. Mark a character FOR the immigration law with a green check. Mark a character who is AGAINST the law with a red X to help students ‘see’ what side they are representing (and to avoid confusion). 2. Choose the audience’s roles if necessary. Sometimes students buy into a process more when they have the choice of which role to play. 3. I suggest selecting the 8 characters instead of randomly assigning to effect a well acted roleplaying. 4. Direct the 8 characters to underline key points so they are certain to make statements that demonstrate clearly their position in the debate. WRITING PROMPTS Directions: Write your answers to the following questions. 1. In a New York Times article by Sabrina Tavernise titled “Tough Law Reduced Immigrants, Study Shows.” Tavernise quotes Eric Byler, one of the filmmakers; “If anything this is the measure of the controversy’s impact, not a measure of the policy’s impact.” Read the entire, brief article published on November 17, 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/us/17immig.html?_r=0 Then explain what Byler’s quote means. Be sure to summarize the controversy and give examples from the article. 2. How did you feel playing your role? Consider these questions as you answer the question: How well prepared did you feel to take a stand? Were you able to connect to the character’s opinion? What new ideas did you learn from doing the role playing activity that you didn’t pick up while watching the movie (movie clip)? TAKING IT FURTHER 1. Watch the video (2:59) on youtube: Annabel at the Immigrant’s Panel http://www.tr3s.com/videos/anabel-at-the-inmigrants-panel-576309/ Do you agree with Annabel’s stand? Can you make a personal connection with her message about fitting in when you move to a new place (or join a new community)? 2. Read about the film’s Director/Producer, Annabel Park: http://9500liberty.com/filmmakers.html Write interview questions in a letter for Ms. Park. We will send her the letters and invite her to visit our class. 9500 Liberty - The Characters Greg Letiecq Greg Letiecq is an influential and controversial blogger turned political activist. He is the President of Help Save Manassas and Save the Old Dominion, organizations he formed to reduce the number of undocumented immigrants living in Manassas, Prince William County, and Virginia. Greg is also a member of the gun rights group Virginia Citizens Defense League, and the Prince William County Republican Committee. Of French Canadian descent, he grew up near Syracuse, NY, and majored in international relations at George Washington University. Before becoming an activist and a blogger, he worked as a programmer in the defense industry. Corey A. Stewart Republican Corey A. Stewart was elected as Chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors on November 7, 2006 in a special election after Chairman Sean Connaughton was appointed as head of the U.S. Maritime Administration. Previously, Stewart had been elected as the Occoquan District Supervisor in 2003. Stewart began the sudden “crackdown” on illegal immigration in July 2007, and was reelected in November 2007 using “Fighting Illegal Immigration” as his campaign slogan. During the height of his fame, Chairman Stewart hinted he may run for Congress in 2008 or for Lieutenant Governor in 2009, but he did not announce his candidacy for either race. He resides in Woodbridge with his wife Maria and two sons. Col. Charlie T. Deane Chief Charlie T. Deane of Prince William County is the longest serving police chief in the region. He has seen Prince William County transform from a farming community to one of the fastest growing, most diverse counties the country. He has grappled with the “DC sniper” case in 2002, and the uproar of immigration policy in 2007 and 2008. After pointing out the potential unintended consequences of the proposed “Probable Cause” standard for mandatory immigration status checks, he executed the policy faithfully until its repeal. Chief Deane joined the Prince William County police department at its inception in 1970. He served 12 years as a criminal investigator and rose through the ranks to become Deputy Police Chief in 1985. Chief Deane is a graduate of George Mason University with a Masters degree in Public Administration. In addition, he has a Bachelors degree in Administration of Justice from American University. Gaudencio Fernandez Gaudencio Fernandez is a home improvement contractor and father of three. He immigrated to the United States from Mexico as a teenager and became a citizen in the 1980’s. Gaudencio and his wife Delia have owned the property at 9500 Liberty Street in Manassas, VA since 2003. They were renting the house to tenants in 2006 when it was destroyed in a fire. During the process of tearing down the home, Gaudencio decided to leave one wall standing and create Liberty Wall in order to protest Prince William County’s Immigration Resolution. The first of his three banners began, “Prince William Co. Stop Your Racism to Hispanics!” The sign directly faced the center of town where thousands of passengers board the Virginia Railway Express and Amtrak. Liberty Wall soon became a lightning rod for controversy. Supporters of the Immigration Resolution demanded that the sign be removed, but the City of Manassas refused to take action against the Fernandez family citing protected speech. Alanna Almeda Alanna Almeda worked as a programmer for the U.S. Department of Transportation until the birth of her youngest child. She has three daughters and a son with her husband of 18 years. She has lived in the Manassas area since the age of seven, and is a life-long Republican and an evangelical Christian. Alanna was an outspoken critic of the Immigration Resolution. For months, she was frustrated in her efforts to counter Greg Letiecq’s influence on her county government, until she figured out the real battlefield was on the Internet and created the blog antibvbl.net.