Law Enforcement, Business and Faith Leaders To Participate Following Screening Of Important Documentary Film
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dotty Griffith, Public Education Director, ACLU Foundation of Texas
(512) 478-7300 x 106 or 923-1909; [email protected]
AUSTIN – Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo; Jim Reeves, Director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs for the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association; and Tom Spencer of Interfaith Action of Central Texas will talk about immigration issues from their perspectives on Wednesday, March 16, following the screening of 9500 Liberty.
The event, open to all Capitol staff and legislators, is sponsored by the TRUST Coalition*, Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas.
Quoting from the film website, 9500 Liberty tells the story of events in Prince William County, Virginia, “as ground zero in America’s explosive battle over immigration policy when elected officials adopt a law requiring police officers to question anyone they have ‘probable cause’ to suspect is an undocumented immigrant.”
The panel discussion that follows will be moderated by Celia Israel of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“This film shows what can happen to business, police and ordinary people when laws create a climate of distrust and fear,” said Eliza May, Policy and Advocacy Director of the ACLU of Texas. “It is important for all Texans to know what the consequences have been in other jurisdictions which have adopted measures requiring local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law.”
We welcome media coverage of the screening and panel discussion.
- Event Details
- When: Wednesday, March 16; 3 to 5:30 p.m. Panel discussion begins at approximately 4:30 p.m. following the film.
- Where: Capitol Auditorium inside the Capitol Extension on the north side of the State Capitol, 1100 Congress Ave. 78701
- What: Panel Discussion with Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo; Jim Reeves, Director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs for the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association; Tom Spencer, Interfaith Action of Central Texas. (Original list of speakers has changed to those listed here.)
*TRUST Coalition: American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas; American Immigration Lawyers Association of Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico; Anti-Defamation League, Southwest and North Texas Regions; Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP); Christian Life Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas; La Fe Policy Research and Education; Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF); Mexicans and Americans Thinking Together (MATT); Mothers Against Discriminatory Racism in Education and Society (MADRES); San Antonio Greater Chamber of Commerce; San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Service Employees International Union of Texas (SEIU); Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP); Texas AFL-CIO; Texas Apartment Association (TAA); Texas Association for Bilingual Education (TABE); Texas Association of Businesses (TAB); Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE); Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce (TAMACC); Texas Impact; Texas League of United Latin American Citizens (TX LULAC); University Leadership Initiative; U.S. Hispanic Contractors Association
