I grew up in Prince William County, Virginia, the location and subject of Annabel Park and Eric Byler’s fascinating new documentary, 9500 Liberty. It is not a bad place, and the people who live there are not inherently bad people. But these very people found themselves swept up in an absolute fervor that started in the spring of 2007 when the county enacted an extremely controversial resolution to curb illegal immigration in Prince William.
The resolution, eerily echoing the debate festering in the Arizona desert right now, required Prince William County police to ask for documentation from anyone they suspected could be an illegal immigrant based on the always controversial grounds of ‘probable cause.’ The concern in the Hispanic community was that this would lead to racial profiling, and thus the county was torn between those supporting the resolution and those opposing it.
The film tracks the debate at a brisk pace, clocking in at a hair over 80 minutes, but none of them are wasted. It also employs a convenient timeline graphic that appears every so often at the bottom of the screen to keep the relatively short passage of time in context. The directors make no effort to hide their position on the issue, but this becomes acceptable when we learn that filming their documentary drew them into the debate and gave them the opportunity to be openly vocal. As a finished product, 9500 Liberty does almost everything correct in presenting its case.
But outside of technical aspects, the films greatest success is that it acts as a fly on the wall during the Prince William County Board of Supervisors hearings on approving the resolution. This hearing is when the Board of Supervisors (led by one of the films villains, chairman Corey Stewart), listen to the citizens of Prince William as they give their thoughts on the issue. The result is deeply troubling. Hispanic citizens come forward and assert their rights and their love of country. Some cry thinking of being separated from their US born children. Others are filled with rage, feeling betrayed by a country that touts itself as a beacon of freedom throughout the world.
More interesting than the Hispanic response at this meeting is the turnout from those supporting the resolution, most of them upper middle class and white. Led by controversial blogger Greg Letiecq, their comments show not only a rage over illegal immigration (a fair issue to be upset about), but also a fundamental distrust and fear of the growing Hispanic community. They complain about loud salsa music, large numbers of people living in the same house. Their concern is not only crime, but culture. Most alarming is a woman who asks the board to remember who was responsible for 9/11: illegals. It is a sad portrait of a group of people that are frightened by the changing world and have taken comfort in fear and hate rather than knowledge.
Illegal Immigration and how to control it are serious issues, issues I can’t hope to delve into in a film review. It’s clear something has to be done, but exactly what that is remains unknown. Prince William County’s measures to clean up illegal immigration sent it’s Hispanic population into an exodus that caused the county economy and housing market to crash. How does the county remedy a problem that helps keep it alive?
9500 Liberty doesn’t answer these questions, but it does grant an interesting insight into what happens when radical measures are taken, and shows a debate that all of us may find ourselves on a side of in the near future. It has the distinction of being not only a good film, but an important one as well. It shows that regardless of the politics, as people we must do better. We have to.
Insightful, thought provoking and occasionally moving, 9500 Liberty is one of the more important films to be released this year: B+
