Justice and Human Rights United States Project #26455

Documenting the Truth in the U.S. and Abroad

by WITNESS

Documenting the Truth in the U.S. and Abroad

Project Report | Mar 16, 2018
The Importance of Filming Hate

By Ali Sidiki | Communications Associate

Following the election of Donald Trump in 2016, there has been a spike in acts of hate against people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ and other vulnerable communities. There was also an increase in video and photo documentation of these abuses. WITNESS created the “Filming Hate” tip sheet to help ensure that people documenting and sharing videos of hateful acts are doing so safely, ethically and effectively. Our new, updated version of the tip sheet includes practical guidance from iHollaback.org on how to take action as a bystander when filming is not the appropriate or safe thing to do.

We documented the prevalence of acts of hate against transgender people in the United States in our project, “Capturing Hate.” In it, we studied viewer engagement with eyewitness videos that show transphobic violence filmed, shared, and engaged with as entertainment. The videos and audience engagement with them tell a powerful and disturbing story of the abusive and often life-threatening environments that transgender and gender nonconforming people navigate daily.

These eyewitness videos document mistreatment of transgender and gender nonconforming people ranging from disrespect to murder. They show acts of violence against these communities that are not only tolerated but encouraged and glorified.

The viewer engagement with these eyewitness videos reveal deeply held biases that intersect race, sex, class and gender identity. The attitudes expressed by viewers overwhelmingly blame gender non-conforming people for the violence and hatred perpetrated against them and expose a visceral rejection of people transgressing accepted notions of gender expression.

We think that these videos, and the viewer engagement data associated with them, show yet another way eyewitness video can be used for advocacy. Even though this content was intended to do harm, if used ethically, these videos document discrimination and abuse in a way no other reports on transphobic violence has done to date. The study of eyewitness videos, coupled with an analysis of how viewers engage with them and their comments on them is a powerful way to expose human rights abuses.

The existence of these videos and the volume of hateful engagement pose a direct threat to gender non-conforming people and compromise a positive and empowered representation of the community. We think that there are ethical and effective ways that individuals, public and private entities may use eyewitness videos intended to cause harm for advocacy.

This project aims to educate people on how video can be used as a powerful tool for advocating the rights of marginalized communities in the U.S. and around the world. WITNESS is working tirelessly to shed light on the abuses that these communities face, and with the creation of resources such as our Filming Hate tip sheet, we are slowly equipping and liberating these communities to conquer the hate they face on a daily basis. WITNESS wants them to know that we are with them and they are not alone.

Links:

Permalink

Dec 19, 2017
Using Video to Advocate for Immigrant Rights

By WITNESS | Team

Romulo's Story

On February 28, 2017, Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez and his wife had just dropped off their youngest daughter at school in the Highland park neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA. While en route to drop off another daughter, Romulo saw flashing lights from a black car that had been following them. Government officials with only the word “police” emblazoned in large yellow letters on their backs emerged from the unmarked car, demanding that Romulo get out immediately. Despite not identifying as such, the men were Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They arrested Romulo while his wife and 13-year old daughter, Fatima, watched in tears from the car. Amidst her sobs, Fatima pulled out her cell phone and pressed record.

ICE agents said they arrested Romulo, who has lived in the U.S. for over 25 years, based on two decade-old misdemeanor convictions that have since been vacated, and an order for removal from 2008 as a result of the misdemeanor convictions. His lawyers were able to temporarily combat the order with an emergency stay.

Unfortunately, this story is not unique. Under Trump’s new widened deportation machine, every one of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. is a priority, misdemeanor conviction or not, even while driving their daughters to school.

With help from a journalist, Romulo’s family publicly released Fatima’s footage of her father’s arrest. Fatima’s video helps expose how ICE agents often portray themselves as officers from local police departments to ensnare or fool people into revealing information, or even into giving ICE consent to enter their homes. While the video did help to expose abuse and usher in support for Romulo and his family, the high profile case also added to an escalating climate of fear among immigrants in the U.S.

Video can be a powerful tool for justice, but it’s not always safe to share videos of ICE and people being detained on social media. Sharing footage online could potentially put ICE’s target and their families at further risk, or expose other undocumented bystanders in the frame – making them vulnerable to retaliation.

This is why WITNESS is partnering with the immigrant community in the U.S. to determine how video can best protect their rights without creating further risks. Working with activists, organizers, and lawyers, we are creating resources like our Filming ICE tip sheet and a webinar series to inform community members of their right to film, and how to do so safely, ethically and effectively.

These efforts are part of a new series from WITNESS called Eyes on ICE: Documenting Immigration Abuses, in which we look at how video can be used as a tool for justice, accountability, and advocacy in immigration work. Over the next 6 months, this series will focus on different uses of video – from evidence to storytelling, keeping in mind safety and digital security.

After six months of Romulo’s family, community, and lawyers tirelessly advocating, organizing, rallying and speaking to media, Romulo was finally released from immigration detention. Although he’s now at home with his family, his story is nowhere near finished.

Thank you. This work is made possible by dedicated supporters like you. You can read the full story here. To stay up to date our latest efforts including Eyes on ICE, please sign up for our newsletter.

Wishing you a peaceful holiday season and a happy new year.

Links:

Permalink

Oct 6, 2017
Charlottesville and Beyond

By Natalie Kerby | Individual Philanthropy Associate

On Saturday August 12th, we were reminded of the racism that still exists in our country when white supremacists gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate icon General Robert E Lee. They clashed with counter-protesters, violence erupted onto the streets, and a car, driven by a white nationalist, plowed into the crowd killing Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others.

With the Trump administration’s refusal to hold white supremacists accountable, we can only expect acts of hate to continue across the country. We believe that equipped with the tools and skills to document hate, we can counter racist narratives and catalyze change in our communities.

Following the events in Charlottesville, WITNESS quickly pulled together our resources that cater specifically to safely and effectively capturing hate. We shared information on filming protests and police conduct, so that people are prepared to encounter authorities. We also reshared documenting acts of hate and how to capture high-quality footage with a mobile phone, so that anyone who takes out their cell phone to film can do so effectively. Lastly, we encouraged people to think ethically about their filming, like how and when it might be helpful (or not) to livestream or what identifying features should be concealed.

Using this link, human rights defenders can directly download our “Charlottesville and Beyond” package of materials and be prepared to use video and technology to fight racism here in the U.S. We believe that video can play a crucial role in countering hate when used in the right - and safe - way. And we know, with our 25+ years of experience, that when supported with the right tools and skills, people can document and expose the truth. We continue our commitment to ensuring that anyone, anywhere can use video to protect and defend human rights. Together, we can catalyze lasting change.

Links:

Filming Protests: Charlottesville and Beyond

Permalink

‹ 1 2 3 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.