The House I Live In - Community Screening & Panel Discussion

Since Richard Nixon’s declaration of a war on drugs 40 years ago, millions of people have been incarcerated for low-level drug law violations, resulting in disproportionate impacts on poor and low-income communities and communities of color, a growing epidemic of drug overdose fatalities, and increased rates of addiction and misuse.

The House I Live In captures heart-wrenching stories from individuals at all levels of America’s War on Drugs. From the dealer to the grieving mother, the narcotics officer to the senator, the inmate to the federal judge, the film offers a penetrating look inside America’s longest war, offering a definitive portrait and revealing its profound human rights implications.

FOLLOWING THE SCREENING, JOIN US FOR TALKS & DISCUSSION WITH....

JERRY ELSTER -
A formerly incarcerated man from South Central Los Angeles and a proud member of All of Us or None. He holds Associate of Arts degrees in Ministry and General Education. He is a substance abuse counselor and a co-founder of No More Tears, an anti-violence organization. He likes to say that some people go to Penn State; he went to the state pen. There, Jerry transformed himself from being a societal problem to becoming part of the solution. His trials have taught him how essential it is for incarcerated (as well as formerly incarcerated) people to speak in their own voices. A people without a voice are a people without hope. All of Us or None provides both the vehicle and the opportunity for us to be heard. His goal is for the full restoration of his human rights.

AMANDA REINMAN -
Amanda Reiman is the California Policy Manager for the Drug Policy Alliance. Based in San Francisco, Reiman leads DPA’s marijuana reform work in California. A ten-year resident of Oakland, Reiman joined the Drug Policy Alliance in 2012 after working with the medical marijuana dispensary, Berkeley Patients Group, as director of research and patient services. Reiman served as the first chairwoman of the Medical Cannabis Commission for the City of Berkeley and has consulted with various cities and states on the development of medical marijuana policy. Reiman is currently a lecturer in the School of Social Welfare at the University of California-Berkeley, where she teaches Drug and Alcohol Policy, Substance Abuse Treatment, and Sexuality and Social Work.

CEPHUS "UNCLE BOBBY" JOHNSON -
Oscar Grant's Uncle & Founder of The Oscar Grant Foundation. “Uncle Bobby”, as Oscar called him, has dedicated his time to working with the community through his foundation, The Oscar Grant Foundation. “The group was founded in effort to promote the arts as a way to keep youth in the community involved,” said Johnson. Since the group’s inception in January 2011, the Oscar Grant Foundation has held many events, including a community town hall about police oversight, a youth talent showcase, and events that foster literacy and education in underserved communities. Most importantly, some of the people who attend these events are wearing police badges. The Oscar Grant foundation is working to build the bond between law enforcement and the community.

QUESTIONS? goodman.sheila [at] gmail.com