FX ORIGNL MOVIE "REDEMPTION" IN APRIL!
- Thread starter CIARO
- Start date
that shit looks dope.i posted this a couple weeks ago on the bart board.i think jaime foxx will get down with the part.he can do some drama shit....
heres an article about Tookie from todays Frisco Chronicle....
San Francisco school district officials were investigating Thursday how 25 fourth-graders at John Muir Elementary came close to talking to a Death Row inmate over the phone as cameras for the CBS news show "60 Minutes" rolled.
District officials learned Tuesday that the news crew was coming to the school two days later to tape a segment for an upcoming show on the life of Stanley "Tookie" Williams, the San Quentin inmate who was convicted in 1981 of killing four people.
Williams -- who cofounded the Crips gang in South Central Los Angeles - - has since written several books encouraging kids to avoid crime and has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize. He is the subject of a cable television movie called "Redemption," scheduled to air in April, starring Jamie Foxx.
The "60 Minutes" filming was supposed to include a 20-minute phone call from Williams to the fourth-graders, which would have been Williams' first- ever phone call from San Quentin to a public school classroom, according to his publicist.
But when district officials got wind of the plan from the school's principal, they immediately called off the phone conversation, saying it was inappropriate.
"These are fourth-graders," said Lorna Ho, special assistant to Superintendent Arlene Ackerman. "It's a fairly sensitive subject matter. ... '60 Minutes' doesn't just roll into town. Someone was giving them the false impression that this was OK, and that wasn't the case."
The taping continued anyway for two hours on Thursday afternoon at the Western Addition school, but centered on teachers talking with their students about Williams' books. District officials wrote scripted questions for the teachers to ask and had a district public relations coordinator inside the classroom during the taping.
"What was taped was at the heart of the message, and that was through the books," said Deborah Sims, assistant superintendent for elementary schools, who is investigating the matter.
The idea for the segment sprouted from the elementary school's partnership with the Omega Boys Club, a Potrero Hill group that encourages kids to avoid violence and succeed in school.
Its cofounder, Joseph Marshall, began visiting Williams in jail in November to learn more about him and his books. When Marshall learned from Williams' publicist that "60 Minutes" was seeking a school for filming, he suggested John Muir because Williams' books are incorporated into its curriculum. Fourth-grade teachers Debbie Ruskay and Ingrid Jacobson agreed with the plan.
The television crew surprised everybody by saying earlier this week it would be in town Thursday. Williams' publicist helped arrange the phone call, and a permission slip went home to the students' parents announcing "something wonderful and exciting is about to happen" and describing the call.
No parents complained, but when the school's principal learned of the plan, she phoned the district office, prompting officials to cancel the call.
The entire episode left a sour taste in the mouths of Ruskay and Jacobson, who said their students would have gained from hearing the anti-crime message directly from Williams. The school's student body is half African American and half Latino, and 80 percent qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, according to the district Web site.
Ruskay and Jacobson, who are both white, said they can't reach their students in the same way that Williams, who is African American, could.
"His experience so mirrors many, many teens and adults they've seen," said Ruskay. "Here we are, we're completely not a fit. We don't look like them. Our lives were never like theirs. We try to find other ways to touch them."
Jacobson said it's clear the kids haven't made him a hero in their minds, but instead have learned how gang violence can ruin so many lives.
"My kids are very clear that what he did was bad," she said. "He says, 'you don't want to end up like me' - and they get it."
Geru Mabrey, 9, said he has learned a lot from Williams' books.
"It's about staying out of trouble and out of jail and don't do drugs or carry weapons," he said after the taping. "He was a bad guy before he was in jail, but he's a good guy now."
Ruskay and Jacobson added that they didn't know the protocol regarding bringing media into the classroom and were sad that district officials rejected the phone call.
"We were so excited about the idea," Jacobson said. "You realize we're just cogs in a big machine."
Williams' publicist, Barbara Cottman Becnel, who also runs a social services nonprofit in Richmond, was also unhappy with the decision.
"He may not be the messenger that they want, but he has the message those kids need," she said. "Would it be better to have a more politically appropriate messenger who is totally ineffective?"
Omega's Marshall, for one, thought Thursday's taping turned out well and that the district's decision was probably the right one.
"I think Tookie's great. I think his redemption is true. I think the guy is genuine about what he's trying to do, I really do. But that doesn't mean everybody else does," he said. "Given the range of choices that they had, I think they were pretty prudent."
heres an article about Tookie from todays Frisco Chronicle....
San Francisco school district officials were investigating Thursday how 25 fourth-graders at John Muir Elementary came close to talking to a Death Row inmate over the phone as cameras for the CBS news show "60 Minutes" rolled.
District officials learned Tuesday that the news crew was coming to the school two days later to tape a segment for an upcoming show on the life of Stanley "Tookie" Williams, the San Quentin inmate who was convicted in 1981 of killing four people.
Williams -- who cofounded the Crips gang in South Central Los Angeles - - has since written several books encouraging kids to avoid crime and has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize. He is the subject of a cable television movie called "Redemption," scheduled to air in April, starring Jamie Foxx.
The "60 Minutes" filming was supposed to include a 20-minute phone call from Williams to the fourth-graders, which would have been Williams' first- ever phone call from San Quentin to a public school classroom, according to his publicist.
But when district officials got wind of the plan from the school's principal, they immediately called off the phone conversation, saying it was inappropriate.
"These are fourth-graders," said Lorna Ho, special assistant to Superintendent Arlene Ackerman. "It's a fairly sensitive subject matter. ... '60 Minutes' doesn't just roll into town. Someone was giving them the false impression that this was OK, and that wasn't the case."
The taping continued anyway for two hours on Thursday afternoon at the Western Addition school, but centered on teachers talking with their students about Williams' books. District officials wrote scripted questions for the teachers to ask and had a district public relations coordinator inside the classroom during the taping.
"What was taped was at the heart of the message, and that was through the books," said Deborah Sims, assistant superintendent for elementary schools, who is investigating the matter.
The idea for the segment sprouted from the elementary school's partnership with the Omega Boys Club, a Potrero Hill group that encourages kids to avoid violence and succeed in school.
Its cofounder, Joseph Marshall, began visiting Williams in jail in November to learn more about him and his books. When Marshall learned from Williams' publicist that "60 Minutes" was seeking a school for filming, he suggested John Muir because Williams' books are incorporated into its curriculum. Fourth-grade teachers Debbie Ruskay and Ingrid Jacobson agreed with the plan.
The television crew surprised everybody by saying earlier this week it would be in town Thursday. Williams' publicist helped arrange the phone call, and a permission slip went home to the students' parents announcing "something wonderful and exciting is about to happen" and describing the call.
No parents complained, but when the school's principal learned of the plan, she phoned the district office, prompting officials to cancel the call.
The entire episode left a sour taste in the mouths of Ruskay and Jacobson, who said their students would have gained from hearing the anti-crime message directly from Williams. The school's student body is half African American and half Latino, and 80 percent qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, according to the district Web site.
Ruskay and Jacobson, who are both white, said they can't reach their students in the same way that Williams, who is African American, could.
"His experience so mirrors many, many teens and adults they've seen," said Ruskay. "Here we are, we're completely not a fit. We don't look like them. Our lives were never like theirs. We try to find other ways to touch them."
Jacobson said it's clear the kids haven't made him a hero in their minds, but instead have learned how gang violence can ruin so many lives.
"My kids are very clear that what he did was bad," she said. "He says, 'you don't want to end up like me' - and they get it."
Geru Mabrey, 9, said he has learned a lot from Williams' books.
"It's about staying out of trouble and out of jail and don't do drugs or carry weapons," he said after the taping. "He was a bad guy before he was in jail, but he's a good guy now."
Ruskay and Jacobson added that they didn't know the protocol regarding bringing media into the classroom and were sad that district officials rejected the phone call.
"We were so excited about the idea," Jacobson said. "You realize we're just cogs in a big machine."
Williams' publicist, Barbara Cottman Becnel, who also runs a social services nonprofit in Richmond, was also unhappy with the decision.
"He may not be the messenger that they want, but he has the message those kids need," she said. "Would it be better to have a more politically appropriate messenger who is totally ineffective?"
Omega's Marshall, for one, thought Thursday's taping turned out well and that the district's decision was probably the right one.
"I think Tookie's great. I think his redemption is true. I think the guy is genuine about what he's trying to do, I really do. But that doesn't mean everybody else does," he said. "Given the range of choices that they had, I think they were pretty prudent."
