Aspiring filmmaker Dennis Lynch came to Frederick Community College last week at the invitation of Frederick County’s Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and sheriff’s department, to screen his anti-immigration film, “They Come to America”. Admission was free so I attended. I wanted to better understand the thinking behind some of the recent actions taken by my county government.
Blaine Young, our BOCC president, is a Tea Party advocate who gave Frederick the distinction of being Maryland’s only county to adopt English as its official language. That seemed pointless to me since the only other language widely used around here is American Sign Language, by students from Maryland School for the Deaf. I don’t think they were the reason for the BOCC’s decision. I won’t bore you with my political opinions; my aim is to bring you interesting visual content – but a little background will give some context to the photos that follow.
A group of protesters gathered outside the screening Thursday evening holding signs, but their spirit was festive and non-confrontational. I did not expect the event to be well attended, but I had forgotten about Blaine’s radio show and his higher ambitions. He has a daily slot on local station WFMD right between Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, and benefits largely from their audiences. Blaine had pitched this event to serve as a fund-raiser for his anticipated gubernatorial campaign. That’s right, our Blaine Young wants to be Maryland’s next governor. And so the auditorium was packed.
I found Mr. Lynch’s film too flawed to summarize its problems in a sentence or two. There’s a reason it hasn’t made any festivals or even the Fox network, and it has nothing to do with politics. One of Lynch’s biggest problems is shallow reportage. He follows the path of least resistance, linking illegal immigrants to an array of threats and dangers without adequate research to support his assumptions, or exploring any solutions. One of his primary interviewees was William Streppone, an immigration attorney practicing in Suffolk and Nassau Counties in New York. Streppone had a lot of screen time in the film, but he found Lynch’s omissions so troubling that he has posted his own series of videos to address them.
The crowd at this screening seemed pleased with the production, however, and when Dennis Lynch appeared onstage at the end he got a rock star welcome. Lynch admits he had no political convictions before producing this work; he only had voted one time in his life and couldn’t even remember for whom. So maybe it shouldn’t be surprising that his documentary reflects a shallow approach to a complex issue. He spoke of his frustration in getting his product seen by a broad audience until the Tea Party found it. Since then it has become a small-venue sensation, gathering such a groundswell of conservative support that finally Bill O’Reilly brought him onto his show as a guest. Now Lynch feels he has found a political home with the Tea Party.
You can find trailers and reviews of “They Come to America” easily on the internet, but for a little peek at what this event looked and felt like, my visual coverage follows.
A post script – during the screening I had to leave the auditorium briefly to use my cell phone. On my way through the foyer I overheard a group of young people who had just walked out describing the film as “racist”. After finishing my phone call I approached them hoping to join the conversation and ask how we might help move beyond this kind of prejudice, but as soon as they saw my camera they scattered. I think they had me figured for security or an undercover cop and got spooked. It saddened me to realize how suspicious Americans are becoming of each other.
Fascinating! Such a great time to be a journalist of any type; thank you for the combination of words and images that indicate your position, yet manages to be quietly even-keeled in presenting context and facts.
Your description of the small group scattering when they saw your camera made me chuckle. If I’m not mistaken, you are a photographer who is also very comfortable using language to communicate; I am more comfortable starting with words and using visuals (usually photography) to supplement text. I’ve been doing, for fun, a little ongoing series called All the People in All the World, in which I write a paragraph or two about brief conversations and interactions with strangers (baristas, photographers, service workers, food cart operators, etc 🙂 I use only photos shot on my iPhone, as people are so much more familiar and comfortable with a phone being pointed at them on their turf than an imposing DSLR. An obvious and significant reduction in image quality and integrity, but a trade off well worth it to me, in these particular situations 🙂
Your photographs in this piece are not only nicely shot, but well-curated. It’s a pleasure both reading and viewing; thank you for an articulated piece that deftly combines the two. Look forward to more posts as we move closer to November.
Thanks, Joseph. You’re in good company – the iPhone is becoming a tool of choice in some instances for serious photographers and is definitely less imposing than a DSLR.
Don’t know if you’ve seen Dan Chung’s photoblog from the Olympics, all shot with iPhone (and a few auxilliary lenses). There are some really great images – I think the collection is as much a credit to the Snapseed app as the iPhone, but his pics are definitely worth checking out. See http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/27/london-olympics-2012-smartphone
Dennis, I really enjoy your informal blog style of reporting and your photographs are excellent. You really captured the essence of the screening. And I enjoyed talking to you in the lobby. Somehow, though we are very different, we have a lot in common.
Great job Mr. Crews. The article and pictures really give you a feel for the event.
You are absolutely right. This is just typical of Mr. Lynch’s failure to get his facts straight. The movie, “They Come to America” fails on so many levels because of the producer’s failure to do minimal research on the subject.
Excellent report. Thank you for posting it.
You critique the film and refer to its alleged shallow treatment of the issue- yet you fail to explore this aspect, thus making your article here a shallow exploration of your impression of the film experience.
The bottom line is: illegal aliens broke the law to come here and here they get treated with kid gloves in most places and they should thank God that we dont have Mexican style immigration laws.
David, this post was visual coverage of a local event with explanatory text. It’s not a movie review; others have already done that. My general impression of Dennis Lynch’s film, however, was confirmed by William Streppone, who appeared in the film. Mr. Streppone is an immigration attorney who spent many hours cooperating with Mr. Lynch in making his film, only to be equally disappointed with the result. Streppone reviewed Lynch’s film in detail and also made his own set of videos addressing the opinion you express above, as well as other common attitudes regarding illegal immigration. If you’re interested in an in-depth exploration of these matters you may link to one via Mr. Streppone’s remark above, or see the link I provided to his blog in my post.
Dennis, thank you for this. My wife’s family is from Frederick. Although we live in Hanover, PA, we still go there a lot. As a Mexican (born and raised), I’m always having to worry that I’ll be harassed by the police because I’m dark-skinned and speak Spanish among friends and family… And listen to ESPN Deportes on the car radio. You know, the things that Mr. Lynch probably sees as threatening. (That, and his whole fear of immigrants systematically raping their way through the country. I wish I was joking.) Thank you for this. Seeing that people showed up to oppose his nonsense made me feel better… Made me feel like I can go to Frederick and not have to worry that those sworn to protect me will also try and come after me for no good reason. Thanks again, and keep up the good work.