“At the Ready” Follows the Journey of Mexican-American Teens Considering a Career in Law Enforcement
The documentary film, At the Ready, provides an inside perspective of high school seniors as they participate in a law enforcement education program aimed at training future police and border officers. On September 28 at 7pm, WSLR+Fogartyville will host an exclusive in-person screening of the documentary followed by a panel discussion with representatives from Unidos Now and others.
Cristina, Cesar and Mason, who are of Mexican-American heritage, are seniors participating in the extracurricular Law Enforcement Club at Horizon High School in El Paso, Texas. As the teens run through mock drug raids and active shooter drills, they contemplate how a career in law enforcement coincides or conflicts with their priorities and values and the impact it would have on their relationships with friends, family, and community. Presented without commentary or judgement, At the Ready tells their personal stories, hopes, and dreams while it reveals larger truths about societal attitudes towards policing in America.
Maisie Crow is a documentary film director, cinematographer, and photographer based in Marfa, Texas. Her previous film, Jackson, received a News and Documentary Emmy award for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary in 2018. Crow has taught as an adjunct professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies and The Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.
Unidos Now is the nonprofit partner for the screening of this film. They will have representatives present to talk about their local programming and also address the issues raised in the film. Begun in the fall of 2010, UnidosNow works to elevate the quality of life of the growing Hispanic/Latino community through education, integration, and civic engagement.
At the Ready will be presented online and attendees can view it on demand any time between September 26-29. Admission to the in-person screening is $10 per person which includes a local panel discussion following the film. Tickets are available HERE.
This event is made possible through the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers, a South Arts program. Since its inception in 1975, Southern Circuit has brought some of the best independent filmmakers and their films from around the country to communities throughout the South. The program is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Interviews and photographs
Interviews with the filmmakers and photographs for publication are available upon request.
About WSLR+Fogartyville
WSLR+Fogartyville is a collective, made up of Sarasota’s Low Power Community Radio Station WSLR 96.5 and the Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center. WSLR+Fogartyville is a center for creative expression and community engagement that amplifies the voices of our diverse community and promotes peace, sustainability, democracy, and economic and social justice.
About South Arts
South Arts advances Southern vitality through the arts. The nonprofit regional arts organization was founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offers an annual portfolio of activities designed to support the success of artists and arts providers in the South, address the needs of Southern communities through impactful arts-based programs, and celebrate the excellence, innovation, value and power of the arts of the South. For more information, visit South Arts Website.
Photo courtesy of Fogartyville