Santa Rosa filmmaker shooting scene in city depicting immigration enforcement
By CBS Bay Area
The city of Santa Rosa is no stranger to an occasional movie scene being shot in their neck of the woods.
In fact, Public Information Officer Misti Woods said it’s something they embrace with open arms.
“Santa Rosa wants to be welcoming to filmmakers of all kinds,” said Woods. “It’s fantastic for our economy and it’s fantastic to support the arts.”
But the latest film project gave city officials something to think about. An independent filmmaker plans to use downtown Santa Rosa as the backdrop for a scene depicting active immigration enforcement.
At a time of heightened tensions, officials acknowledged the fear it could create in the community, in a city where about a third of the population is Hispanic or Latino.
Woods said they ultimately decided it wouldn’t be right to deny the film a permit for this scene.
“The city can’t control the content of the film because it’s protected by the First Amendment,” Woods said. “So, what the city can do is look at operational concerns and make sure that they are not unnecessarily impacting the community.”
The city decided to put out notices in English and Spanish via social media, announcing the filming will take place downtown on Thursday night.
However, the decision hasn’t quieted the discussion on whether it is right or wrong to allow reenacting ICE enforcement at this time.
We spoke with two long-time Santa Rosa residents, both of whom heard the recent news and disagreed with the city’s decision.
“I just think and hope that the public is thoroughly informed because otherwise, I mean it could scare some people,” said Anne, a Santa Rosa resident.
“There’s a lot of good people that has been living here for a long time and working and paying their taxes. And to do something like that is not nice,” said Sonia Godleski, a Santa Rosa resident.
The filmmaker himself is also a Santa Rosa resident. His project, titled “The Silence We Flee,” is still moving forward.
He confirmed to us by phone today the scene is set for Thursday night. The bottom line for the city is that they hope the word spreads quickly, so no one is caught off guard Thursday night.
It’s a fine line to walk in an effort to protect a project that brings in revenue and the residents they are sworn to serve.
While the city is confirming this will happen Thursday night, officials say they’re intentionally not sharing the exact location, hoping to prevent large crowds from gathering and keep the situation under control.
