Liberty video screening draws mixed reviews
Eric Byler
The Prince William County anti-illegal immigration resolution has garnered all kinds of attention, and not all of it has been flattering.
Eric Byler wants to change that.
Fresh off completing a second version of the video compilation titled "9500 Liberty" with filmmaker Annabel Park, Byler thinks the county still has a reputation unfounded in reality, thanks to an incomplete understanding of the resolution.
"[The video] is a way to clear the county's name," said Byler, who believes the current version of the legislation passed in April is a workable solution and a fair outcome to a democratic process gone awry thanks to political pressure applied by local and national organizations.
The hour-plus film—which the two plan to enter as a feature documentary in the Sundance Film Festival—highlights the resolution from its origins last fall to its current state. Along the way, the filmmakers cover the contentious public hearing on Oct. 16, 2007, and have on-camera interviews with current and former supervisors, county employees, resolution proponent and Help Save Manassas president Greg Letiecq and others.
The video focuses on how the final pieces of legislation were put together for the April 29 vote, as well the highly publicized issue involving county police Chief Charlie T. Deane and his meeting with the Mexican consul this spring.
The reaction to the film ran the gamut, after its showing Friday night at Trinity Episcopal Church in Manassas.
Chris Pannell, who left Help Save Manassas this spring, praised the video. Woodbridge Workers Committee Nancy Lyall enjoyed the film, but expressed her outrage at the resolution.
City Councilman Jonathan Way said the presentation was interesting but that he learned nothing new.
"It was far less contentious and argumentative than I thought it might have been," Way said.
Conversely, Help Save Manassas member Maureen Wood said the video was one-sided, made Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey A. Stewart look like a fool and the filmmakers and she would never "see eye to eye on this issue."
Byler said the impetus for the video came from his friends outside of Prince William, who brought the
illegal immigration issue in the county to his attention. Byler conceded that he became less inclined to show both sides of the story as the filmmaking went along. He said he witnessed the climate of intolerance grow during the process.
In December, Byler elaborated on some of his filming experiences while testifying at the Civil Rights Commission meeting in Prince William County and voiced his opinion about the resolution during citizens time on April 22 and April 29.
When Byler realized that the county's ultimate product differed substantially from the first effort, he wanted to make sure that was conveyed in the video and during Friday's question and answer session.
Unfortunately, Byler said, some of the mainstream media made it seem as if the resolution was toughened when in fact it was a watered down version of the original resolution.
"When you say that '9500 Liberty' is not objective, that '9500 Liberty' has a perspective, well that is true," Byler said. "We have a perspective. And I think the problem is that the packaging so often [from mainstream media] is that this is an objective news story, [or this is] an objective television spot. That is where the deception is…because nothing is truly objective and nothing lacks perspective. So if you read an article and it only quotes Corey Stewart, that is a perspective right there."
Supervisor Martin E. Nohe, R-Coles, attended Friday along with fellow supervisor W.S. "Wally" Covington III, R-Brentsville. Nohe, who had ample face time on the video, said the the film was clearly biased but appreciated that Byler made an effort to put the resolution into a much larger context than just portraying the two polar opposite views on the issue.
"This movie clearly has its good guys and bad guys and I was Alfred the Butler," said Nohe, referring to Batman's confidant. "And I am glad because if the movie would have been nothing but two sides of the story, no one would have understood it."
Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-369-5738.
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Reader Reactions
“This movie clearly has its good guys and bad guys and I was Alfred the Butler,“ said Nohe, referring to Batman’s confidant. “
Supervisor Nohe, who were you the butler for? Was it Mr. Byler, Alanna ALmeda,Nancy Lyall,Ricardo Juarez? Was Wally Covington Batman? I am sure they did not teach you to be a butler at the Sorensen Institute!
What website of Erics? What groups?
Cheap hit and run there, Do the Right (sic) thing. Look behind you. You are blowing smoke.
BENEDICT ARNOLD has already been grabbed up by 2 other supervisors who are fighting over the use of the name. I say let them both have it.
Macaca video was shot by an even darker skinned Democrat. S.R. Siddarth. Not Byler.
Eric Byler video was a “hit piece” similar to the one he did on Senator Allen for Senator Webb’s campaign. He did more cutting and editing on his current project than Edward Scissor hand himself.
All PWC residents including elected officials and government employees who are enamored with Eric Byler should check out what groups he has aligned himself with on his website before granting interviews.?
Why has Eric Byler been given unprecedented access by County officials What is the motivation of our county officials and others for doing this knowing Mr. Byler’s background.
Supervisor Nohe thinks he is “Alfred the Butler”, once more PWC residents view this video his new name will be BENEDICT ARNOLD.
Thank you Annabel and Eric for shedding much needed light on the actual process! If anyone missed the film, it contained footage from the BOCS meetings and interviews with BOCS members among others. You could get the same information from BOCS meetings if you listened to all of them. This film condenses it all and makes the process easy to understand. It cannot be one sided because all involved, including HSM, speak for themselves. Whatever they “look like,“ it is their own doing, not Annabel and Eric’s.
I am so proud of the three brave members of the BOCS who have questioned the wisdom of the original resolution: Wally Covington, Marty Nohe, and Frank Principi. So far, these are the only BOCS members who have had the guts to go out into the community and try to see things in a different light, not just the one-sided arguments put out by HSM and FAIR who authored the “immigration resolution”. (MJM you should not THAT was the original name of this policy—the “Immigration Resolution”, not the “anti-illegal immigration resolution.“)
I hope the rest of the BOCS will reconsider the effects of this policy and acknowledge that in its current form, the “resolution” could have been carried out without the spin, political grandstanding, hatred, and costs that have been its ultimate results.
And I hope the rest of the resolution will be rescinded in part to help give PWC back its once positive name, but also to restore democracy which we lost when we were hijacked by FAIR, a national lobbying group, NOT residents. WE speak for ourselves. FAIR does not.
This film tells the story that the anti-illegal immigration groups don’t want us to know and what the print media hasn’t fully explained. April 29 was a compromise. The 9500 Liberty film shows this fact while other groups try to hide the truth. Nice job Annabel and Eric!
Corey tried to many slick moves and now the truth comes out. Kipp, thanks for running this story.
How can the public see this film?
Maureen said it perfecly:
Help Save Manassas member Maureen Wood said the video ... “made Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey A. Stewart look like a fool”...
At least she finally got one right: he is a FOOL. Every read her rants on BVBL? Sad, sad, sad.
Would someone please already just get rid of this damn sign. SICK OF IT.
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