Not In Our Town: The Movement Against Hate

The Social Network Show welcomes another Crime Prevention Month episode with a partner of the National Crime Prevention Council, Not In Our Town on October 15, 2014.

Patrice O'Neill, filmmaker, journalist and leader of Not In Our Town shares the story behind this community based movement that is working to stop hate in our communities and hate in our schools, Not In Our School. A hate crime is reported every hour in this country according to Patrice and Not In Our Town has a multi-platform approach with the use of film, social networking, outreach and organizing to assist communities to help themselves.  This movement has an interesting story and an interesting approach to get people to work together.

Also, please check out Not In Our Town's latest film, Waking in Oak Creek which tells the powerful and inspiring story of community members, law enforcement and members of the Sikh temple working together to heal their town after six people are killed by a white supremacist as they prepare for Sunday Worship at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin. The film is available free for community screening events. You can sign up for an event online at Niot.org.

If you are curious about what is happening on college campuses, take a look at Not On Our Campus

Two of their most recent PBS films, Not In Our Town: Class Actions and Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness can be viewed online at pbs.org/ni

Patrice O'Neill is a filmmaker, journalist and leader of Not In Our Town, a community-based movement of people working to stop hate together. She has produced the successful Not In Our Town national series on PBS and led a multi-platform approach that utilizes documentary film, social networking, outreach and organizing efforts to encourage dialogue and community action. The series began as a half-hour PBS special and turned into a dynamic movement that continues to thrive in communities across the U.S. and around the world.

 O'Neill's film, Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness [1] premiered on PBS in 2011. Over 300 community screenings of the film have been held across the U.S. She is currently in production on two films. Case Against Hate features four stories that go inside the justice system to show victims, law enforcement and prosecutors working together to heal and strengthen communities in the aftermath of hate crimes. Waking in Oak Creek profiles the powerful community response to the 2012 hate crime killings at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin.

In addition to making films, O'Neill and the NIOT team have fostered a network of Not In Our Town community activists–among them mayors, police chiefs, educators and faith leaders–and helped lead a series of anti-hate media campaigns featuring screenings and town hall meetings in hundreds of communities nationwide. Her team launched NIOT.org [2], a social media community resource and film site, and Not In Our School [3], which includes anti-bullying campaign resources for teachers and students. In Spring 2013, O'Neill introduced the Not In Our Town model to three cities in Hungary and six U.S. Embassies in Central Europe [4].

O'Neill is the CEO of the Not In Our Town project's parent company, The Working Group [5], an Oakland-based non-profit strategic media company. In addition to the Not In Our Town project, O'Neill has produced the award-winning PBS series, Livelyhood [6], and workplace public televisions series We Do The Work [7]. The Fire Next Time [8], her film presented on the POV series, is used in conflict studies departments around the country.