The Culver City Democratic club spearheaded by President Bill Wynn, the first African American to hold the position, hosted the screening of legendary cinematographer and filmmaker, 91-year-old Haskell Wexler’s, “Four Days in Chicago.”
The screening was hosted at the iconic Veterans Memorial Building in Culver City in the Rotunda Room. On hand were the film’s editor, Nick Golding, “Four Days in Chicago,” heralds the Occupy Movement in Chicago against the 2012 NATO. Haskell captured on film with tremendous accuracy Chicago’s law enforcement officers’ act with sycophantic behavior against the residents and visiting kindred spirits of that City. The documentary expresses an admirable concern for the authorities, to use a more humanistic approach when it comes to the states and local official’s management of global politics and protest. The Chicago Occupy demonstrations staged by the National Nurses Union, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Code Pink and others stood firmly against the government’s policy on the endless spending of taxpayer’s dollars on wars.
The groups met in Chicago in order to tell President Barack Obama and Mayor Rahm Emmanuel to take those monies and put them towards education, housing, and health care. This adamant stand by the groups as a collective registered as code blue for the officers who made a strong attempt to bar the event. Although protesters were well within their rights and well behaved they were not given a moments peace from harassment by the local police who were visibly standing with guns in the holsters.
Several political and social activist for each visiting Occupy movement starters like John Foley, funny man, Melvin “Ricky” Maclin, Andy Thayer, Tom Morello, and Tom Hayden stood nearby each speaking to various segments of the crowd and to speak very candidly with Haskell. What became an interesting exercise in “got their nerve”, NATO which was formed to oppose Russia, now owned by the United States held a grand meeting in the luxurious rooms of Chicago’s Convention Center, while Chicago’s protesters encountered stormy assaults by city wide security. Barack who invited NATO the largest military alliance in the world and the G8 representatives (the eight wealthiest leaders of the world) to Chicago’s Convention Center, thus making the event a historic one, hosted the summit meeting. Haskell helped to organize the cities video-journalists to get a broader look at what was going on at ground zero level so that the country could get an accurate read on the live demonstrations happening day by day. The Chicago based Occupy Movement was responsible for gathering 99 percent-ers country wide who opposed the continuance of war and priorities that are either misplaced or completely ignored, called, “austerity”.
Wynn opened the Democratic meeting room held before the screening for questions directed at the film’s editor, Nick Golding. Nick has followed the lead of other social and political activist who has taken up arms for cause by filming documentaries that bare gripping tales of social injustice that is unaccounted for. Golding who having come full circle from his young Los Angeles upbringing to San Francisco State film student, gained credits that include broadly VH1, Showtime, E Entertainment and Bravo to now film collaborator to Haskell Wexler on “Four Days In Chicago,” and “Medium Cool Revisited”. Nick managed to master answering strong spirited questions by eager guest who wanted to know everything from, did Obama, handle the protest in Chicago admirably, or was he just as big of a culprit as the protestors labeled NATO to be.
Wexler the director of note was not at the event due to a rigorous shooting schedule out of State. Nonetheless, the director spoke during various parts of the doc giving a vivid description of the grimness of the City known as, “Chi Town.” Some of Culver City’s top community activist and other invited guest for the evening included Alan Richmond of Sorenity Rocks and Marketing consultant for the Mamie Clayton Museum, www.sorenityrocks.com, www.claytonmuseum.org, 54th California State Assembly 2014 candidate’s, Chris Armenta and Sebastian-Ridley Thomas, www.christopherarmenta.com, and www.sridleythomas.com, Jim B. Clarke, Culver City Councilman and M. Fred Minter CFO and Don Harris CEO of Inner City Cycling Connection, a non-profit organization that grew out of a request by the community leaders organizing the Martin Luther King Jr parade and celebration. For the benefit of the community, IC3 created an exciting bicycle race that took place before each parade.www.ic3cycling.com.
For more information on “Four Days In Chicago,” and Director, Haskell Wexler visit www.fourdaysinchicago.com, Nick Golding at www.nickgolding.com, and future events held by the Culver City Democratic Club at www.culvercitydemocraticclub.com. The Veterans Memorial Building in Culver City is located at 4117 Overland Avenue, Culver City, California 90230.