National League of Cities, National Hispanic Media Coalition,
Anti-Defamation League, PFLAG, Interfaith Immigration Coalition, Hillel, United States Department of Justice COPS, National Council of La Raza, American Federation of Teachers, Muslim Public Affairs Council, Along With Communities in 37 States Across the Country to Host Special Screenings of PBS Documentary
 NOT IN OUR TOWN: LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

September 18-24, 2011

From September 18-24, public media outlets and communities across the country will host special screenings of Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness, a new documentary at the center of the week of action that tells the story of residents of Patchogue, Long Island taking action after a series of anti-immigrant attacks by local teenagers ended with the hate crime killing of local immigrant Marcelo Lucero.  The film will debut Wednesday, September 21 at 10:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings).  Narrated by Academy Award®-Nominee Alfre Woodard, the documentary addresses the growing problem of anti-immigrant violence in communities nationwide. 

“Hate knows no boundaries, and is often a problem we don’t recognize until it leads to violence,” said Patrice O’Neill, Executive Producer and Director, Light in the Darkness and Founder of The Working Group. “From twin screenings in Texas and Mexico, to special discussions hosted by police departments, librarians, public media, PFLAG, Latino Justice, Interfaith Alliance, and hundreds more, Not In Our Town, together with our partners, is highlighting communities working to prevent hate from simmering in towns across the country and leading to tragedy ever again.” 

Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness shares the tragic story of the 2008 series of attacks by a group of seven local teenagers against Latino residents of the Long Island, New York town of Patchogue that ended with the killing of 37-year-old Marcelo Lucero. An Ecuadorian immigrant, Lucero had been a Patchogue resident for 13 years.  Filmed over a two-year period, the documentary follows Mayor Paul Pontieri, the victim’s brother Joselo Lucero, diverse community leaders, residents and students as they openly address the underlying causes of the violence, work to heal divisions and initiate ongoing action to ensure everyone in their village will be safe and respected. 

Light in the Darkness is the third PBS special from Not In Our Town, a project from The Working Group, whose mission is to highlight stories of communities taking positive action to fight intolerance. Not In Our Town was launched in 1995 with the national PBS special Not In Our Town, which followed the citizens of Billings, Montana as they joined forces to resist bigotry in their town. Not In Our Town II, a follow-up broadcast, aired in 1996 and showed how communities adapted the experience from Billings to counteract local hate violence. Over the past 15 years, Not In Our Town has grown from a PBS documentary into a national effort to connect people working together to take action against hate and create safe, inclusive communities.  

Not In Our Town Light in the Darkness was directed by Patrice O’Neill and produced by The Working Group. Adrienne Calo and Charene Zalis serve as producers, with consulting producer Ray Telles. The film was edited by Linda Peckham, Andrew Gersh and Jill Strong, with principal photography by Brian Dentz. 

Major support for this program is provided by PBS, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the Einhorn Family Charitable Trust. Additional support has been provided by the Reva and David Logan Foundation and Public Welfare Foundation.