Up the Ridge: looking at Virginia prisons

On October 7, a screening of the film Up the Ridge will be held in Norfolk. The documentary concerns urban prisoners in isolated rural prisoner. From the press release:

Wise County, Virginia 1999. A struggling rural coal-mining community fights for economic survival by building two super-maximum security prisons to house the state’s prisoners. Within a few months reports of human rights violations and cultural tension begin surfacing. Prisoners from urban Virginia, as well as Connecticut, New Mexico, and Washington D.C. in a state run beds for hire program, are transferred to rural Appalachia where former coalminers are now correction officers. The stakes were raised when Human Rights Watch issued a scathing report of abuse and racism in the prisons. The prisoners, prisoner families, and correction officers find themselves in a vortex of cultural and political conflict.

This looks to be a great film. The filmakers, Nick Szuberla and Amelia Kirby, will lead a discussion. I also understand that Senator Yvonne Miller’s office will be there to talk about Voting Rights Restoration, a major issue for the Senator for years.

When: October 7, 2pm
Where: Norview United Methodist Church, 1112 Norview Ave