Police Punish the ‘Good Apples’

Law enforcement needs to protect those who prioritize their sworn duties above loyalty to their peers.

 "Even as bad cops evade punishment for wrongdoing, those who stand up to corruption, report negligence or abuse, or decline to comply with bad orders are frequently marginalized, demoted, or outright fired," by Musa AlGharbi from the Atlantic

The Protests and the First Amendment.

 Don’t forget in this season of demonstration that you have a right, in most cases, to keep your phone and the video you’ve taken of police activity when the cops ask for it. The Washington Post More: How the NYPD “weaponized” curfew restrictions. The Intercept

Notes from the Field

Superb work from Anna Deveare Smith. Given what is happening today it is even more distressing that the play was done in 2015. Profoundly disturbing on many levels but a must see.

https://www.hbo.com/movies/notes-from-the-field

Kudos for The Eyes of Van Gogh

I am very pleased that my film The Eyes of Van Gogh has been included in this list of the 5 best movies about Vincent van Gogh

Watch the film on Amazon Prime.  

The Wanting Mare Premiere

I enjoyed working on this film very much and am delighted that people will now be able to see it starting with its premiere at the online version of the Chattanooga Film Festival. May 22-May 25 https://bit.ly/CFFWantingMare

“On the features side, CFF is thrilled to present the world premiere of Nicholas Ashe Bateman’s The Wanting Mare. This hauntingly beautiful film revolves around an imaginary world and a line of women that pass a recurring dream down through multiple generations. Bateman will also present World-Building in Independent Film: Visual Effects tools for Low Budget Filmmakers, in which he will trace the production process and the digital journey of bringing The Wanting Mare to life.”   

Great Atlantic Article

From the article: "I could have picked a dozen other examples over the past 10 days, but these five will suffice. They illustrate some of the essential traits of Donald Trump: the shocking ignorance, ineptitude, and misinformation; his constant need to divide Americans and attack those who are trying to promote social solidarity; his narcissism, deep insecurity, utter lack of empathy, and desperate need to be loved; his feelings of victimization and grievance; his affinity for ruthless leaders; and his fondness for conspiracy theories."

Perfect.

Lessons from New York’s Bail Battle

Extremely important issue.  Many thousands of people for many months if not years - including those charged with misdemeanors - are in jail because they cannot pay bail.  Reform is crucial.

From The Marshall Project: The sweeping bail reforms state lawmakers passed in 2019—abolishing money bail in many cases—were promptly undermined by conservative media outlets, law enforcement lobbyists and wobbly politicians who seized on disputed crime figures to argue the changes went too far. Now some of those changes have been rolled back, prompted by bad poll numbers and the political calculations that go with them. Bail reformers in other states are paying attention. They are trying to get more buy-in on the front end by police and prosecutors.