Dear Friends and neighbors,
Let me begin by saying that I am a filmmaker living in Chicago. I have worked in many capacities on small films, large films and TV shows. That being said, let me backtrack.
My girlfriend and myself both have sisters who are veterans of such ?programs?. My sister was in Kids Helping Kids in Northern Kentucky. My Girlfriend?s sister was in ?Straight? in Washington DC (or Virginia).
I feel I don?t have to go into all of the ramifications the experience has had on our families. Suffice it to say that while I have been reading the posts on this website (
http://fornits.com/anonanon/sidetalk/)
I have come across things that shocked me and things that also sounded very familiar. I can say that panic attacks, mistrust and paranoia are things that our sisters deal with on a daily basis. I feel like I lost the person who was my sister a long time ago.
Recently, a lot of the problems facing my sister have come to a head. Things are getting pretty bad. That is what led me to the website. So I?m sitting there, late at night, wading through endless posts - unable to stop reading. That was the genesis of this open letter.
I feel like humans are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. The only thing we can do is try to look at things that happened in the past - things done in certain political climates - things done in the heat of passion - and try to learn from them. We must always try to get at the truth, however elusive it might be.
I have decided to send this letter to many of you whom I encountered on the website. I?ve decided that I might put together another forum: a long form documentary film about these issues. I realize that there are so many of you who would rather retain your anonymity. For this I cannot blame you one bit. I will say, however, if not you, who? If not now, when? This is your chance to let your voice be heard over the most powerful medium in the world: moving pictures with sound. I will not be seeking corporate sponsors for this project, nor will I be seeking network affiliation. This will be a true labor of love, funded out of my own pocket - a tithe, if you will, to humanity.
If you are a ?graduate? of the program or a family member of anyone involved I would be very interested in working with you on this project.
Sincerely,
JR
