DanLin O.
Sacco & Vanzetti Documentary (Youtube)
Due to the snowstorm on Friday, I was unable to attend the screening of the Sacco and Vanzetti documentary at Revolution Books. Fortunately, I was able to find the documentary uploaded in fourteen parts on Youtube. Above, I have provided the link to the first part of the film for everyone to watch. Enjoy!
Supposedly built on the foundations of equality and justice, America has not been living up to its standards. It was intended to provide a safe haven against any form of prosecution–be it religious, racial, or so on. However, this nation has seen its fair share of racial injustice, and there is still an imbalance of justice to this day. Based on the documentary of Sacco and Vanzetti, I feel there is strong evidence of racism in America. I noticed that the American attitude toward immigrants was extremely negative and violent. I believe as if Americans used the Red Scare and World War I as excuses to bully immigrants at that time. The film shows clips of law enforcement unjustly penalizing immigrants with physical harm or threats. A notable piece of commentary I remember is “many of the victims were innocent bystanders who looked suspicious to the government.” Such was how Sacco and Vanzetti were apprehended by the law.
Unfortunately, being at the wrong place at the wrong time, Sacco and Vanzetti were charged with a crime they did not commit. Falsely accused of murdering two men, they were not given a fair trial. The judge overlooked evidence that pointed to their innocence; his hidden agenda was to unfairly prosecute anarchists. The trial ended with a death sentence for both Sacco and Vanzetti. This case was very similar to the case of Leonard Peltier, who was also falsely accused in the murders of two FBI agents. As we all know, Peltier and Sacco and Vanzetti opposed government policies, and they both faced an unfair verdict. If the death sentence was still implemented today, I am sure Peltier would have faced the same end as Sacco and Vanzetti.
In Peltier’s case, racial profiling is clearly evident. Americans wanted to kill off Native Americans and keep them under control. In Sacco and Vanzetti’s case, they were Italian immigrants who were prosecuted for their beliefs. It seems to me that Americans feel they are superior to other races and allowed to freely do what they wish. But weren’t Americans also immigrants who originally came from Europe to escape religious prosecution? Weren’t Americans the ones who actually trespassed on Native American lands? So what gives Americans the right to suppress other racial groups?
