After the 5 PM Black Lives Matter vigil, there will be a potluck dinner. At 7:15 PM, the film will be shown with a discussion to follow. There is no charge, and refreshments will be available.
HEIST: Who Stole the American Dream? [USA, 2011] This documentary, directed by Donald Goldmacher and narrated by Thom Hartmann, includes interviews with Bernie Sanders, Donna Edwards, Van Jones and David Cay Johnston. It argues that government deregulation, as promoted by Virginia lawyer Lewis F. Powell, Jr, led to the Great Recession.. His 1971 memo to the United States Chamber of Commerce urged corporate America to become more aggressive in molding politics and law. HEIST shows that Roosevelt's New Deal is being dismantled piecewise. One example is the repeal of the Glass–Steagall Act which led to the Big Banks engaging in high-volume Casino Capitalism. The film lays the blame for the crisis on the cozy relationship between politicians and corporations, citing as examples the administrations of Reagan, Clinton, Bush and Obama. The documentary ends with suggestions for how people might organize.