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Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four
- Director: Deborah S. Esquenazi
- Producer: Sam Tabet
CGiii Comment
For those of you who have no faith in the American judicial system...
For those of you with faith in the American judicial system...
When the judiciary is an elected body...it panders to public opinion which is usually whipped up by acerbic lies that the 'gutter press' are so prone to print.
Unfortunately and lamentably, there are still those who believe everything they read...in those 'newspapers' not fit for purpose...fit only for a lavatorial function.
But...what about those...caught up in false accusation, flayed by a predatory press, represented by dime-store lawyers, judged by a judgmental jury and sentenced by a judge who - obviously and scarily - was educated in that aforementioned dime-store?
Well...witch-hunted and hung out to dry...incarcerated for 13 years.
Even after the declaration of false testimony (by one of the supposed victims), that dime-store judge refuses to exonerate these women!
Where are the young, ravenous lawyers in America, where are they!?! Those acute minds that can bring down a case - not by a legal technicality - but, with an ill-interpreted, malpracticed point of law so clearly demonstrated by this cheap judge.
For those of you with faith in the American judicial system...pray that you will never become victim to its victimisation and depravity!
For those of you who have no faith in the American judicial system...you are exonerated.
These women, throughout their incarceration, have shown resilience, loyalty and solidity...for themselves, for each other...they are testament to 'never give up' - they were devoured by a corrupt system...still, they fought.
Esquenazi's film is a labour of love...deeply involving, deeply affecting...it poignantly and clearly shows the power of film.
This film should be seen by everyone. What makes it more terrifying is: It could happen to any one of us...that's the power of false testimony...by an 'alleged' victim, by an irresponsible press, by a legal system not fit for purpose.
Trailer...
Southwest of Salem - Festival Trailer from Deborah S. Esquenazi on Vimeo.
The(ir) Blurb...
In the 1980s and 1990s there was a spate of accusations and prosecution based around the idea that children had been abused (or even murdered) as part of Satanic Rituals. These investigations often involved entire communities, resulting in numerous people being convicted and imprisoned. However nearly all these cases have since been debunked, with virtually no evidence Satanic abuse ever took place (and tragically it often stemmed from individual children who were abused, whose suffering got swept up in hysteria that enveloped other children and adults who had nothing to do with it). It is perhaps not too surprising that those who were primed to see Satanic abuse were often keen to see it amongst those living ?alternate lifestyle?. This hysteria resulted in four Texan women, all lesbians, spending 15 years in prison. They were eventually freed ahead of an appeal, with the State dropping the case against them after they admitted that the medical evidence used to convict them was indefensible in court.