Archived News Release from 2010

For Immediate Release

Community Invited to Free Screening of Remarkable Film at Downtown Library:  Witch Hunt

Redwood City, CA - March 19, 2010 - The community is invited to a screening of an extraordinary film in March, entitled “Witch Hunt.”

John Stoll thought he couldn’t be convicted of something he didn’t do. He was wrong. This movie offers a gripping indictment of the United States justice system told through the lens of one small town. It's John Stoll's story, but it's also the story of dozens of other men and women who found themselves ensnared in a spiral of fear, ignorance and hysteria. The film, narrated by Sean Penn, chronicles the swift sword of injustice in an infamous child-abuse case.

This film shows viewers that the real crime in this case was not molestation, but the crime of coercion. Viewers hear from the child witnesses who were forced to lie on the witness stand as they describe scary sessions with sheriff's deputies in which they were told -- not asked -- about sexual experiences that happened to them. Their coerced testimony led to dozens of convictions. Many times their own parents were the ones they put behind bars.

This free screening takes place on Wednesday, March 24 at 6:30 pm in the Community Room of the Downtown Library, 1044 Middlefield Road in Redwood City.

Some very special guests will be on hand for this film screening - Linda Starr, Northern California Innocence Project Legal Director, Dana Nachman and Don Hardy - Witch Hunt Directors/Producers, and John Stoll, the subject of this disturbing and important film.

The Innocence Project works to exonerate innocent prisoners and pursue legal reforms that  address the causes and consequences of wrongful convictions.

Visit Redwood City’s award-winning website at www.redwoodcity.org for information about the City and its services, the community, recreation programs, education, and local business. Subscribe to Redwood City’s email newsletter and other City documents by visiting www.redwoodcity.org/egov.

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Contact:
Rosalind Kutler, MLIS
Redwood City Public Library
650-780-7058