O ctober 2. 2013
Minority & Small Business Week
Page 15
Vancouver
East County
Beaverton
Alberta
North Portland
Speed Bumps
______ Conviction
The Northwest Film Center presents ‘Gideon s Army, ’ a documentary about innocent indigents swept away in a legal system strained
to the breaking point.
n 1963, the US Supreme Court decided the
landmark case o f Gideon v. W ainwright. The
ruling was simple: In felony cases, people who
cannot afford a lawyer must be provided one. M ost
states responded by creating offices for public de
fenders to defend poor people charged with serious
crimes. But Gideon's promise has not been fulfilled.
On Sunday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 p.m ., the N orthw est
Film C enter presents the film ‘G id eo n ’s A rm y .’
The documentary will screen in the center’s Whitsell
A uditorum at the Portland A rt M useum , 1219
S.W . Park Ave.
I
” Every year hundreds
o f innocent indigents
are swept away in the
crushing tide o f a
system strained to the
breaking point.
The movie shows how too many public defend
ers are little more than speed bumps on an indigent's
journey to conviction. Every year hundreds o f
innocent indigents are swept away in the crushing
tide o f a system strained to the breaking point. The
reality is that innocents may spend decades in jail,
many who are guilty are not brought to justice, and
faith in the fairness and competency o f the criminal
justice system is ever more questioned.
A dm ission is $9 general and $8 for students
and s e n io rs. F o r m o re in fo rm a tio n , v is it
nwfilm.org.