“Shenandoah” (2012, by David Turnley) is an introspective
documentary of a hate crime (and apparent police coverup) in Shenandoah, PA, an
anthracite coal mining town in northeast Pennsylvania.
On July 12, 2008, four white football players allegedly beat
a Latino man to death in the street after a random encounter. The victim, Luis Ramirez, was said to be
illegal or undocumented. The four players, in this town of largely Polish
descendants, were Brandon Piekarsky, 16, Derrick Donchak, 18, Colin Walsh, 17
and Brian Scully 17. Piekarsky was
acquitted of third-degree murder and Donchak of ethnic intimidation, but moth
were convicted of misdemeanor assault. But a federal prosecutor went after
Piekarsky and Donchak for hate crimes, and each received nine year federal
sentences. Members of the police
department would also be incited. A
detailed account of the case is here. Sam Dolnick has a followup story in the
New York Times Aug. 10, 2012 here.
The film starts with the high school football team a few
years later trying to recover from the horror, starting over again as a losing
team. It almost reminds one of Penn
State.
The crimes occurred in the context of adult battles over
illegal immigration and even, at least indirectly, the Bush administration’s
way of handling the war on terror.
The community faces its economic decline, even with the loss
of a Lithuanian church. The boys
graduate from high school with caps and gowns, but two of them face
prison. The police officers are
convicted of lying to the FBI and head to prison. But in a way, this sounds a
bit like double jeopardy, But the Feds can prosecute for a different charge after a state acquittal. It happened with Rodney King.
The film has somewhat the presentation style of a Dateline
or 2020 crime episode.
The film can be viewed on Netflix instant play.
The film should not be confused with the 1965 musical by
that name; I saw the stage play of the
musical in Dallas in 1979.
Picture is mine, 2010, a town south of State College.
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