It's like Rocky III. Thirty years ago, the City of Mobile produced its own movie, "You Have a Choice." It was all about how, in any disagreement, a youth can choose to take a number of actions that don't include gun violence. Rocky. Twelve years ago, an updated version was produced. Rocky II.
Now, an updated and expanded version has been released. It had been in the works for almost three years. "You Still Have a Choice" will be shown to all ninth graders in the Mobile public school system, as well as to others.
Retiring Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson released the following statement about the city's new film on Friday:
This morning, we celebrated the release of a short film that has been a labor of love for several members of our staff for nearly three years. In 2022, my Chief of Staff, Jim Barber, and our Creative Content Manager, D'Ambro Chatman, began exploring ways to update a film first created by former District Attorney John Tyson in the 1990s.
Called "You Have a Choice," it included interviews with real inmates and was used to show young Mobilians the consequences of violent and criminal behavior.
After I appointed Jim as police chief in 2013, the Mobile Police Department made an updated version based on the same idea. Both videos were powerful, but over time, they had become dated and needed to be updated for a new generation.
Just over three years ago, that's the goal we started with, and D'Ambro and Jim set out to make it happen. Members of our staff began by meeting with child psychologists working with the Strickland Youth Center and the teen advisory council to help determine which messages resonated with young people and which ones did not.
Keli Sharazi and the Mobile Film Office also brought in numerous resources to support the project, including local students from the shadowing program and film industry professionals who helped take the project to the next level.
Things really started taking off when the community got involved. Partners, including Bishop State Community College, Alabama Power, and the Mobile County Public School System, agreed to let us use their facilities or participate in their programs.
Dozens of actors, extras, film professionals, and local first responders volunteered their time and skills to help with the production and make it authentic.
On top of all that, D’Ambro went above and beyond to make this passion project what it is today. He spent countless hours of his own time on the film and used personal equipment to shoot and edit much of it. The result is “You Still Have a Choice."
This stunning short film tells the story of a conflict between two high school students and explores the consequences of the choices they make to resolve it.
Why did the City make a movie? The purpose of the film is to engage young people who might be dealing with similar situations. We hear too many stories about young people who make rash decisions that shape the trajectory of their lives. Sometimes it involves resolving a conflict through violence. Other times, it can be carrying a gun for protection or joining a neighborhood gang to find a support system. We want resources like this to illustrate the consequences of those choices and how to make better ones.
Through our work with juvenile justice professionals and local law enforcement, we have found that most arrests and suspensions among local students occur in the 9th grade. That’s the group we’re hoping to reach with this film and through the support and engagement programs our Public Safety Department has in local schools. I truly think it can make a difference, and if it helps one young person, it will be worth it.
The 19-minute film can be found here:
Notice with great benefit that the drama did not blame the legality of guns for the violence problem and its consequences for the shooter and the shootee. It blamed decisions — short-sighted decisions.
Jim 'Zig' Zeigler's beat is the colorful and positive about Alabama -- her people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at [email protected].
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