Noel Spirandelli
Wisconsin’s mass incarceration problem is nothing new, especially in Milwaukee’s 53206 zip code. A widely-referenced 2007 UW-Milwaukee study found that 62% of men ages 30-34 from that zip code had been incarcerated at some point. In 2014, Think Progress wrote about “how one Milwaukee zip code explains America’s mass incarceration problem.” After learning this, Transform Films, a New York-based documentary film company, and director Keith McQuirter felt compelled to tell the human stories of those affected. The result was Milwaukee 53206 a 50-minute documentary that follows three individuals and their families dealing with the prison system in different ways. We spoke with Milwaukee 53206 executive producer CarolAnne Dolan about what led them to Milwaukee and the impact campaign they are running to make a change.
What drew you to this story?
Transform Films was looking to do something in the area of mass incarceration. We knew that there are so many films that have been done in this space, so we were looking for our way in. We tend to tell stories that are really character driven. We don’t make policy films. We make films that illuminate human stories. So we decided that what we wanted to do was really focus on what this epidemic of mass incarceration has done to families and communities.
That was sort of our starting point. Then we did some research and said, “What’s the zip code in America or community in America that is most suffering from this?” We found that 53206 was the zip code that, certainly at the time, had the highest incarceration rate for African-American men. So we said, “Let’s do some research there and get to know people.” That’s the origin of it, and Keith McQuirter, the filmmaker, went and spent some time and got to know some of the folks and started to build trust with some of the folks in the neighborhood.
What was it like getting to know and building trust with these families?
That’s all on Keith. That’s his work. I think he went in there with an open heart and an open mind. He really got to spend some time with people. We really worked our way down to the community through some of the contacts that we had with some of the organizations. Then when we got down to that level of finding people that we thought could really tell this story for us, that was really Keith. Especially with somebody like Beverly Walker, whose story is so very personal, and she grants such full access. To build trust with her was one of Keith’s great accomplishments.
Have you or Keith been in touch with the families much since filming?
Yes, we stay in regular contact with them, Keith especially. They’ve been really involved in the impact campaign. They are also requested heavily, especially Beverly but also Dennis and Chad, to come to screenings and do a Q&A afterwards. They’ve been very involved, and that’s been a really positive thing for the film. They’ve been wonderful. They keep everyone updated on what’s going on in their lives.
A big theme of the film is this idea that families are doing the time too while their loved ones are incarcerated. Can you talk a bit about that?
One of the most consistent things that we’ve gotten in terms of feedback around the film has been the reaction to Beverly, and her and Baron’s story. That’s really the emotional heart of this film. It’s what people really gravitate to and respond to. She puts such a human face on this thing. You see everything that she goes through and how she is holding everything together on the inside and also with her family. She’s like this superwoman who is doing everything and it’s just impossible to watch this film and not empathize with her. Then you get to the actual issues surrounding the parole issues with Baron and the complicated issues that are specific to Wisconsin and the laws there. It’s really hard not to take her story to heart.
I know that this film got a lot of attention in Milwaukee when it was first released. What has the reaction been across the nation?
It had a really great film festival run, which we are very pleased about. It was seen in many cities across the country. We’ve also been doing an active impact campaign to get screenings in communities, congregations, houses of worship and universities. In Atlanta we had an interesting situation where we knew that there was a coalition of faith-based leaders that had an interest in criminal justice reform. We built this coalition there and they’ve used the film in their work. It’s definitely traveling to different locations and being effective.
What did you hope to accomplish with this documentary?
Our goal in doing this film was to raise awareness and hopefully change people’s attitudes and have them think about mass incarceration in a different way and to do something. Whether it’s locally in their own community to support people who are living with these issues or to try and affect legislation if they feel that that is what they are driven to. Even though this story focuses on Milwaukee, it’s a story that is playing out in cities and towns across this country. It’s something that everyone can relate to. What we really wanted to do was take this film and use it as a way to get people to look at this issue in a way that is really relatable on a human level.
What did you personally learn from being involved in the film?
I’ve learned so much. The issue of mass incarceration was one that I was aware of, but in the research that I did around it, it was just eye opening. The potential impact for this campaign has been a real learning curve for me. I think that one of the big takeaways for me is that a film like this that can touch people’s hearts really does have the potential to make a difference. This film is just under an hour, and that’s a great length for a film that you are taking out into the world and want people to engage with. It gives them time to watch the film, but then have a robust discussion afterwards. If you’re asking for 90 minutes just to watch a film, sometimes you aren’t leaving people with enough time to talk about it and engage with it.
How can someone set up a screening of the film with their organization?
There’s a link on the website that they can just click on and one of our folks here will be in touch with them and set them up with everything that they need. We do have, as part of the screening, what we call a screening toolkit that will give you a discussion guide, a suggested template for publicizing the screening in your community and all of that sort of stuff.
