Dear fellow BMG’ers, as someone who has been fighting the casino battle locally and statewide for seven and a half years, I’d like to thank so many of you for your support and activism on this issue. I had created a short (36 minutes total) web documentary based on my experiences, but unfortunately wasn’t able to finish it until a few days after election day. Still, I thought some of you might be interested in viewing it, as it follows the political process toward legislation and repeal.
I’m not a film maker, but I really think the story deserves telling. I also hope to publish a book about it next year. Because fighting casinos is so overwhelmingly depressing, I tried to inject as much humor into the project as possible. I hope you’ll watch. Don’t miss the credits. (Sorry, couldn’t embed the videos)
Waking Up In Vegas – Part One (approx. 18 minutes) focuses on how it all began in 2007, and some of the impacts and casino business practices I learned about along the way – things that turned me from a NIMBY into a statewide grassroots activist.
Waking Up In Vegas – Part Two (approx. 18 minutes) follows the dark comedy of the legalization process and it’s aftermath.
Fabulous.
And thank you for your activism and passion. Unless this story radically changes course, in ten years you will be producing a video called, “The Three White Elephants”.
Great job, and very interesting to have the way it went down documented. I wish there were such a record created in every community that went through this.