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Life & Times Transcript
04/27/06 Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times -- He spent nearly half his life in jail for a crime he didn't commit. What's it like to be wrongfully convicted? Thomas Goldstein>> I lost between my thirties to fifties. You know, those are the main years of work and productivity and family. You know, I was denied all that. Val Zavala>> And then, how do you handle the horrors of 9/11 in the movies? We find out what our critics think of "United 93". It's all coming up next on tonight's Life and Times. Announcer>> Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Val Zavala>> We've heard the stories before, people who've spent years in prison claiming their innocence and then, sure enough, evidence comes along to exonerate them. Many times, that evidence is DNA, but not always. Sam Louie has the story of one man who spent more than twenty years behind bars for murder based on the testimony of an eye witness. Sam Louie>> Serving time behind bars. It's the fate of more than two million prisoners here in the United States. The vast majority of inmates are guilty of crimes, but cracks in our justice system have imprisoned thousands of people for crimes they did not commit, people like Thomas Goldstein. Thomas was a young Marine back in 1980 fresh out of serving in Vietnam. A man in Long Beach was found shot dead and Thomas was convicted of the murder. An eye witness claimed he saw Goldstein running from the crime and a jailhouse informant testified that Goldstein confessed to the murder while in jail. The jury was convinced and Goldstein was sentenced to twenty-seven years to life in prison. This is Goldstein today, a free man. In 2004 after spending twenty-four years in prison, he was exonerated. Thomas Goldstein>> It's hard to look back. Yeah, I expected to be married. I expected to have kids and I wanted those and I wanted a career, you know. I was going to college to better myself. I lost between my thirties to fifties. You know, those are the main years of work and productivity and for family. You know, I was denied all that. Sam Louie>> When Goldstein reflects back, he says he was surprised by the conviction, but still hopeful that justice would be done. When the jury read the conviction, what was going through your mind? Thomas Goldstein>> Oh, I was in shock. When I had an appeal, you know, I was entitled to an appeal. I filed an appeal that time and I thought, well, when the appeal is completed, you know, I'll get out then and this would be, you know, kind of a unique experience (laughter). You know, I'd never been in prison before. I don't have a criminal record. Sam Louie>> Goldstein appealed the conviction, but lost. Over time, he filed numerous petitions claiming the conviction violated his constitutional rights. Thomas Goldstein>> I never filed a petition I didn't think would win. So I'm constantly thinking, well, in three months, in six months, in nine months, I'll be released from prison. It was about eleven years before I realized that I'm not going to be released in a few months. Sam Louie>> Then in 1998, Goldstein found new evidence that promised to get him cleared. In a separate case, the credibility of a jailhouse informant was questioned, the same informant who testified against Goldstein. Thomas Goldstein>> They did an exhaustive look into his background and they found police, prosecutors, prison counselors who considered him to be unreliable. Sam Louie>> Shortly after this revelation, Bill Forman was appointed as one of Goldstein's defense lawyers. Forman recalled being very leery of Goldstein's case. Bill Forman>> I wasn't certain at all. In fact, I'm very skeptical of wrongful imprisonment claims. I've represented a lot of people on habeas, but my obligation is not to impose my own gut reactions, but to go out and investigate and that's what we did here. Following on Tom's lead, we investigated that. We found that evidence and we told the federal court that we need a hearing to present this evidence so you can see that Tom has been wrongly convicted. Sam Louie>> Forman eventually proved that the informant had been paid to testify against Goldstein and, just as critical, the eye witness who identified Goldstein at the scene of the crime wanted to recant his story. Bill Forman>> Frankly, I just was dumbstruck at first. It's what you always expect a witness to say, but rarely happens. In this case, Loren Campbell just came out with it and said, "I identified the wrong man and I've been waiting twenty-five years to get this off my chest." Sam Louie>> Campbell, the eye witness, told Forman he was pressured by police to identify Goldstein. He never imagined his testimony would lead to Goldstein's incarceration. Bill Forman>> When we told him that Thomas Goldstein was still in prison, he said, "My God, I never would have guessed that guy was still in prison. I would have thought he would have been released years ago. I would have thought there's no point in my coming forward." Sam Louie>> Unfortunately, wrongful conviction cases like Tom's are not isolated events. Numerous stories of innocent people being exonerated abound. Stephen Rohde>> It just shows you that we have serious flaws in our criminal justice system. Sam Louie>> Stephen Rohde is a constitutional lawyer and vice president of Death Penalty Focus, a group aimed at eliminating the death penalty and reforming the legal system. Stephen Rohde>> It is a scandal that this country, considered to have one of the finest criminal justice systems in the world, executes people who are innocent, sends people to Death Row who have been innocent. Sam Louie>> One major tool in uncovering wrongful convictions has been the development of DNA testing and forensic science. Stephen Rohde>> I'm told that over ten thousand or more cases have been identified as wrongful convictions, not all death penalty cases, involving the use of DNA evidence. Sam Louie>> But Rohde concedes that DNA can only go so far in overturning wrongful convictions. Stephen Rohde>> As important as it is, there is DNA evidence in only about twelve to fifteen percent of all murder cases, so it's not as if we found the magic bullet and DNA is going to solve perfectly every crime. It's not. Sam Louie>> Rohde says racism, errors by police and defense lawyers and, surprisingly, even eye witnesses put many innocent defendants in prison. Stephen Rohde>> It used to be that we would take an eye witness account as gospel. My God, there's a person who's willing to swear they saw Mr. X kill Mr. Y. Well, the studies show that there are huge errors in eye witness accounts, that people see things and later recall things they didn't see. Sam Louie>> In Goldstein's case, he was very lucky the witness recanted his testimony when he did. The man died several months later. His lawyers also credit Goldstein's dogged persistence and belief in himself. Bill Forman>> Tom made some great arguments actually to the United States Circuit Court of Appeals all on his own. He's the one who put us in a position to litigate his case and he overcame hurdles that I don't think any lawyer would be able to, much less an inmate with no resources at his disposal. Thomas Goldstein>> I had a sense of pride that all these years of work was finally realized, that it wasn't just, you know, a meaningless effort. Sam Louie>> Goldstein says he's not bitter or angry at the witness, but he does feel betrayed by police and prosecutors. Thomas Goldstein>> They have this football mentality. You know, we got to win, you know? And it helps their career to obtain a conviction for a murder case and for a death penalty case. Sam Louie>> Earlier this year, state lawmakers blocked a bill that would have banned California from carrying out death sentences for two years. The state has created a commission to examine the causes of wrongful convictions and make further recommendations. Thomas Goldstein>> This is new to me, a driver's license. Of course, the VA wanted my identification and I have a credit card from Robinson's-May (laughter). Sam Louie>> As for Goldstein, he's making the transition back to society, but he still takes time to share his prison experience with others in hopes of improving the judicial system. Thomas Goldstein>> I get a lot of gratification out of that because it gives meaning to my years that were stolen from me. Bill Forman>> It's great that he's been able to walk the streets, but it shouldn't have had to happen after twenty-four years. It never should have happened to begin with. Sam Louie>> I'm Sam Louie for Life and Times. Announcer>> Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, plus transcripts and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most interesting features. Just go to kcet.org, scroll down the page and click on "Life and Times". Val Zavala>> It may seem as though the throngs of immigrants who have taken to the streets recently just burst on the scene overnight. But if you know your history, you'll know that their story actually began decades ago in the 1970s when minorities in Los Angeles started claiming political power. Now a new documentary captures the dramatic events of Los Angeles's history from the triumph of Los Angeles's first Black mayor in 1973 to the victory of Antonio Villaraigosa. The documentary is called "The New Los Angeles" and it begins with the story of Mayor Tom Bradley who led Los Angeles for an unprecedented twenty years. Tom Bradley>> "Tonight was the fulfillment of a dream, the impossible dream." Val Zavala>> Maria Elena Durazo is a long-time labor leader who plays a prominent role in the film. Maria Elena Durazo>> Working people made the history of electing Tom Bradley and making the changes in this city and electing Antonio Villaraigosa. With all due respect to our prominent political figures, had it not been for the day-to-day struggles of organized communities, of organized workers, we would not be the greater city that we are today. Val Zavala>> Kerman Maddox, also featured in the film, is an expert on Los Angeles politics. Kerman Maddox>> Tom Bradley is the only mayor we've had, Val, who's been elected to five four-year terms. He served from 1973 while I was in high school to 1993. It never happened before and it will never happen again. Tom Bradley>> "This is not just a victory for Tom Bradley, not just a victory for the campaign, but a victory for progress, a victory for our children. Thank you very much." Val Zavala>> The film looks at how multi-racial coalitions were crucial to Bradley's and later Villaraigosa's victories. Kerman Maddox>> It was a watershed moment for the city of Los Angeles because they proved to the rest of the nation that an African-American could be elected mayor in a major city that did not have a predominant Black population. >> "Every day I clean fifteen rooms. In each room, this is what I do. I make the beds." Val Zavala>> The film documents the effort to organize immigrant workers. Maria Elena Durazo>> "We had to make a change in Los Angeles that would connect the struggles, that would be bigger, that would be progressive, that would change the landscape, change the politics, just change the way that workers and working families were treated." We would not be doing the things that we're doing today had it not been for the last twenty to thirty years of real organizing in our communities. That set the tone for that today. We have community benefits agreements. If there is going to be economic development, then working people have to benefit. Val Zavala>> Lyn Goldfarb produced and directed "The New Los Angeles" as part of a four-part PBS series on California and the American dream. Lyn Goldfarb>> We are the largest majority-minority city in the country and we are also, you know, in the forefront of political change from the living wage legislation, which is guaranteeing more than a minimum, almost twice the minimum wage, for workers in Los Angeles. When I learned how immigrants have played an important role in electoral politics, it doesn't matter whether you can vote or not. Miguel Contreras>> "We have the best army of activists. Many of them are immigrant workers." [Film Clip] Miguel Contreras>> "A lot of them come out and walk streets with us to make sure to get out the vote. They don't have to be citizens to help get out the vote. What matters is they care about this country." Val Zavala>> The documentary includes an interview with late labor leader, Miguel Contreras. His widow, Maria Elena Durazo, has succeeded him. Maria Elena Durazo>> Having lived so much of that myself, having lived so much of that with my husband, it's a real tribute also to his role and I'm glad to see a film that shows what Miguel did for Los Angeles and it won't be forgotten. Val Zavala>> When they started the project, the filmmakers didn't know that, in 2005, Angelenos would elect their first Latino mayor in more than a century. It gave an unforeseen ending to "The New Los Angeles". Antonio Villaraigosa>> "Our purpose is to bring this great city together. Our purpose is to draw fully and equally on the rich diversity of all our communities and neighborhoods." Val Zavala>> Do you think that it was harder to govern Los Angeles in the 1970s and 1980s, or is it harder to govern Los Angeles for Villaraigosa today? Kerman Maddox>> I think it's more difficult for Villaraigosa today because we have so many wedge issues. There's so much tension between the ethnic communities. When Tom Bradley was elected, he was trying to develop Los Angeles as a major city. You didn't have the tensions that we have today and, if so, they seemed to be below the radar. Also, you didn't have the 24-7 news cycle. So there are a lot of things we did in City Hall that, frankly, never leaked. The problem nowadays is, with a twenty-four hour news cycle, people want information and they want it now. People also want solutions and they want them now. So I think the challenges for Villaraigosa are greater and the tension that exists in communities are greater. Plus, the resources in government, Val, are not there today as they used to be in the 1970s and 1980s. Fernando Guerra>> "If you fast-forward America, it will -- I mean, it's a demographic reality that it will be majority-minority. What that means is that white Anglo Saxon, Protestant and Catholic, the Europeans, will be less than fifty percent of the population. How Los Angeles responds to the incredible immigration and diversity that exists is going to be a model for the United States. How we create a stable transition is critically important to the incorporation of immigrants and minorities into the political, social and economic system of the United States." Antonio Villaraigosa>> "Together, we can make a difference, to make this city the city that it can be." Val Zavala>> "The New Los Angeles: Charting Two Decades of Political and Demographic Change", airs tonight at ten p.m. right here on KCET. Announcer>> To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us by mail at this address: Life and Times 4401 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90027 You can also call our viewer comment line (323) 953-5555) or contact us the fast way by e-mail at kcet.org. Larry Mantle>> Welcome to FilmWeek on Life and Times. I'm Larry Mantle of 89.3 KPCC. Our first movie this week is "United 93", a controversial film written and directed by Paul Greengrass that tells the story of the ill-fated United Flight 93 which was brought down by its passengers on September 11, 2001. [Film Clip] Larry Mantle>> I'm joined this week by critics Peter Rainer of the Christian Science Monitor and Jean Oppenheimer of New Times. Peter, what did you think of "United 93"? Peter Rainer>> This is a pretty terrific movie. The problem, I think, a lot of people might have going into it is, you know, am I ready for this or is this the right time for this movie? But it's done in such a non-exploitive way that, even though superficially it resembles pictures like, you know, "Airport" a lot, it couldn't be further from that disaster movie genre. It doesn't really turn anyone into an icon or a hero, yet obviously the passengers on United Flight 93 come across as, you know, people who really did their best to survive and then to bring the plane down when they couldn't survive otherwise. The problem is that you have this situation where you're creating a story that we don't really know what happened and I think that's the only thing that lifts the movie out of the docudrama category into speculation that may give people pause, but it's a pretty terrific film. Larry Mantle>> Jean, what did you think? Jean Oppenheimer>> Absolutely riveting and a really responsible film which is just as, if not more, important. I understand that people will say, "Why should I see this? What does this add to what I know?" All I can say is that, for me, it was well worth seeing. Only about half of it takes place on the plane. The rest of it takes place inside the air traffic control centers and this was really fascinating because you're seeing these people, these professionals, reacting in much the same way certainly that I did. You're looking at this and going, "What is happening?" Once you realize it's an attack, who could be behind this? I think if this were a fiction film, it would be praised to the skies. It feels almost improper to praise it for some of the same things, the tension, the tautness, but it's riveting. Larry Mantle>> Real briefly, how hard is it to watch the film? Jean Oppenheimer>> I think there's no question that it's emotional and difficult. It does not play on your heartstrings. It was in no way melodramatic, but you leave the theater and you don't talk for a couple of hours. Larry Mantle>> "Akeelah and the Bee" tells the story of an eleven year old South Los Angeles girl who's a brilliant speller in a spelling bee that she ends up entering. The film stars Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett and young Keke Palmer. [Film Clip] Larry Mantle>> Jean Oppenheimer, "Akeelah and the Bee"? Jean Oppenheimer>> This is a really feel-good, inspirational movie, but it hits all the right notes despite the fact that it has fairly stock character types and very predictable obstacles that the young girl has to overcome and these very important life lessons that she learns along the way. Despite that, I just thought it was really ingratiating and a lot of it is the performance of the young actress, Keke Palmer, who just has this unbelievable presence. Her performance is great, but there's something about her very presence that really draws you in. I also thought that Laurence Fishburne, playing a part very unlike a lot of the parts he plays, was really good playing this sort of very demanding, unforgiving authority figure and yet you could tell there's a real fragility to him and later on you understand where the vulnerability comes from. Larry Mantle>> Peter? Peter Rainer>> Well, this is a feel-good movie and, you know what? I felt good (laughter). You know, all these buttons were pushed, yes. You know, it is very formulaic. There's, you know, the tough loving instructor and Angela Bassett, who plays the girl's mother, practically has smoke pouring out of her ears when she first hears that she's entering the spelling bee and so forth. But the young actress, Keke Palmer, is really delightful. You know, she's a real natural. One thing that I wish this movie had done, as is true of all the films that have come out about even the documentary "Spellbound", is I wish they would get more into the actual mechanics of how one becomes a champion speller and what goes into that. There's a little bit of that in this film. You know, mnemonic devices and roots from Greek and Latin and so forth. But it would be nice to get a little bit more about that and not all the stuff around it. Maybe it's me, but I think that would have, you know, improved it, but it's definitely a fun movie. Larry Mantle>> Which you felt the strain (laughter). Jean Oppenheimer>> It's too late for him. Peter Rainer>> G-o-o-d, yes, the strain (laughter). Larry Mantle>> And finally this week, a directorial debut from actor Andy Garcia, a very personal film for him, "The Lost City" which tells the story of the Castro revolution in 1958 and its effect on one family. [Film Clip] Larry Mantle>> Peter, "The Lost City"? Peter Rainer>> "The Lost City" is kind of a heartbreaker because it should have been a wonderful movie and every once in a while it is, but it's a very personal project. Andy Garcia who is the director and stars in it had worked for years with the late Cuban exile novelist and film critic, Gabriel Infante, to make a movie about a well-to-do family in Havana during the course of the Castro revolution and what happens to them. It's a very, very ambitious epic project that, unfortunately, is too epic for the reach of first-time director Andy Garcia who lets scenes go on and on. Just in general, the movie seems like it's a first cut. It doesn't seem like it's really a film that the editors have gotten into yet and honed into something that really, you know, has pace and rhythm and movement. Having said that, I think that it does have some very lush sequences. It's beautifully shot. The music, both written by Garcia and also great Cuban musicians like Beny More and Cachao, you know, it's all over the soundtrack. It does have a very personal sort of melancholy feel to it all the way through because it's about someone who ultimately becomes an exile from Cuba in America and what that's all about. So it's a mixed bag. Larry Mantle>> Jean? Jean Oppenheimer>> I wish I liked this film more because Andy Garcia did put his heart and soul into it. He, I think, came out with a film that he can be very happy with, but which to me felt very self-indulgent. You can definitely tell the influence of the "Godfather" films and also "Cabaret", the way their performance is and it cuts back and forth between the music, the stage performances at the "Cabaret". Garcia plays one of three brothers. He plays the Michael Corleone brother who really doesn't want to be drawn into the affairs of the state versus the affairs of the mafia, but gets drawn in anyway. To me, the most egregious misstep, though, is Bill Murray as a -- I don't know what, kind of like a comic who's sort of an unfunny comic who shows up one day at Andy Garcia's character's house and is sort of like a Greek chorus commenting on things. It doesn't work at all. Larry Mantle>> Thanks for joining us for another FilmWeek on Life and Times. I'm Larry Mantle of 89.3 KPCC for our critics, Jean Oppenheimer of New Times and Peter Rainer of the Christian Science Monitor. We invite you to join us next week at this same time for our next FilmWeek on Life and Times. Val Zavala>> And remember you can hear a full hour of FilmWeek every Friday morning at eleven a.m. on KPCC 89.3. And that's our program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. Announcer>> Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Sponsored in part by:  | |
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