San Antonio – After years of hard work and passion, a filmmaker is bringing his documentary, 915: Hunting Hispanics, to the big screens here in San Antonio in honor of those impacted by the August 3 mass shooting in El Paso.
“A racist killer from Dallas drove 10 hours to El Paso because of his extreme detest for Mexican people,” said Charlie Minn, the director. “He wanted to kill as many people as possible. This outsider came into the beautiful city of El Paso and created evil and left a permanent scar that will forever be attached to the city.”
Authorities said the shooter shot 46 people, killing 23.
“This was the ultimate hate crime,” Minn said. “There is not enough talk about this. When I hear ‘BLM’, that is very important. Black lives matter, but I also think Brown lives matter. That is also ‘BLM.’ We are all in this fight together. Racism is a serious pandemic and I don’t know if it is going away anytime soon.”
He said the film raises awareness about the many injustices Hispanics deal with every day.
“There has to be more talks about how Hispanics are targeted.” Minn said. “I am not just talking about in the workplace that day. I am talking about at businesses, at schools, at your job. I am talking about a movement and attention that has to be put toward Hispanics being mistreated.”
Minn said it is also to educate those who are not real familiar about the mass shooting.
“Unfortunately, the way this was covered, it was clumped in with all of the other mass shootings,” Minn said. “It wasn’t isolated or separated for its details, being, a racist hate crime.”
He calls the mass shooting an “unknown tragedy.”
“People from El Paso know that something horrible happened inside the Walmart that day, but they can’t get more specific than that,” Minn said. “So, if they are left in the dark, I can only wonder what outsiders know about this tragedy.”
Minn said he is passionate about giving a voice to the innocent people murdered. When asked about his emotional journey during this project, he said he doesn’t want any focus to be on him.
“In terms of my emotions, I feel uncomfortable talking about myself because I didn’t get shot,” Minn said. “All of the attention should be on the victims, the family members, good Samaritans, witnesses that were there that day who will be permanently affected.”
He said the film is very deep and is meant to make people think.
“You guys are going to feel like you were there at that Walmart,” Minn said. “This is brutal reality in front of you. Real, raw, honesty, transparent, in-depth reality. You are going to feel like you are there. This is meant to appeal to any race out there. You will go in that theater and come out more informed about this than ever.”
Minn said it was and has always been his motto to never give the shooter any recognition.
“I don’t mention the killer’s name not one time in the movie,” Minn said. “I feel it would create a lot of copycats. They want that attention, so why should I give them what they want. They are going to see that attention in the media from their living rooms and think, ‘I want that attention. Let me go do the same thing.’ Why would I give them that opportunity.”
The film premiered in El Paso on Oct. 8 and will be showcased in San Antonio Friday, Oct. 23. He said while informing, educating, and raising awareness for change, he hopes to show how racism is not the answer.
“I expect San Antonio to support this film, take the information, and honor the victims the proper way,” Minn said. “Racism stinks, and we have too many bigots out there. We have too many people waking up negative and bitter and nasty. You live once. Why live that way? We need some change.”
Theaters expected to show 915: Hunting Hispanics
A part of the proceeds raised will go to the victims impacted by this tragedy.
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