Tulia, Texas

Originally presented on PBS' acclaimed Independent Lens series, Cassandra Herrman and Kelly Whalen's powerful documentary Tulia, Texas focuses on shameful events that took place in the small impoverished town during the summer of 1999. Under the guidance of federal undercover agent Tom Coleman, Tulia's sheriff arrested 46 people (all but seven were African-Americans), who were charged with selling cocaine to Coleman. Eight were prosecuted and received harsh jail sentences, while the others relied on advice from their court-appointed lawyers and took plea bargains. Here's the problem: no one sold Coleman cocaine; the federal agent framed all of the detainees. Outrage over the arrests and convictions spread beyond Tulia, after which lawyers from the NAACP and ACLU, along with a private attorney named Jeff Blackburn, worked to expose Coleman as a fraud. Ultimately, all of the jailed Tulia residents were freed and pardoned by the Texas governor. Interweaving interviews, archival footage, and on-location filming, Tulia, Texas tells the story of this blatant judicial travesty, revealing a severely unequal system in which race and income are predominant factors in determining one's treatment (Coleman, not incidentally, only received a suspended sentence on a perjury conviction for his crimes). A maddening, harrowing, and jolting documentary, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)