by Mohawk Valley Freedom School/Upcoming Events

On Thursday July 7, the Mohawk Valley Freedom School will feature a screening of the 2014 documentary ‘Citizenfour’ about the account of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden whose June 2013 leaks to The Guardian uncovered the staggering breadth of US surveillance programs in operation since the post-9/11 passing of the PATRIOT Act.

In 2012 and 2013, American filmmaker Laura Poitras was working on a third film chronicling the post-9/11 world, with specific focus on the domestic surveillance programs which resulted from the attacks. She was contacted by an entity which identified themselves as “Citizenfour” after their failed attempts to send encrypted information to journalist Glenn Greenwald. The film is comprised of the interviews of Edward Snowden in Hong Kong with Poitras, Greenwald and Guardian defense and intelligence correspondent Ewan MacAskill in which Snowden reveals to them the scope that the NSA’s spying program has grown.

The film will be preceded by a short introduction and overview of the USA PATRIOT Act by Harrison Landry and Derek Scarlino.

Class starts at 7 PM.

The Mohawk Valley Freedom School is a school dedicated to social justice and social change. It is run by and for the community and is rooted in popular education.

The Mohawk Valley Freedom School is held every Thursday at the Cornerstone Community Church at 500 Plant Street in Utica. Classes are from 7:00-8:30pm. Please contact 240-3149 or mohawkvalleyfreedomschool@gmail.com.

This class is free and open to the public and to people of all ages and backgrounds.

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