How to Flex Your Rights During Police Encounters

Last week I presented 10 Rules for Dealing with Police at the NAACP National Conference. The panel hosted by NAACP's Criminal Justice Program was focused on youth and the criminal justice system.

The 200-member audience was mostly high school and college-aged, and I couldn’t have hoped for a better reception. The video got an enthusiastic round of applause. More importantly, everyone stayed for the Q&A, which went beyond the allotted hour.

Before the screening, I asked if anyone had received any kind of know-your-rights training. Only a handful raised their hands. But afterward, their new knowledge inspired sophisticated questions covering Miranda rights, PATRIOT Act, videotaping police and more.

Needless to say, I’m proud to see 10 Rules resonating with NAACP and communities of color in the way we hoped it would. We’ve long anticipated that our success would depend on the ability to meet the needs of diverse audiences. We’re excited to see the film earning praise from the NAACP, libertarians and police departments alike.

So you've seen 10 Rules or BUSTED on the Internet or at an event and agree that it's the greatest movie you've ever seen. You might be a college student or a community activist-type who's so excited that you must share it with as many people as possible. This guide will put you on the right track.

If you really want to go for a BIG screening, also check out this email from Bozeman, Montana activist James Weleber. Writing to an Arizona activist, he details how he pulled 300 attendees to his event.

Step #1: Get a DVD
All we ask for is a $15.00 donation, and we'll ship you your very own copy. I know for you college students that's a lot of Ramen, but ask your friends to chip in a few bucks. It's for a good cause.

You don't have to worry about obtaining special permission from us. All Flex Your Rights materials are licensed under a Creative Commons License. So you may screen the DVD to as many people as possible, as long as you do it for free.

click here to begin your journey

There's no sugar-coating this, but the 10 Rules for Dealing with Police DVD won't be ready for the previously-announced February 12th release date. I know this is the second release date I've blown, and I apologize. Again. 

Regardless, I will keep my commitment to get the new DVD into your hands ASAP. While I'm hesitant to announce another specific release date -- I expect to ship 10 Rules DVDs by late February or early March.

In the meantime, I offer a full order refund and cancellation to anyone who requests it. And for those of you who've already announced a 10 Rules screening event for February or early March, please email me your announcement. I can burn a pre-release DVD and ship it to you in time for your event at no additional cost to you.

For those of you planning to attend the 10 Rules DC screening premiere at the Cato Institute -- or watch the live webcast -- the event has been cancelled due to The Mid-Atlantic Snowpocalypse. The event will be rescheduled, and I'll keep you posted.

Again, I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience I've caused you.

The DVD release date for 10 Rules for Dealing with Police has been pushed from Jan. 25 to Feb. 12 late February/early March. This delay is my fault, and I apologize for any inconvenience this might cause you.

The new DVD is coming together just fine. I simply miscalculated how long it would take to complete the multiple elements that go into producing a professional-quality DVD.

There's little more to say other than I'm busting my butt to make this important DVD available ASAP. In the meantime, if you haven't done so yet, pre-order your 10 Rules DVD today for only $15.00. (Check out the sexy 2-minute video preview here.)

As promised, 10 Rules for Dealing with Police is nearly complete! I think you'll agree that it's the most sophisticated and entertaining film of its kind, and I can't wait to get DVDs into your hands. Pre-orders will begin shipping in time for the Jan. 25 Feb. 12 late Feb./early Mar. 2010 release date.

In the meantime, enjoy the 10 Rules trailer. And check out our special holiday offers below -- including discounts on both 10 Rules DVD pre-orders and our classic offering, BUSTED: The Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters.

Three Special DVD Discount Offers:

1) 10 Rules DVD Pre-Order for $15 (save $5.00)
   

2) Order 5 BUSTED DVDs in time for Christmas for $50 (save $25.00)
   

3) 10 Rules DVD Pre-Order + 5 BUSTED DVDs in time for Christmas for $60 (save $35.00) 
   

(Please Note: 10 Rules DVD pre-orders will ship by late Feb./early Mar., 2010. BUSTED DVD orders will ship within 48 hours of your order.)

Roger Sorkin

A DC-based filmmaker, Sorkin has won numerous awards for writing, directing and producing. His work has been featured on television, at film festivals, seminars and conferences, and in classrooms around the world.

His documentary film “For Which It Stands”, a wry look at the movement to ban flag desecration, won the grand jury award for best documentary at the DC Independent Film Festival, and has been honored by the Freedom Forum.

In 2003, FYR hired Sorkin Productions, LLC to produce BUSTED. Because the quality of his work was outstanding (and on-time and on-budget), FYR hired Sorkin to produce 10 Rules for Dealing with Police. 

Sorkin began his career in public affairs broadcasting, and received a Master of Arts in Communication from Stanford University’s Documentary Film & Video Program.

I'm thrilled to announce that we've wrapped shooting for Flex Your Rights' upcoming film, 10 Rules for Dealing with Police! And we've got pictures to share.

We're now in the editing phase and are scheduled to release the completed film before the year's end.

Shooting was an exhilarating process, and I can scarcely describe the joy of seeing our vision finally come to life. Our production team, led by Producer Roger Sorkin and Director Rubin Whitmore, did an outstanding job controlling the chaos. And Billy Murphy dazzles as our starring narrator.

My heartfelt thanks goes out to all of you for continuing to support our work and making this project possible. (If you're signed up to our email list, you'll be the first to know when the completed film is ready.)

BTW: It's not to late to see your name appear in the screen credits! If you donate $100 or more to 10 Rules between now and Oct. 15, your name will appear in the screen credits. For each additional $100 you may add a friend or family member's name too.

10 Rules Director Rubin Whitmore II (center)

I'm thrilled to announce our next video, Flex Your Rights: 10 Rules for Dealing with Police (previously titled Street Law), is scheduled for release this fall!

Thanks to a terrific group of individual and foundation givers we've raised $100,000 and are carrying out our vision to produce the most outstanding know-your-rights video ever.

The vision emerged as we traveled the nation teaching (and learning) about the best strategies for dealing with police. We've also made friends with some of the nation's most brilliant legal minds and champions of social justice.