Shadow Town Bakersfield
By Alberto Muro
On Friday evening residents of Bakersfield made their way to the Bakersfield Music Hall of Fame to attend a documentary screening that discussed arising issues in Kern County. The organization known as “Rise Up Be Heard” showed the film “The Naked Truth: Shadow Town”.
Investigative journalism conducted by Rise Up Be Heard allowed viewers to better grasp the unseen problems in Kern County such as police corruption, tainted water systems, immigration, and healthcare access. With the cooperation of Kern County residents, Rise Up Be Heard gathered information presented in the documentary.
With the conclusion of the screening, the director of the film and journalists approached the stage and had a discussion with the audience about the journey of creating the documentary. The journalists mentioned that they are from California and creating this documentary helped open their eyes to the problems plaguing the state.