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  • 34 Comments

This is the most skewed, elitist piece of drivel I've ever watched.

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    Look, I agree with many of your views on the criminal justice system. But I'm also from Canon City. A "godforsaken place"? A "clean version of hell?" I live in a large metropolitan area now, and dream about the day I can live in a place like Canon City again. Your depiction of my hometown might help you make your point, but it throws under the bus one of the most beautiful, livable, community oriented places in the US. So, thanks for going to all this trouble to run a smear-job on a great place. I hope you win a "webby" or whatever... bastards.
     
    Posted by Aaron Greco
    May 7th 2010 (edited May 14th 2010)
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    Whatever! Not everybody loves that oppressive lesbian infested hellhole.
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    I totally agree with you. I grew up in Canon City and for them to say that there is nothing else there is just garbage. Excuse me but it is not in the middle of nowhere and there are plenty of oppurtunities available other than the prison. I can't believe the one girl commenting on the fact that Canon doesn't take care of their homes. This whatever you want to call it hardly even showed places in Canon. I am absolutely disqusted with what I just watched.
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    Is everyone here that comments in the forums missing the point of this film?
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    I find even these comments very informative. The residents of Canon City, as angry to the document they might be, can still be pleased to the fact that they have to opportunity to express their opinion - directly into the document itself.

    So, point well taken. I didn't get the feeling that the document is smearing the city. For a person grown up there, certain verses in the narration must sound bad. But I still think the city has earned it's nickname.
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    Sorry. It's a FACT that jobs there do not pay as well as they do in the Springsor Pueblo. CO has a stupid state tax & a 1/2 cent scenery tax that other states don't have. I for one, hate more taxes!
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    LMAO at "lesbian infested." Ignorant.
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    I can not believe you wasted your time making this trash. I live in Canon City and worked at both the state and federal prisons. This was full of lies. You miss lead individuals and turned the interviews around for your use. I don't even believe that Buffy being the idiot she is would have allowed your interview having known what you were going to do with it. These are good people down here and you took advantage of them. You spoke of the amount of Americans that are placed in prison you even said it is a higher rate than China, what you did not say is that less than 1% of all court cases in the US involve prison time. It is always the poor inmate, nobody ever drives by a prisons and wonders about the officers inside who are doing a job that no one else would do. It is crap like this that tears this country apart so why don't you stay in France and do something to clean up that filthy country yes I have been there very dirty. You come over here trash America and forget if not for us you would be speaking German and fighting for cheese and bread crumbs.
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    @gutnecklace, actually I think the creators missed the point of the documentary. The state of the prisons in the U.S. Why we lock up 1 in 100 people. All valid points. It was not necessary, in my opinion, to villianize the citizens of the county that welcomed them with open arms. People who *gasp* work for the prison, do so because the state or federal government offers them a paycheck, not because they love locking up prisoners. They are folks just trying to raise a family and do the best they can do.
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    the quote from above...
    The residents of Canon City, as angry to the document they might be, can still be pleased to the fact that they have to opportunity to express their opinion - directly into the document itself.


    Well thats all happy and great...IF the documentarians had been honest and upfront from the start. They were not and did not produce the product that they had pitched to the community.
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    @eero mantymaa

    Prison Valley is NOT the nickname for this area.
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    @ CCandProud,

    Who are you? Did we have the pleasure to meet you? To talk to you? To send emails with you?
    Let me know how we have pitched our project to the community?

    Come on... We ALWAYS talked about prison system and only that. We have ALWAYS said we wanted to make a report on Cañon City in particulier and the Fremont County and the American prison system in general. That's all.
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    The Pleasure, why are you so polite now, it is too late you have already bashed us. Why don't you come back to Canon City and sit in a town hall meeting and explain yourself, unless you are the typical French coward.
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    I feel such sadness at what is said in this documentary. I moved my family from Tucson, AZ to Fremont county so my kids could live in a safer environment free of drive-bys and drug smuggling. We have lived here almost 8 years and I have never heard the area referred to as "Prison Valley." The imbeciles that made the documentary made the residents seem desperate and like we have nothing to live for. Yes, the prison system is flawed but we didn't put the prisoners there. They ended up there by their own actions which have nothing to do with how we live. And that lady that comes from 10.5 hours to see her husband in prison...boohoo!! If he hadn't broke the law he wouldn't be there. The judge and jury sent him here not the guards or the residents. And for her to say we are trashy!!! She hardly looked affluent with her hair a mess and flip flops and hoodie. Maybe cuz her husband is behind bars and not stealing anymore. Yes our area has its flaws but living in fear is not one of them. Our guards do a remarkable job keeping the scum in the prisons. I rarely give any thought to the inmates, they are not part of my life. I respect our guards and I for one could never work in that environment. I tried to be objective and see the point of the movie but it was too difficult to see past the insults and being demeaned about how we live. They made kind and honest people like the Smitley's seem like they were money grubbers and just out to make a buck off the system. They are HARDLY like that and how do I know this? Because in a small community we know our neighbors and their children. We keep an eye on each other! In response to the creator's comment about the residents of Canon City "can still be pleased to the fact that they have to opportunity to express their opinion," ...ASSHOLES!!! We live in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!! It is our God given right to express our opinions!! So get your faggy, French asses out of our county and exploit something else!! And take that Christo fag with you!!!
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    @David Dufresne Prison Valley Team

    Yes you did have the pleasure and yes I did over hear you and your 'team"conversations several time is two diff . wonderful public locations in Fremont County. You should be ashamed of your lying, twisted, underhanded and totally un-ethical acts that gained you access to what you have portrayed in such a negative light.
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    Personally I think this documentary is a load of crock! I've been in Fremont County My whole life, and sure it's small, and it doesn't have a mall, or anything particularly amazing about it; but what we do have that you assholes failed to mention is: we have the Arkansas River, we have the Royal Gorge, which I'm willing to put money on that you French Fucks went and seen. We have an amazing Train ride that takes you through the gorge, and quite a bit of Rafting complanies that are booming in the summer. I for one feel insulted to say the least! People from this county are NOT trashy! We do what we can to get by, and if that means having our men and women work for the prisons, then so be it! It brings home the bacon. I agree with Gloria, if your husband/wife/mom/dad/sibling/etc. is dumb enough to get themselves into the system, then that's their problem; not ours! It's not like we sit around and wait for someone to commit a horrible crime just to throw them in prison. I'm proud to say I live in Fremont County, for the fact we HAVE history in this place. We have the Holy Cross Abbey that has been here and is still standing; beautiful structure and amazing stories behind it. We've had the KKK here, not so great, but there are still tunnels that have history. The Rocky Mountains, the San Juan Valley, we have beautiful surroundings with beautiful people. For you ignorant fucks to come into OUR county, and make US ALL look like nothing but a bunch of arrogant pieces of shit, is a bunch of bull. We may have 13 prisons in this small county, but to me, I feel safe. We don't have a high crime rate, and we don't have gangs. We don't have people driving around shooting at people, and we seldom, if ever have people trying to rob our stores. I say that before you think to make a documentary about another small town and their prisons, make sure you're focusing ON the PRISONS not the citizens of the county. You did a horrible job of potraying out county; you should be ashamed!
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    See now, I am sad. Because people like gloria above are just proving people like the prisoners' wife correct. This comment ( "ASSHOLES!!! We live in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!! It is our God given right to express our opinions!! So get your faggy, French asses out of our county and exploit something else!! And take that Christo fag with you!!! ") is one of the trashiest things I have seen so far. And it came from a resident of the place I used to call home. I would think the residents of Fremont county were trashy too if I heard them using a homophobic slur like that. Sad.
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    I love my town

    that's all that really matters to me, thanks (:

    too bad you didn't take the time to look at all the of the beautiful parts of Canon City, your loss

    But why are all of you proving everyone's expectations of us true? can't you all get your thoughts on this video out in a civil manner and not just go down to their level? we all agree that this video's interpretation of Canon are wrong, but we know the truth. Calling these people things like "French Fucks" isn't really going to do anything but make them think they're exactly right on everything that was said negatively about Canon City and Fremont County and those who love in it.

    This video was obviously done in a twisted way, but let's all rise above it and show them that we are PROUD to live here (:
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    There were parts of this documentay that are an insult to the residents of Freemont County. There is so much beauty in this county that was consealed. There are plenty of people that view this as home and not a baron hellish prision valley.
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    To all: as we promised, please find our answers to your critics on Prison Valley http://prisonvalley.arte.tv/en/forums/discussion/139/answers-to-comments-posted-by-some-fremont-county-residents-faq/
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    Thank you for your answers to our comments David. I appreciate them. I think what bothered me most when I watched the film was the impression it gave me. The impression I could see people getting who have never been here and might detour them from coming here. Beyond our prison system, our economy relies on tourism. Your film did us no favors in that respect.

    Your film, creative though it is, clearly showed a bias down to the filter that was seemingly used to create a semblance of darkness when you drove down Skyline Drive. And how lucky were you to catch the scene with the raven flying by anyway? I didn't get the impression in the film that you were focusing on the prison system itself. What I felt was that you were focusing more on our poorer areas which every town/city has. That focus made it look like our entire area is that way. As you know, it isn't.

    I think, if the residents would allow it, that you should come back and do a different documentary that focuses on the positive aspects of our community rather than the negative aspects. But then that isn't really what you were aiming for.
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    Thanks for your answers, David.

    I would just ask one thing of viewers of this forum and of the movie...don't feel badly for the residents of Fremont County. At least not for the reasons in this film. We love our historic town, with its historic buildings. We love the gorgeous mountains that are nearly on all sides of the communities. We love the heart of the communities. We don't mind the prisons; they are a job and paycheck to some. As for prison reform, the idea may be on the minds of some...but mostly likely they are too busy living life in the little community they call home. For the most part, we like Fremont County, dirty back alleys and all. :)
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    Jessieday, you haven't lived my life and you are NOT any better than me, so quit being so judgemental & condescending.
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    I'm very happy being out of Fremont County. I am not from there & my experience living there, for the most part, was not pleasant.
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    why are you people getting so bent...they were making a movie about prisons and the area....it wasnt a tourist infomercial or supposed to be a happy movie depicting canon as a shagri lala land...you are showing seemingly close mindedness...if you want to rant about prisons then do it ...if u want to rant about canon then get a camera and make your own movie.it is still seemingly a free county..lol.....by the way i am here in fremont and believe it or not their is gangs drugs and many bleak things here....also many good things and people.....you people act like they personally attacked canon or are afraid that the film somehow shed light on things that werent in it but u drive by everyday....are you that afraid or know the sectrets of canon that everybody gossips but do nothing about...
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    Come on now, when i think of canon city i think if of whitewater not prisons, i love going to canon it reminds me of a dirtier version of heaven
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    Interesting reactions so far. I think David's made a good case that this wasn't an attack on Canon City and Fremont County, or an attempt to put local people down. There are glimpses in the film that it is many respects just a normal place... but it does have an incredible number of jails and that's worth thinking and talking about.
    In Europe we're not used to prisons being as concentrated, as visible, as profit-driven as they are in Colorado. But what the film also shows is that in some European countries that's a false impression - inmates are being used as labour, are being paid low wages and are producing some of the products and services we buy.
    Do we think that's normal? Are there alternatives? I for one say no to the first and yes to the second.
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    @JessiDay, I know the good Families and Friends that work at the prisons are VERY HARD WORKERS, and my hat goes off to them. Yet, I'm looking at the bigger issue of this film. Why the acting government seems to incarcerate instead of rehabilitate. Here are some interesting facts, "In 2006, $68,747,203,000 was spent on corrections" and "The average annual operating cost per state inmate in 2001 was $22,650, or $62.05 per day" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarceration_in_the_United_States) This means each prison may receive this money to house each inmate. I think from tax payers, but don't quote me on that. If an inmate is "rehabilitated" and released, and gets a minimum wage paying job at $7.25 an hour (http://www.dol.gov/whd/flsa/index.htm), and works an average 8 hour day, that inmate will make a total of $58.00 a day. That inmate is more beneficial (money wise) to our society locked up, than free. So where is the incentive to truly rehabilitate?
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    "Please understand us: the only thing we are trying to do with this documentary is to understand how a country we love, the United States of America, can incarcerate one out of a hundred of its citizens." - David Dufresne

    David, this was obviously not your intention. The bashing of Canon City and Florence, and Fremont County as a whole, well over shadowed your "intent" of trying to discover how the United States incarcerates that many people. It was very obvious by the filming of alleyways, trash, and the typically "trashier" places of Fremont County that your real intentions were to say it was our fault, or that Fremont County is a trashy place to live because of the prisons. And as far as the U.S. putting that many people in jail, the answer is simple: They commit a crime, they go to jail. It is as simple as that. If you commit a crime, you go to prison. The United States may have a high incarceration rate, but I know that we also have a LOW execution rate. Would you rather they just be killed than put in prison? And if you are trying to discover why the entire United States of America has an incarceration rate that high, why focus ONLY on Fremont County where the prisons happen to be? Do you have any idea what the crime rate in Fremont County is? This documentary was very poorly done. The research is terrible, the bias is horrible. Try again.
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    @ Tyler Vodopich

    Why we focused only on Fremont County ?
    it's just because Canon City and Florence are surrounded by 13 prisons.
    Is our real intentions were to say that people of Fremont County responsible for the dramatic rise in the incarceration rate of the United-States?
    Absolutely not. We never said that in the movie.

    But according to a lot of residents we met over there, building 13 prisons in one place have an economic purpose. This is the subject of our movie.

    Thanks

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