Pulled Over / Pulled Under is a short documentary that is a companion piece to the formal reporting from AL.com on Brookside’s police department. It explores the histories behind the policies of funding city budget with fines from traffic stops. Instead of focusing on the perpetrators, however, the documentary focuses on the people these policies harm the most. It’s easy to feel a sort of righteous vindication when you feel someone is justly punished for a “crime,” but what if the punishment is not just? Contrary to the 8th Amendment of the US Constitution, people are forced into risky financial situations or even jail in order to pay off their minor debts to the state. If you get pulled over once, should you have to pay for it forever? This documentary explores the story of Callie Greer and her family, two generations impacted by fines and fees. Callie’s remarkable story and that of her daughters put a human face on those suffering under debt to the state.
