Guilty ‘Til Proven Innocent

The Beginning Years

On the late morning of April 25, 2007, breaking news began making its rounds that NFL star quarterback – Michael Vick, was suspected of running a dogfighting operation after his rural Virginia property was raided by federal authorities where they discovered dozens of pit bull dogs with paraphernalia and other evidence of the illegal activity.

On that day “Fighting For Their Lives” – a documentary exploring the underground world of dogfighting, was born.

About one year later in May 2008, independent documentary filmmaker, Jeff Theman, contacted the only “pit bull” rescue in Cleveland, seeking information about American Pit Bull Terriers. He visited For the Love of Pits on May 16, 2008, where he met and fell in love with a black dog named Preston, with scars believed to be from dogfighting slashed up and down his arms. Before leaving Jeff made his intentions known of his plans to adopt him.

Four days later, on May 19, 2008, Lakewood City Council proposed a pit bull ban, altering Jeff’s ability to bring Preston home. In response to this setback, he pivoted the focus of his film from dogfighting to examine breed specific legislation, titling the project – “Guilty Til Proven Innocent” (GTPI).

To read more about Jeff, go here:
https://riverfirefilms.com/jeff/

To read more about Preston, go here:
https://riverfirefilms.com/preston/

Advocacy In Action

After five years of extensive research and conducting interviews with those who both oppose and support pit bull dogs and breed specific legislation, Guilty Til Proven Innocent made its world premiere in Cleveland, Ohio on April 28, 2013 at the Capitol Theatre in front of a sold out audience. 

GTPI went on to be screened twenty-some times around the country, including official selections to two film festivals (2013 St. Louis International Film Festival; 2014 Kansas City Film Fest), shown in three law school universities as part of their animal law curriculum, and supported by one of the nation’s largest animal welfare organizations who sent out copies of the DVD to state and local legislators faced with this issue, among other accomplishments.

After several months beginning in September 2017, northeast Ohio residents began assembling at Lakewood City Council meetings pushing for the end of the ban, leading up to the repeal on April 2, 2018 by unanimous vote. GTPI was then re-edited, updated and re-released to fulfill what was intended when the film first started ten years earlier. 

To view news media and other press about Guilty Til Proven Innocent, go here:
https://riverfirefilms.com/press/

A Film With A Purpose

“Guilty ‘Til Proven Innocent” had many accomplishments along the way. It helped inspire viewers fighting against this law in their communities, as the film documented a domino effect of breed specific legislation repeals in cities across Ohio as well as the State.

But, above all, it was the first of its kind to purposely force dialogue about the human component of the law that somehow gets overlooked, that being – the legislation was oftentimes never really about the dogs, but rather the enforcement to target the kind of people thought to own such dogs driven by race and social class, used as a tool by law enforcement to legally stop such individuals.