The WGA’s fight for fair wages took a dangerous turn Thursday afternoon as strikers said they were threatened by longtime BMF director Jan Wolf with your SUV. According to several picketers at the scene in Atlanta outside of the show’s filming location, Wolf accelerated his car to the picket line only to slam on the brakes right before hitting anyone in an attempt to intimidate protesters. He is currently suspended from the drama series Starz and the producers of Lionsgate Television have launched an investigation into the incident.
“We take acts of intimidation and threats of violence seriously and investigate them thoroughly,” Lionsgate told The Hollywood Reporter. “As we continue to investigate, we have sent home the culprit.” 50 centsThe series, which tells the story of brothers Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory, who founded the criminal organization Black Mafia Family, was filmed in the third season.
Two of the people Woolf pursued were writers. Brian Egeston And Gabriel Alejandro Garza, the latter of which is also a striker. Egeston got on twitter denounce Woolf’s actions as “hateful” and recall the many painful recent national incidents of violence against African Americans. “When you pointed your SUV at me like it was a weapon and braked within six feet of the writers, I felt the hate and aggression of scripts like Ahmad Arbery, George Floyd and others who have suffered at the hands of hateful oppressors.” Payne House said the writer. He also indicated that Wulff was fully aware of what he was doing as he rode towards the protesters. “When I marched with the WGA in peaceful protest, like the giants who walked the streets where you almost committed manslaughter, you decided, in your own words, to “try to scare you.” Finally, Egeston called. for Wulf to face the consequences of his actions:
“Mr Wolf, this scare and intimidation tactic reeks of German Shepherds, water hoses, bricks and burning flesh. It smacks of the most terrible hatred. The hatred that constantly separates us as human beings. I implore you, in retrospect, to consider the consequences of killing an African American on the streets of a city too busy to hate being the producer of an African American television show created by an African American and run by an African American. “Wolf, your actions have caused us a deep hatred of generations. And this, sir, is a travesty for which you must be held accountable. If not to your superiors and peers, then to the people of Atlanta, because the South will have something to answer for.” talk about what you did today. If you choose to stay in our city where I remind you that you are a guest, I ask that you lead with love and refrain from being the drummer for hate and potential manslaughter. I pray God’s grace and mercy to your life.”
The WGA itself was quick to stand by its members and denounced Wolfe’s actions at the scene in its own statement, committing itself to support any individuals Wolfe threatens. “Workers should not be threatened with physical harm in exercising their right to protest and picket publicly against unfair wages and working conditions. Anyone who harms or threatens to harm a member or supporter of the Writers Guild at the picket line must be held accountable for their actions. actions. The WGA is working closely with the members who were at risk during this incident to bring this individual to justice.”
Several assailants at the scene confirmed Egeston’s story
Garza’s report matched what Egeston had written, revealing in your own long statement that Wulf twice overcame them during the confrontation. “Wulf did not turn to enter the parking lot during this second drive. He was looking straight at us the whole time and kept his car pointed at us,” he said. To further show that Wolfe had no reason to point in their direction, Garza said that he was wearing a reflective orange vest and that he and Egeston were not blocking traffic, parking, or any access roads in the area. Everything behind the duo was wood.
Nearly knocking down the strikers, Woolf approached Garza and Egeston to check the writers’ WGA cards, and according to Garza, he twice admitted to trying to intimidate them. They recorded the incident, including Wulf identifying himself at the scene and will likely share the footage with Lionsgate as the investigation continues. It’s not yet known if they’ll take legal action, but Garza didn’t mince words when it came to explaining the danger Wolf had placed them in:
“I have seen experienced stuntmen miss. The difference between approaching to knock someone down and getting into them is very subtle. fast moving big car without risking our lives. His maneuver could have just killed us.”
Another writer Dia Mistra, was also at the scene at the time to confirm Garza and Egeston’s story. Beyond this she tweeted that when the producer confessed to the strikers that “I was trying to scare you” and recounted his actions afterward, he was “not at all remorseful”. Madmen alumnus and husband of the president of WGA West Meredith Steam Tom Smuts gave another report about what happened in the moments after Wolfe’s scare tactics, describing how the producer then begged the teamsters from local 728 to cross the picket line, only to start doing everything himself, including opening trailers and starting generators.
Smuts also wasted no time in vouching for the character of Egeston, who was a staunch protester on the picket line. “I was there with my fellow organizer @mblakewriter for two weeks while this Prince @TheBrianwrites walked anonymously with us 12 hours a day, his warmth, humor, intelligence and dignity showed through the moment we met, never once without losing his temper while @ianwoolfprod threatened him.”
Why is the Writers Guild on strike?
This latest writers’ strike is the first since 2007 and mostly revolves around securing a fair wage for people in the writer’s room in the face of the changing era of streaming. While the opportunities in Hollywood are plentiful, the writers of your favorite shows are finding less and less paid work as the number of writers earning the minimum under the Minimum Basic Agreement, which is itself made even less profitable by the inflation that has skyrocketed in recent years. years. in all positions from staff writers to showrunners. Not to mention, the responsibilities of writers continue to grow despite the lack of pay increases, and to make matters worse, they are facing a reality where AI may soon be implemented in their place. Writers want a fair piece of the pie for their work and protection for the future. The US Constitution guarantees their right to speak freely and protest peacefully against these changes.
Read Egeston’s full statement below.
Source: Collider
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