PBS censors called off.

On June 21, a group calling itself the Coalition vs. PBS Censorship picketed PBS affiliate KCET in Los Angeles. Filmmaker Mark Mori, an Academy Award nominee, spoke for the group, denouncing KCET's refusal to broadcast three documentaries about police repression in Los Angeles: The Fire This Time, State of Emergency: Inside the LAPD, and Por La Vida, Street Vending and the Criminalization of Latinos. The station was refusing to "provide a voice for groups in the community that may otherwise be unheard," Mori said.

As a result of citizen pressure, KCET caved in and agreed to air Por La Vida in the fall, and the manager of the station has agreed to meet with Coalition members to discuss the other two films. Por La Vida portrays the history of violence against Latinos by government forces, and current police repression of Latino street vendors. State of Emergency graphically depicts the racism and routine brutality of the LAPD. The Fire This Time, which was widely acclaimed when it aired in San Francisco examines the causes of the 1992 L.A. uprising.

The Coalition vs. PBS Censorship is organizing the "Banned by PBS Film Festival," to be hosted by Alec Baldwin this fall in Los Angeles. The film festival is scheduled to travel around the country. more information, contact the Coalition vs. PBS Censorship, P.O. Box 485, Santa Monica, CA 90406-048 [phone].