Another Independence Day has passed. Another year remembering the too-short lives and tragic murders of Lin “Spit” Newborn and Daniel Shersty. And another chance to reflect on the progress made in telling their stories.
When I last published a production update in December 2024, we were coming off a year during which production on Murdered on the Fourth of July was progressing, even if slowly–shooting new footage, gathering more material and applying for more funding. The national elections here in the United States had just happened, and at that point, we knew that Donald Trump was going to return to the White House. We figured that outcome wouldn’t be good for many, but we didn’t know just how bad it would be.
I have to be honest: The last six months, I’ve been distracted, as I know many of us have. It’s been difficult. Difficult seeing the United States become more divided than ever while rapidly sliding toward–and in many cases, embracing–if not outright fascism, fascist-adjacent policies and behaviors. Difficult knowing that not only have the forces of white nationalism and white supremacy not been stamped out, but they’ve permeated and influenced our seats of powers. Difficult watching immigrants and nonwhites being persecuted, rounded up, or worse.
It’s made focusing on making this film even more challenging, because it’s difficult to feel good about spending so much effort looking back on one horrific incident when there are so many present battles to fight in the name of justice and equality.
But then I remember that making this film is the thing I can do to counter those who would favor oppression and division, that this is the action I can take in this world, and the closure I can help provide. And I am reminded that this documentary is so important to so many people, especially when I get messages out of the blue from folks sharing their memories of Spit or Dan or the impact their lives (and subsequent murders) had on them.
So, where does the making of this documentary stand?
First, let’s be clear: Murdered on the Fourth of July is still happening.
That said, our path ahead will be more challenging. Although we’ve filmed interviews with 16 participants total and collected enough material to get us about 70% down the path to a good film, we’ve hit a wall with certain areas. Funding is drying up and efforts to garner more have fallen flat thus far. Nailing down folks from law enforcement and the justice system to get on camera (or at least audio) to provide first-person perspective has been difficult–and individuals may be even less likely to participate in the current political environment.
The good news is, we’ve been making progress nonetheless. In March, we added a new member to our filmmaking team, Brian Horn, who has been helping us shape the narrative and identify the missing story beats and visual gaps we still need to fill. Brian grew up in Las Vegas and played in local ska band The Ovalteens at the same time Newborn’s band Life of Lies was active. His filmmaking resume includes editing 20-ish episodes of the series Penn & Teller: Bullshit! (for which he was nominated for a primetime Emmy).
We’ve also been gathering more audio and visual material, talking to more people who can help provide context and perspective for the film, making connections with organizations whose causes align with our film’s message, and generally just getting the machinery oiled and working back up to speed again.
In that December post, I also wrote, “We will be planning a special virtual event in the new year during which folks will be able to get a sneak peek at even more of the work in progress on the film and ask questions of the filmmaking team (plus special guests to be announced).” We’re still planning this, especially now that we have almost a feature’s worth of footage assembled. We’re just figuring out the best platform and timing for such an event.
In the meantime, if you’re wondering how you can help to get this documentary completed, here are a few specific things we’re looking for:
- Contact info for or connections to Daniel Shersty’s family or childhood friends
- Recordings of television news broadcasts (local or national) about the murders, the trials, or any other related news (especially from 1998)
- Las Vegas Anti-Racist Action or Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice events, activities, fliers, newsletters, etc. from the mid-to-late 1990s
- Photos or videos of Lin “Spit” Newborn performing his poetry (such as at Cafe Espresso Roma)
- Original text (handwritten or replicated, printed in ‘zines, etc.) of Spit’s poetry
- Photos or videos of Las Vegas shows or events from the 1980s through the late 1990s relevant to the film’s subject matter – particularly desert punk shows
- Financial or in-kind donations, including of legal and post-production services
If you’re reading this, it’s likely that you’ve been with us on this journey for some time now, and if you’re just learning about this project and are interested in seeing it come to fruition, you’re now part of a community. We’re going to get this film made, together, and make sure the world not only knows this story, but why it’s more important and relevant than ever.
Thank you for your patience and support.