Anchor: Marq Vincent Pérez
is charged with damaging and defacing a house of worship.

And this, ladies and gentleman, is a hate crime.

Abe: This wasn’t just about the loss of a building.

This is about our physical safety.

Lanell: I think Vincent had a lot of issues within himself.

I think that there’s a whole picture there
that we’re missing.

Man: The case is being handled not as a criminal case
but as a political case.

Omar: People need to get angry
and translate that anger into votes.

Hashmi: We want results, we want justice.

Woman: Independent Lens is made possible in part by
the Corporation for Public Broadcasting,
a private corporation funded by the American people.

Acton Family Giving.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

The Wyncote Foundation.

The National Endowment for the Arts.

And by contributions from viewers like you.

Thank you.

The Independent Lens and Reel South co-presentation
of “A Town Called Victoria”
was made possible in part by
the Ford Foundation,

The WNET groups Exploring Hate:
Antisemitism, Racism and Extremism initiative,

with principal support from the Sylvia A. and Simon B. Poyta

Programming Endowment to Fight Antisemitism.

Firelight Media.

Independent Filmmaker Project and HBO,
through the New True Stories Grant.

Islamic Scholarship Found.

Austin Film Society.

And others.

A complete list is available from PBS.

Rainey: Good morning.

You have been summoned this morning as potential jurors
in the case of United States of America
versus Marq Vincent Pérez.

Based upon your life experiences
or your particular opinions about certain things,
you could not be a fair and impartial juror
in this type of case.

But we also seek jurors from all walks of life.

We want a cross-section of the community.

Many of you may have deeply held religious beliefs.

The indictment in this case alleges
that the Defendant burned down a mosque,
which is a place of worship for those of the Islamic faith.

This case is not a referendum on Islam, Christianity,
or any other faith.

It’s important for each juror
to make his or her decision in this case
based solely on the evidence presented.

People are not to be tried in the media…

… the opening statements for the trial of Marq Pérez.

Rainey: Or on the street.

Reporter: The jury selection process
that whittled down the jury pool from 65 to 12…

Rainey: That is why you are here today.

We ask you to perform a very important service.

Omar: Appreciate y’all being there.

I can’t be there cause I’m testifying
later on in the week.

Now one of the things that the defense
is probably hanging his hat on
is the ignorance of people, combined with their prejudices.

It’s a perfect combination for a non-guilty verdict.

Susannah: The judge asked the jurors about religion.

You could quickly see people
sort of slowly and hesitantly wondering
if they should say something.

A lot of people from a small town in South Texas
that has very little knowledge of Islam
and may have some preconceived ideas.

That brings to question, is this really
the right community for us to exist in?

Reporter: Pérez is facing up to 20 years in federal prison
for the hate crime and up to 10 years
for possessing an unregistered destructive device.

Anchor: Prosecutors said Pérez, “hated Muslims
and believe members of the mosque belong to ISIS.”

Mary Grace: The leader of the mosque, his name is Dr. Hashmi.

I don’t think he knows me from,
you know, he’s certainly had
hundreds of thousands of clients.

Dr. Hashmi worked on… operated on Vince
when Vince was 12 days old,
cause Vince was massively herniated.

He saved Vince’s life.

So it’s just an ironic…
connection they have.

I’m speaking
to the audience out there right now.

If you would logically think about this.

There’s… there’s no racism here.

Mary Grace: Our God
is going to take care of this situation.

Mody: The Government calls Dr. Shahid Hashmi.

My name is Shahid Hashmi.

I’m a surgeon
practicing general surgery in Victoria.

When did you come to the United States?

I came 1971.

And what year did you move to Victoria?

1984, my family was
the second Muslim family to be in Victoria.

Dr. Hashmi,
do you recognize this photo?

That is our old mosque.

Mody: I want to turn now
to the actual physical structure of the mosque.

I’m showing you what has been admitted
into evidence as Exhibit Number 8.

I want to point out a couple of things in particular
that are going to become more important
later on in the trial…

Mody: Directing your attention
to January 28th of 2017,
at approximately 2:00 AM, where were you?

Hashmi: I got a phone call from the Imam.

He was crying.

He told me that our mosque is on fire.

Mody: So you basically watched the mosque burn
for about three hours?

Hashmi: Yes.

Mody: I pass the witness.

Rainey: Mr. Di Carlo? You may cross-examine.

Di Carlo: Where is the mosque
within the Victoria Islamic Center?

Hashmi: That’s all the mosque.

Di Carlo: So you’re stating that in every mosque
in the Middle East or whatever,
it includes a kitchen, offices, etcetera?

Hashmi: Yes.

Di Carlo: Were there any hate crime messages
on the wall?

Hashmi: No, I didn’t see any.

You are a United States citizen,
is that correct?

Yes.

Is the Imam a United States citizen?

Hashmi: No.

Di Carlo: Did you have a key to the Imam’s office?

Hashmi: Yes.

Di Carlo: How many cell phones
did he ordinarily have in there?

Have you ever seen maybe 26 or so?

Hashmi: Personally, no.

Do you know if the Imam
was ever investigated for criminal charges?

Mody: Objection, Your Honor. Relevance.

Rainey: Overruled.

Hashmi: No.

This was my first time seeing Mr. Pérez.

I’ve never seen him before.

I wasn’t able to enter the court
yesterday or today.

I try.

But they’re asking me to wait
until they decide
I’m going to be a witness or not.

Filmmaker: Did you see his parents when you were there?

I don’t know who his parents are.

Like any parent myself,
if my kids do something wrong,

I’m sure,
they’re feeling sorry for it too.

We feel sorry for them. Certainly!

We feel sorry for them,
how their kid turned out
and what is he… what he did.

Amjad: His face was almost stiff.

No, no emotion whatsoever.

If I would meet him, see him in the…
somewhere on the street or in the mall,

I don’t think
that he hates us that much.

Yeah.

There may be somebody who have
some hidden feelings about us,
but I haven’t seen anybody
express it openly or on my face ever.

Three years ago,
I was at the Masjid and the phone rang.

It sounded like an old lady.

She said, “Do you know
if ISIS is coming to America”?

I probably took five to 10 seconds
to answer the question,
why did she call the Islamic Center
and does she know?

Did she think
I’m a representative for ISIS or something?

From the tone of her voice,
she was worried.

So I tell her,
“No, that’s not here.

That’s maybe too much negative media
that you’re watching.”

And she felt so confident,
at the end she gave me her full name
and her full address for some reason!

I remember now. Now you remember!
[Laughs]

The fact that… that he hated
a group of… of people for no reason
without evidence, without anything.

Why did he hate us? We don’t know.

Khandelwal: During your investigation,
did you learn that the Defendant
had a Facebook account?

Molite: Yes.

Khandelwal: Were you able to find the context
of this message?

Molite: The article is titled

“ISIS releases Kill List.

Did your city make the list?”

Were you able to find context
in connection with that post?

It’s an article
from angrypatriotmovement.com.

“I’m staying in with the percenters.”

Can you explain what the Three Percenters is?

Molite: It’s a quasi-militia group.

Very interested in the Second Amendment,
immigration.

What is the message being sent to the defendant?

What does the defendant respond?

Mody: Where do you live, Mr. Cavazos?

Cavazos: Houston.

When I say the term “Three Percenter,”

what does that mean to you?

It’s the 3% of the population that,
if there was ever an insurrection
or what not,
come up to defend this country.

Did you become Facebook friends
with Marq Pérez?

I did.

He said he was in the Air Force.

I joined the Army after high school.

Do you recall why you asked this question?

I just found it kind of weird.

I wouldn’t expect a mosque
to be in South Texas.

Taylor: Through our investigation,
what we determined was that Mr. Pérez
had formed a little group, a unit,
that he was wanting to take on some missions.

He identifies himself with this title:
Six Delta Team Leader.

Khandelwal: These are photographs
that the Defendant took of the mosque on fire
on the night that it actually happened.

Is that right?

That’s correct.

Cavazos: I received two pictures.

If the Defendant had asked you to help him
burn down the mosque, would you have done it?

Cavazos: No. Because that’s wrong.

I eventually blocked Mr. Pérez
and I left the group.

Mosque member: I was looking at him and I was thinking…
the hatred.

You can hear the hatred, you can see the planning.

I… I honestly

couldn’t even hold myself from crying.

Clara: I didn’t expect that to come from a Latino.

It’s shocking because that’s not us.

There’s a missing link
in this young man’s life that we don’t know yet.

Something’s wrong. I don’t think…

Somewhere, whether it was the internet
that kind of indoctrinated him
towards that way of thinking.

Who knows?

Cassie: I was just thinking,
he has this idea of like this militant group
and these tactical groups
that are going to be doing this service to America.

But it’s delusional.

It’s based in fear, propaganda,
and I hate the term “fake news”,
but like legitimately falsified articles of news.

It was interesting
when they brought up that post
where he was just sort of talking
about his nationality.

I’m a Spaniard,
but I’m also partly Mexican,
but I also have some German.

Cassie: Yeah. I was like, okay.

Yeah, and it’s like, okay,
well, what does that mean to you?

When you look at toxic masculinity,
he’s created a scenario
where he can be a protector.

Right? Where he can defend others.

Right.

Khandelwal: Approximately how long
was he in the military?

One month and 15 days.

Now during this one month and 15 days,
could you achieve the rank
of Six Delta Team Leader?

I was in the US Army. That’s not a rank.

[Laughing]

Clara: He was in a very dark place.

You know, is there a mental component?

And depending on how good his defense is,
you know, that could maybe,
not justify, but explain his behavior.

I’m sorry to say this,
but when it comes to Latinos or Hispanics,
we don’t have mental problems.

That’s how they see it!

We don’t have mental problems.

Now tell me if I’m wrong!

Mary Grace: Initially,
they did have him on a suicide watch.

But he…

We prayed him out of that.

He’s been railroaded, framed.

Vince fit the mold.

He’s got guns, he’s angry
and he stands on his own political views.

Di Carlo: Does an American have the right
to be concerned about Muslim terrorism?

Molite: All kinds of terrorism.

What do they use cell phones for
in terrorism attacks?

Cell phones have been used
as detonators in the Middle East.

Di Carlo: ISIS is a real group, isn’t it?

Molite: It is.

Was he profiled
because he had been in the military,
he was allegedly in a militia movement,
and he professed conservative views
on Facebook?

No, sir.

You’ve interviewed various people in this case,
including KR, correct?

I have.

There were boxes found in KR’s room
that matched the phones stolen
from the Victoria Islamic Center, correct?

Yes, sir.

The government knows who did it.

And they are protecting this person.

Vigorously.

Khandelwal: Are you a little nervous
here today?

KR: Yes.

Has anyone provided you
any sort of immunity?

No.

How old are you?

Seventeen.

And how much older is he?

Ten years.

Did he ever talk to you about Muslims?

He told me he didn’t like them.

What did he say?

That he was going to, like, “gather the team”
at one point.

Did he ever provide any training?

He said that he was going to.

Did there come a time that he took you
along with him to a house located at 109 [Bleep]?

[Explosions]

Chris: Marq Vincent Pérez
was a high school friend of my brother’s.

So, having everything that happened happen,
was a shock.

Things between my brother and Vincent
got very rocky, very scary.

It was 2016.

Vincent came to the house with an accomplice.

They spray painted the truck with profanities,
including the word, [bleep],
which I feel was towards me, being a gay man.

Khandelwal: How many times approximately
did you go to vandalize the house?

KR: More than five.

What did you guys all take with you?

A shotgun, a pistol,
and the two explosive things that he made.

Chris: That night,
Vince had come with an accomplice,
to the house.

You see the video of him
shooting the windshield of the Camaro
and then he lit the explosive device
and threw it.

[Explosion]

What he was trying to do
was get it through the windshield,
to cause it to explode and have the car catch on fire.

Khandelwal: What was his original plan?

Chris: The thing that terrifies me the most
is listening to the court testimony.

His original intent was to go into the house
and shoot people.

Um…

And that’s just so…
I don’t know that’s…

I think about my sister, who… you know?

And my brother, and…

[Cries]

To think that this is someone that we invited into our home.

But he needs to pay for what he did,
not only to the mosque, but to us.

And what he did to this community.

Khandelwal: Were you familiar
with the Victoria Islamic Center
before January 2017?

KR: No.

Khandelwal: Do you guys go over
to the Victoria Islamic Center?

KR: Yes.

When inside, what was he searching for?

A trapdoor.

He said there were guns in it.

Did you find any?

No.

What happened next?

He wrapped some papers like a cone.

He started lighting them.

What did you do?

I asked him why.

He said, “to send them a message”.

[Police radio]

Lanell: KR was easily persuaded
to do whatever Vincent wanted him to do.

I was there when he went on the stand.

You know, when the lawyer asked KR about school,
he had made a comment
that he had failed ninth grade three times.

Oh, wow. So…

Di Carlo: How old were you when you started
smoking marijuana?

Were you stealing things? Selling drugs?

KR: Just trying to find a way to make money.

Lanell: He doesn’t have an education.

So what’s your next bet? Sell drugs. That’s easy.

Di Carlo: Your dad says you need to tell him
that it was him.

Everything was his idea.

Did you admit to them
that you had burglarized
the Victoria Islamic Center?

Yes.

What do you think of the word “Muslims”?

Do you think of Muslim terrorists or just Muslim?

I think of doctors.

Lanell: KR made the comment that Muslims are doctors.

Allen: Uh-huh, yeah. So it led me to believe, well,
maybe he thinks that that place had money.

The Imam had been buying
used cell phones on the internet.

Just like everybody else does.

And when he goes back to Egypt,
he would sell them to his family.

That fits in with the whole pattern
of the, “We think all these Muslims are terrorists.

How dare they have all this nice stuff?

It should go to somebody like me, a real American!”

Anytime they talked
about Vincent and his behavior,
the mom got out
and walked out of the courtroom.

Wow.

And I don’t know if that was a strategy
by the defense lawyer
or if she just emotionally
couldn’t handle that knowledge.

It’s impossible to know. Right.

She may have just been really upset.

I don’t think it was a coincidence
that he decided to burn down the mosque
the evening of the day
Trump announced his Muslim ban.

It’s been a very heart-wrenching
experience
watching someone you love become segregated
by the President of the United States.

Good morning.

He’s pretty much put a target
on their forehead.

And when the defense was trying
to put that spin on it
that Muslims are terrorists,

I thought, “How many people on that jury box
are really thinking the same thing?”

Omar: My name is Omar Rachid.

I’m a member of the Victoria Islamic Center.

Mody: You actually ran for Mayor of Victoria,
is that right?

I did. In 2013, I ran for mayor.

Has anyone in your family served in the military?

My son. In the army.

And how long did he serve for?

Five years. I was happy that he served.

Your son bought a cell phone from the Imam,
is that right?

Right.

Mody: And that’s all you know about the Imam and cell phones?

Sobia: My issue was with the questioning itself.

It’s to just plant that idea
that, well, whatever he did,

Muslims are not the best people.

It’s literally to create bias
in this jury.

Hashmi: Marq Pérez he created terror
in our community.

So he, in reality, he is a terrorist for us.

So… but they’re never
gonna call him a terrorist!

Omar: Mm-hmm.

Nobody knew that the ban was coming on that night.

That Muslim ban announcement
probably did not have any direct relation to it.

Right.

But all the rhetoric that was going around
during the election and all that
has to do with his thoughts,
because he was already thinking of hate,
already had that in mind.

I heard that his significant other
delivered a baby.

Maybe he used that opportunity
because he knew that he could use that
as an alibi.

It’ll be interesting to hear the testimony
of his father and his girlfriend,
who’s the mother of his children as well,
when we come back.

Well, I’ll be interested to hear his father,
but from the testimony that we’ve already heard,
specifically from KR,
obviously the father would be lying.

So then he has to live with that conscience.

Right. If he has one.

Reporter: In the Marq Pérez trial,
the prosecution rested its case.

Reporter: Now the trial is set to continue.

The defense attorney did mention
there will be two witnesses taking the stand.

Clara: There was something going on in the family.

He had a lot of anger.

You know, I went on his Facebook page,
and his father had a lot to do with it.

He had a lot of anger towards his father.

I don’t know if y’all saw that or not,
but you need to look on his Facebook page.

So, yeah.

All the posts that I read about him
were about his family.

“I hate my family. I don’t want to be here.”

That says a lot to me.

God’s got a plan. God’s got a plan…

And the plan is for full exoneration.

For all the wrongs to be made right.

We make preparations for him all the time
to come home, cause he’s coming home.

Maddie is the alibi.

The night of the fire,
Vince was with her at the hospital.

Her story never changes.

Rainey: Mr. Di Carlo, do you have a witness ready?

Di Carlo: I think we do,
but we’ve decided not to use Matilda, your honor.

Rainey: You’re not going to call her?

Di Carlo: No, we’re not.
♪
Child: Mama!

[Babbles]

Let’s go outside!

Matilda: The day before the fire, Mason was born.

And we didn’t get to the hospital
till five in the morning.

We had barely made it.

When we arrived, they said,
“You’re ready. Let’s start pushing.”

That night, he had left around 11.

And I said, “You better be back before the doors close.”

It was already one or two.

So I started texting him asking,
“Why is it taking you so long?”

He had screenshotted the news feed
of the mosque fire.

And I’m just like,
“I want you at the hospital. I could care less, no offense,
but I could care less about a fire,
you just had a baby.”

He honestly didn’t get back to the hospital
till about five or six in the morning.

So…

Having an alibi for him that night isn’t easy,
because he wasn’t there.

Vincent had called me.

He said, “Di Carlo told me it’d be like plutonium
if we used you, it just… it would blow up.”

And he got me so mad to where I said,
“Plutonium for you, not for me.

He didn’t use me to benefit you.”

He was very angry
that I didn’t wanna take the stand for him.

He wasn’t the same person as he was when I first met him.

When I was pregnant with Mason,
he said, “You don’t pay the bills around here,
you don’t have a say so.”

And I went as to far as raising my voice
and yelling at him.

So he went as to far… as far as getting in my face,
putting his hands around my shoulders,
kind of like shaking me,
throwing me against the wall and then leaving.

And after that, you just wanna call someone,
just so someone can comfort you.

But whenever we got into abusive fights like that,
he would take my phone and leave
and not come home till the next day.

So I really couldn’t call anyone or walk anywhere,
given being nine months pregnant,
a baby on the way.

So there was really nothing I could do about it.

I tried making him so happy,
but anything I tried just wasn’t enough for him.

I don’t think his parents really knew
that side of him existed.

If Vincent did something,
they would say to me,
KR had did it instead.

Both of his parents went as far as to saying,
if he does get convicted that this was all your fault.

They don’t wanna see it.

Rainey: Your next witness, Mr. Di Carlo?

Di Carlo: We’ll call Mario Pérez.

On January 27th, did you happen
to see your son at the hospital?

Mario: Yes, sir.

Between the hours of six in the morning
and seven o’clock in the morning,
we arrived there.

Di Carlo: Did you see Marq Vincent Pérez
at the hospital on the 28th?…

Yes.

You’re going to support him
every step of the way, is that right?

We love him unconditionally.

You saw your son on January 27th
around 7:00 AM.

Yes.

And you didn’t return again until sometime Saturday.

So between those two times you weren’t with your son?

No.

Rainey: Mr. Pérez, do you understand
you have the right to testify if you want to.

And knowing that, you have elected not to testify?

Marq Vincent Pérez: Yes, sir.

Very well.

The defendant has rested,
ladies and gentlemen.

Omar: Defense rested.

He has no more witnesses. So, uh-

Alhamdulillah.

So closing arguments would be Monday?

Omar: So the judge gave instruction to the jury
not to discuss the case with anybody.

Not to watch news, not to read anything,
not to do any research.

I would think Monday afternoon.

Yeah, we want closure. We want a closing on this.

We can’t wait for this to be over!

Amen to that.
♪
[Referee blows whistle]

Man: His honor, how are you?

Rainey: Great. How’s everything going?

You finishing up today?

Trying to finish it up, yeah, think so!

Filmmaker: Mr. Di Carlo, how are you feeling today?

Fine, sir. You?

We are waiting to hear the result.

[Press talking]

Press: Mr. Di Carlo!

[overlapping chatter]

Filmmaker: What happened?

He was found guilty of all charges,
unanimously.

Abe: This verdict is a statement.

The majority of the community believe that these Muslims
who live here are part of the American fabric.

Reporter: Were you surprised?

Yes.

There was issues regarding, um, his,
his concern about Middle Eastern people,
about terrorists, about illegal immigrants.

I’m a proud Muslim American. I can tell you that.

You know, this is really important.

I heard my name was mentioned several times.

You know, the Imam, the Imam, the Imam,

the Imam is a human being like other human being.

Cassie: I think the defense knows
that he had an incredibly weak case.

The parents of the defendant, they didn’t really react at all.

Marq Pérez didn’t react either.

It has been a year and a half of a rollercoaster ride.

Regarding Mr. Pérez, I hope he reflects on his wrongdoings
and ask God for forgiveness.

We also pray for his healing
and we will pray for his family as well.

That’s it.

Man: I’m not happy that the guy’s gonna go to prison.

I went to prison three times.

It made me worse the first two times.

In this situation, it’s not gonna fix anything.

If I could say one thing to him,

I would tell him, read and learn.

Filmmaker: Learn what?

Anything.

Legler: This has consumed all these public servants’ lives
for a year and a half.

The guilty charge was just this huge sense of relief,
to make things right and restore the faith
in the justice system and law enforcement.

Lanell: Yes, I’m happy
that this is the verdict,
but now what’s gonna happen to Vincent?

Allen: Yeah.

I mean, how are we gonna fix him?

You can rebuild the mosque,
but you gotta fix the other half
of the problem.

The other half of the problem is him.

Legler: There was no remorse.

He’s in such a state of denial,
he denied that he actually did it!

Jesus condemns the pretentious praying
of the hypocrites!

I blame the family.

I mean, the family knew he was guilty.

God is not going to give an unrighteous judgment
just because the parents are Christians.

As a mother, I mean, I’ve lost a child.

I know what it is to lose a child,

but to me this is a whole total different type
of losing a child.

Hobbs: The defense attorney was so focused on trying to get
the individual out, instead of trying to get
the individual help.

He needed help, and the community
was not there earlier to help him.

Wade: All this talk of mental illness
and mental health.

I think that’s a brush that gets broadly painted
nowadays for almost anything that happens.

Oh, anything that happens now?

Well, he’s got mental illness.

Really?

Sara: Mental illness is something
that’s joked about a lot,
when a lot of people who really suffer from them
are not the people talking about them.

No one wants to admit that their kid displays
anything like that.

I could see it being very hard for a young man
to find where he fits in the world.

Legler: Kids are looking for role models.

Where they go for role models is challenging.

But he was a kid facing, having a kid,
being in a situation where he’s not going
into the military, and possibly
becoming his father.

And all of that anger and self-hatred.

There is racism in America.

Uh, and the most racist people are sometimes in their own race.

Like my daddy used to say, we’re like crabs in a bucket.

When one is trying to get up,
the other crabs are pulling them down.

We don’t like it when somebody moves up ahead of us.

That’s the picture of America.

Victoria has some work to do.

And the only way to make things better
is to listen to one another.

Because we let biases and differences hold us back.

Osama: Allahu Akbar.

Mosque member: Just wanted to thank each and every one of you
who took the time out to come and attend, um, the trial.

I hope that you have some sense of security
now that the verdict has been out.

Nobody takes joy in it.

But try and encourage the family
to come out and attend more regularly.

Mosque Member: I think you would like the lemon bars!

Take one and try it.

Try it after dinner! Tomorrow! For breakfast!

Abe: People are just thrilled of how pretty the building is.

We posted new pictures.

Talking about hundreds of people, you know,
liking it, and the comments were amazing.

But at the same time, remember guys,
there was a burning, an attempted burning
to a mosque a couple of days ago.

Last night.

Last night. Was it last night?

Houston? Yeah.

Where at? Houston.

Not only did they try to burn the mosque,
they slashed the tires of the Imam’s car
and they think it’s both related.

That tells you that there are still people,
you know, out there motivated by hate
and Islamophobia!

The defense attorney, he brought ISIS into it,
he brought terrorism into it.

He was shooting for a mistrial!

Well, uh, it didn’t really matter.

The jury was… is representative of the community,
and the jury made it clear that this is wrong,
and they uphold the law.

Well, but it mattered.

I’ll tell you why it mattered.

It mattered in the fact
that they didn’t reach a verdict
for three hours.

When the verdict of guilty
was rendered, that’s why
I became emotional.

It’s because of the anxiety
that I was actually holding back.

Yeah.

I was thinking, was there somebody
holding the jury up?
♪
Omar: Good luck. Good luck. Good luck. Good job.

Hey, it’s been an honor to be able to be
on the soccer field with you.

Thank you, I’ll miss you, Omar.

Thank you, appreciate you.

Omar: It is my last week in Victoria.

I’ve looked outside the window many times
for many different reasons.

And here we are, in all likelihood,
this is probably the last time I’ll be looking out this window.

The decision to leave wasn’t something that, uh,
that just came about.

Dealing with, um, uh, you know, with the fire and the aftermath.

Dealing with ugly rhetorics toward Muslims.

[overlapping chatter]

Dealing with the construction,
and have that mental capacity to even think about fundraising.

Dealing with the trial in itself,
and trying to stay composed enough.

You know, when people talk about discrimination,
I cannot tell you what it does to you psychologically.

It truly kills your spirit.

The only one that really knew what I was dealing with
internally is my wife, Lanell.

She was my rock.

We were looking forward to Beto’s victory.

But I was disappointed to find out that we actually
have a lot more regressive voters,
supporting candidates spewing ugliness
towards Muslims.

People are much more loyal
to their political leanings than their friendships.

Lanell: There was a point
where I just couldn’t take it anymore.

We’re a small town.

You all should be taking care
of each other, I think.

Omar: Lanell received a call with the job offer.

This job she was really excited about.

She will be working for a nonprofit organization
advocating for young women.

So, moving on to the next chapter.

Lanell: We’re on our way to a new life,
new journey.

Omar: Saying goodbye to my own congregation.

That’s gonna be difficult.

It’s gonna be immensely difficult.

I still love Victoria,
but God is leading me in a different direction.

Nice day.

Matilda: Yesterday was my first day of college.

I only got 15 minutes of sleep.

Hence the coffee, my new best friend.

My sister made me a cheat sheet.

You know, study, lunch, a fast jog
’cause I only have five to 10 minutes
to get to my next class.

I had decided that I no longer wanted to be with Vincent.

I don’t love him enough to put myself through pain and hurt
every single day of the rest of my life.

I’m out, alive.

I tell him all the time. I said, “Son,
you’re the apple of my eye.”

And I tell him I love him unconditionally,
because he needs to hear that.

And I need to hear
that he, he loves us
unconditionally.

Unconditionally.

Hashmi: After the trial,

I went over to Mr. Pérez’s parents.

I just wanted to tell them we are sorry.

His mother said, “Hello, Dr. Hashmi,”
and she shook hands.

His father did not.

I think he was mad, he was upset, of course.

I don’t blame him, that he was upset.

But his mother knows me
and I don’t remember how, but she knows me.

Filmmaker: I know why, doctor.

I, I know why Mrs. Pérez knows you.

I spoke to her.

And she said to me,
when Vince was born, he was massively herniated,
and he needed surgery to save his life.

And she told me you were the one to save…

I don’t even remember that.

And I don’t even know that.

And you know, of course,

I keep telling everybody who comes in
to say I saved their life, I did not.

I don’t save lives.

I just do my job.

Ultimately, it’s God who saves lives and not me.

But this is the first time I’m finding out that,
that I surgery on him.

I don’t even know, of course that was 25 years ago.

I don’t know.

Sad.

It’s very sad.

What happened with this incident of hate crime,
good came out.

And I think there is a great potential
for Muslim community
to do a little bit more.

Next generation is ready.

I think they need to do that.

As soon as the grand opening is done,

I will retire from my position
as the President of Victoria Islamic Center.

27 years is a long time to be in that position.

Filmmaker: Since the very beginning.

Since the very beginning.

Wow. It’s a little high!

We’re gonna have, uh,
to have a stepping stool here.

Okay.

Like that.

I wonder if this can stay open.

Hopefully.

Yep.

How are you?

Filmmaker: Show us the shirt real quick!

Oh yeah.

The back is the new mosque with the old mosque
as a reflection.

Omar! How are you, sir?

How’s it going, my man?

Doing alright.

Welcome!

Welcome to your place!

Omar: It’s not really just the opening
of the mosque itself as a building,
but all the efforts, all the emotional struggles
that we as a congregation had to go through.

A great amount of gratitude.

That’s what I’m feeling,
for every single person who pitched in
to assure us that a better day is coming.

Susannah: And your kids are… What are their ages now?

Matilda: My son just turned three last week.

That is my oldest.

My youngest is gonna be two
in January.

Wow, you got your hands full!

Yeah.

Hey! How are you?

How are you? Good to see you.

I wanted to introduce you
to Maddie. Hi, Maddie.

So Maddie’s boyfriend was who burned the mosque
and she wanted to be here to show support.

Oh yes! Thank you for coming.

Thank you for coming.

[Praying in Arabic]

Omar: I see a lot of familiar faces,
I see a lot of friends.

Please join me in a big round of applause
to appreciate all those
who have made this today possible.

[Applause]

Abe: Brothers and sisters,
life is a collection of stories, of memories, and of tales.

Today’s story is about our city, Victoria.

Today’s story is about our Jewish neighbors,

Robert and Gary, who offered their synagogue
for the Muslim community to pray at.

Today’s story is about Rawley,
an architect who wanted to be part of the march
to rebuild with love.

Today’s story is about our fire marshal, Tom,
who showed sensitivity and honor
to the religious symbols retrieved from the fire.

It’s about people of different faiths,
all came together to make a statement of love.

As for Mr. Marq Vincent Pérez,
we pray to the Lord that he may reflect back
and open his heart to the light of love.

We welcome today the mother of his kids,
who is present here celebrating the reopening of the mosque.

So thank you for attending.

[Applause]

How can a story about the mosque arson
become an inspirational slogan to rebuilding with love?

We’re taking the tour.

We are gonna move into the Wudu area,
which is a very important part of the prayer process
because we do a cleansing before we pray.

Normally we don’t wear shoes inside the mosque
in the prayer areas,
but we’re not asking you to take your shoes off
cause it’s just too complicated.

So there are mats on the rugs.

Abe: We didn’t choose our birthplace,
nor our nationality,
and sometimes not even our faith.

Any of us could have been born at the other side of town,
at the other side of the border.

And therefore,
when fire is blazing in your neighbor’s house,
you don’t think about theological differences,
nor their immigration status, nor the color of their skin.

Thank you. Thank you.

God bless you. Thank you.

Abe: Today’s story is not about the building,
it’s not about the mosque,
it’s not even about arson and rebuilding.

Today’s story is about the people.

People living in a town called Victoria.

[Applause]

This has truly been one of the greatest experiences
of my life. Same here, trust me.

Sobia: So beautiful to look at!

I love looking at it.

Matilda: I feel like, maybe one day I would like
to bring my kids here to show them
this nice, beautiful building.

You should know that you’re welcome
and that no one hates you, well, I don’t hate you.

Thank you.

I know everyone doesn’t.

You don’t have to worry about that.

Excellent job!

Woman: “A Town Called Victoria”
is available on Amazon Prime Video.

Woman: I didn’t grow up ever knowing anything about Muslims.

I hate to use the word, but racism.

Anchor: A fire ripped through a mosque in Victoria.

Hobbs: The president put a ban on Muslims.

Omar: People need to get angry.

What happens to one happens to all, I believe.

Woman: We will.

We will.

We will uplift each other.

We will work hard together.

We will protect each other,
we will challenge one another.

We will inspire each other.

We will celebrate together.

We are all neighbors.

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Thank you.

The Independent Lens and Reel South co-presentation

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was made possible in part by the Ford Foundation,

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with principal support from the Sylvia A. and Simon B.
Poyta Programming Endowment
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Firelight Media.

Independent Filmmaker Project and HBO,
through the New True Stories Grant,

Islamic Scholarship Fund,

Austin Film society

and others.

A complete list is available from PBS.