Help doc. filmmakers replace STOLEN equipment!

Update: Eli Steele here. I wanted to thank you all for your support, especially Natalya for setting this up. The generosity has been amazing and we are profoundly touched, including my father who rarely asks for help. So, thank you. Most importantly, your support gave us the drive to keep filming and we were fortunate because we secured two more amazing interviews. One of them was with Selena and her daughter -- Selena came here from China at the age of 10 and has been fighting to maintain merit-based admissions at one of America's top high schools, Lowell High. Her story of overcoming poverty and navigating a new country with parents who didn't speak English is inspiring. Her daughter takes after us. These people are America's best hope and here's a photo of them with my colleague, Terrell, after the interview:

Thank you again for all your support and we will honor that by making a great documentary.

All my best,

Eli Steele

Dear friends,

Today June 14 in San Francisco, while shooting their documentary WHITE GUILT, based on Shelby Steele's book of the same name, Eli and Shelby Steele's and fellow Oakland filmmaker Terrell Allen's film equipment was stolen out of a rental car in the middle of the day on Lombard Street.

The entire brazen act was captured on film. The Steeles called 911 but police did not respond to calls. Both 911 calls were hung up on. Eventually, they filed a police report. There is no hope of recovering their equipment.

Ironically the film explores how defunding the police has hurt society. Now, the filmmakers, themselves, have become victims of the very thing the film is about.

The Steeles were scheduled to do multiple other interviews which they had to cancel. Fortunately the footage that they had shot earlier in the week had been saved on a hard drive in their hotel.

Among the equipment that was stolen-- Canon C300 Camera ($6,500), Sony FS6 Camera ($6500), Sony 87RV ($4,000), $14,000 in lenses 18-80mm Canon lens, 35mm canon prime lens, canon 24-70mm lens, 2 Sony lens 50mm and 20mm, Sennhauser Microphone System ($700), Sennhauser boom mike ($450), 12 memory cards ($500ea), 5 batteries ($550ea).

Without this equipment, filming cannot proceed.

It has been a very painful experience and I am hopeful an outpouring of support would help them feel a renewed faith in the human spirit and can help their important work proceed.

All funds collected will be remitted directly to Eli Steele and his fellow filmmakers.

Thank you!