Documentaries. ‘Spanish Lake.’ A Tale of Housing Discrimination, White Flight, and Local Government. Less Than 10 Miles From Ferguson.
by superselected · Documentaries, Documentary, Ferguson, Film, Matt Jordan Smith, Phillip Andrew Morton, Spanish Lake ·

Spanish Lake


Directed by Phillip Andrew Morton and produced by Matt Jordan Smith, Spanish Lake documents the small community of Spanish Lake, Missouri, a mere 8 miles from Ferguson, Missouri. Spanish Lake serves as a microcosm of the systemic oppression that pervades the housing market in communities across the country, marginalizing black people in a myriad of ways.

Spanish Lake is a bold and uncompromising documentary focused on economic oppression in the suburb of Spanish Lake, Missouri. Operating without a local government, the lack of community leadership has disastrous effects, including a mass exodus of the white population in the late 1990’s. The themes of the film parallel America’s growing political divide, underlying racism, and rise of anti-government sentiment. Highlighted in the film is a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case from 1971, spearheaded by then HUD Secretary George Romney, which changed the course of public housing for the nation.

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