July 24, 2018 marks the 45th anniversary of the murder of Santos Rodriguez, a 12-year-old Mexican-American boy who was killed by a Dallas police officer, marking one of the worst cases of police brutality in modern Dallas history, an event that shocked the community, made national news, and raised issues of class and race in our city.

Santos Vive is a new documentary that details the history of Little Mexico, the first major Mexican American community in Dallas, Texas, and the impact that the tragic murder of 12-year-old Santos Rodriguez in Little Mexico in 1973 has had on the city of Dallas. Rodriguez's murder at the hands of a Dallas police officer became national news and sparked riots and demonstrations in Dallas.

The events that followed changed the Dallas culture in numerous and important ways, including the establishment of a more diverse police department, greater oversight of the department, and increased political advocacy for Dallas’ growing Mexican-American community. However, there is still no memorial to Santos Rodriguez in Dallas, something promised to the family by community leaders.

Using archival news footage, interviews with members of Santos Rodriguez’s family, historians and community leaders, filmmaker Byron Hunter has created an enduring remembrance of Santos Rodriguez and his murder that will help to ensure that future generations continue to learn from our history.

Admission for the screening is a tax-deductible donation of $5 or more to the “Santos Vive Project,” created to honor Santos Rodriguez with a memorial in Dallas and a documentary about his life and to provide his family with much-needed financial support.