COMMITTEE, THE (2nd release) (2nd release)

THE COMMITTEE chronicles the actions of the little-known Florida Legislative Investigation Committee (also known as the Johns Committee), a group formed in response to the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision and amidst widespread anti-Communist fears in the country. Its initial targets were civil-rights activists and NAACP members pushing for desegregation in Florida. During its existence (1956-1965), the Committee fired or expelled more than 200 suspected gay and lesbian students and teachers throughout Florida. Through archival footage and photos, and interviews with former students Rev. Ruth Jensen-Forbell and Chuck Woods, and retired police officer John Tileston, Jr., the half-hour documentary highlights the tactics used by the Johns Committee in its attempt to root out homosexuality and Communism on state campuses.