A Community In Action

"No One Cares About Crazy People"

On a Sunday, October 12th, 2025, at the historic Orinda Theatre, advocates, families, and community members filled the seats for a special screening of No One Cares About Crazy People - a film that dives deep into the national mental health crisis and the devastating human cost of neglecting care.

A Film That Exposes the Gap Between Policy and Compassion

Written and produced by Gail Friedman, narrated by Bob Odenkirk (from Better Call Saul) and based on the book by Pulitzer Prize–winning author Ron Powers, the documentary follows five families whose lives were forever changed by severe mental illness and the broken systems meant to support them. Their stories reveal the painful gap between policy and compassion - a thread woven throughout the film, tracing U.S. mental health policy and reform from President Kennedy’s 1963 Community Mental Health Act to the defunding and deinstitutionalization that followed.

Witnessing Miles' Story on the Big Screen

As I sat in the darkened theater, watching Miles Hall’s story appear on the big screen, the moment felt heavy, I found myself holding my breath. Even knowing what was coming, seeing it again among popcorn and the glow of the big screen was gut-wrenching. The scene drew quiet gasps and soft sobs across the audience. Much appreciation to Gigi Crowder from NAMI Contra Costa for stepping forward for creating space with a mental health reminder beforehand for anyone who needed to step away.

Community in Action

But what struck me most wasn’t only the film’s heartbreak, it was the strength of the community in the room, the movement itself. It was a community in action.  Families affected by mental illness (many of whom have lost loved ones) stood beside friends and neighbors, mental health workers, and advocates. Representatives from local government offices, and non-profit partners were there too: all of us together, side by side doing the work and determined to rewrite this story.

A Powerful Panel Discussion on Mental Health Reform

After the screening there was a panel discussion and Q&A featuring Taun Hall (Miles’ Mom), sisters Catherine & Linda Ripee, Teresa Pasquini, and Director Gail Freedman. The audience asked thoughtful, heartfelt questions about advocacy, and loss, and the panel's responses were powerful, deeply honest, and reflected on the ongoing fight for mental health reform, leaving everyone with both perspective and a renewed sense of hope for the work that lies ahead.

Carrying the Mission Forward

As we continue our mission to decriminalize mental illness and expand non-police crisis response, this event reminded us why the work matters. Laws like AB 988 – The Miles Hall Lifeline Act and programs like A3 Miles Hall Crisis Call Center in Contra Costa County are just the beginning as we all work together to keep pushing forward.

A Call to Action

If you haven’t seen No One Cares About Crazy People, we encourage you to find a local screening, or better yet, contact the filmmaker to host one for your community. It’s not just a sobering, humanized look at why the work matters but it’s also a community call to action.

Together, we’re building a future where compassion guides response, care replaces criminalization, and every call for help is met with humanity.

Say his name: Miles Hall.