A film production backed by Ben Shapiro's Daily Wire in Livingston, Montana, has caused significant disruption to the community, most notably by blocking access to the city's only food pantry. The movie, tentatively titled “Pawn Shop,” is recreating the fatal shooting of Renee Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The Livingston Food Resource Center, which serves approximately 2,300 people, has experienced a 17% reduction in clients since filming began on September 24. The pantry, which operates only two days a week for four hours each day, had its entrance blocked for two full weeks due to the production's presence, leading to missed aid for many.
“There’s a dignity aspect that’s really concerning to us,” said Kaya Patten-Fusselman, executive director of the Livingston Food Resource Center. “Effectively, these people who are coming in are walking past this recreation of an ICE shooting.”
The film stars Danny Trejo and Harvey Keitel and reportedly depicts an ICE officer barricaded in a pawn shop with a detainee amidst a protest. The script includes a recreation of the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. The film's narrative frames the shooting as justified by the victim ramming an ICE agent.
Patten-Fusselman stated she was notified only a few days before filming commenced that access to the pantry would be restricted. This overlap with the pantry's limited operating hours meant clients missed crucial food aid.
Increased security around the production site, partly due to local protests against the film, has also led to tense encounters between food bank patrons and armed guards. Patten-Fusselman reported witnessing security guards confronting a client attempting to access the pantry.
Communication issues between the film crews, the Livingston City Commission, and the food pantry staff contributed to the confusion. Initial assurances that clients could use the sidewalk when filming was paused were later contradicted, though the Daily Wire crew eventually permitted pantry clients on the sidewalk.
Patten-Fusselman attributed the logistical challenges to Livingston's filming permit process, which she described as "woefully inadequate." Residents also expressed concerns about the diversion of city resources, including police officers, to support the film shoot.
Despite claims by Ben Shapiro that opposition to the film was driven by political motives and "censorship," Patten-Fusselman emphasized that community concerns were primarily about the practical impact on daily life and access to essential services, not the film's content.
Following backlash, the Livingston City Commission temporarily paused permits for "Pawn Shop" but later voted to allow filming to continue with contingencies. One such contingency requires the production to ensure continued access to the Food Resource Center on its operating days. Shapiro, however, characterized the temporary permit pause as a violation of the First Amendment under pressure from "radical Left-wing protesters."