Los Angeles Has a Coyote Problem. Afterlife Films Wants to Document It.

Jul 10

THE BRIEFING:

If you live in the city of Los Angeles, 9 times out of 10, you have stumbled across one or a pack of coyotes on your afternoon jog, late at night, or even in the mornings. From areas such as View Park-Windsor Hills to the hills of West Hollywood, if you live anywhere with terrain of wildlife within the city, not only have you most certainly seen them, you probably have a personal story of a close encounter, a pet being targeted, or a neighborhood space that no longer feels entirely safe. In what used to be a rare glimpse of seeing one or even a few in the street, is now an everyday occurrence for Angelenos. The clock is ticking, and it’s only a matter of time before a small child or resident is attacked or worse.

If you go to Downtown Union Station in Los Angeles, there are billboards stating visitors should “expect” to see coyotes roaming in neighborhoods and what you should do if you come across them. Instead of fixing the broken infrastructure, or passing a new bill to evacuate them somewhere else, the city is spending tax dollars on giant signs telling you to just maneuver around them.

WHERE AFTERLIFE FILMS COMES IN:

Just to give you a brief summary of Afterlife Films and what we do, we are an advocacy documentary firm. Our documentaries consist of either protest, advocacy, or informing the public of various social issues and combining interviews, documentation, investigations, and other important information in documentary form. After production, we ignite aggressive social media campaigns to further get the message across to as many individuals as possible.

If Afterlife was hired to take a case such as this, it would be because an angry local resident, or their small children had already been attacked, and would want us to document their claims, along with interviews from other neighbors or residents that had similar situations. Before an unfortunate situation like this happens, we plan on starting production, using the documentary as a proof of concept, and as a protest to Los Angeles City Hall to pass a legislation bill.

OUR INVESTIGATION:

The first thing we would do is reach out to local neighbors and residents who have witnessed firsthand coyotes roaming in their neighborhoods. Because of Afterlife’s importance to due diligence, we would ask for proof. This is important when we reach out to the city. The more proof, the more our claims are taken seriously. For neighbors who have witnessed them, we would record a small 1–5 minute interview of residents and ask how they feel seeing these apex predators roam throughout neighborhoods, especially when small animals and children may live there.

Next, we would interview neighbors who have had experiences much more severe. This includes any attacks on themselves, children, or small animals. Documentation supporting these claims could include:

Photos and videos of coyote sightings
Security camera footage, including Ring cameras and neighborhood surveillance footage
Veterinary records documenting pet injuries or attacks
Animal Services reports and complaint records
Police reports or official incident documentation.
911 calls or emergency response records related to coyote encounters.

Furthermore, in what would be the most important piece of this documentary: Operating fully under the authority of the California Public Records Act (CPRA) (Cal. Gov. Code §§ 7920–7931), our team would submit formal public records requests of LA Animal Services, the office of the Mayor, and targeted City Council districts. Furthermore, we would reach out to council members for interviews asking what are their plans for passing a bill, why it’s taking so long, as well as editing in all documentation on film — including internal emails, citizen complaints, and pulling the exact numbers on where tax dollars are going.

AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE FILM:

Once the film is officially released, as the second part of any of our films, we would launch an aggressive PR strategy, distributing the film across YouTube and social platforms. In addition, we would also directly send it to City Council members, the Mayor’s Office, local news outlets, and advocacy organizations. The objective would be for the press to put more pressure on the city and to create a bill that would either relocate coyotes that infiltrated the cities somewhere else, or to force a total structural overhaul in how municipal public safety is managed.

SUBMISSION:

We are officially opening our intake for Los Angeles residents, local homeowners’ associations, and whistleblowers. If you have documentation, photos, videos, or a personal story to share and have no problem being interviewed. Documentation can include but not limited to:

Media Evidence: Photos and videos of coyote sighting (including Ring cameras and neighborhood surveillance).
Incident Reports: Animal Services reports and official complaint records filed with the city.
Medical & Legal Records: Veterinary records documenting pet injuries or attacks, police reports, and official incident documentation.
Emergency Logs: 911 call records or audio transcriptions related to coyote encounters.
Government Records: Internal emails, text messages, or written correspondence with city council field deputies showing a refusal to act.