Ex-cop sees Coatesville as perfect canvas for film project

He believes his controversial past could reap rewards for city

By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times

Seconds after an announcement during a recent City Council meeting that Hollywood might be coming to Coatesville, Councilman Jarrell Brazzle scoured his laptop for details on the casting call.

“I’m bummed,” he said aloud minutes later, lamenting the fact that he did not match the age range of the listed male characters, who included a police chief, a pastor, a state police investigator, and a state representative.

MAJA Pictures is hosting an open casting call on Feb. 22 and 23 for a “racially-charged, dramatic” mini-series called “Peace-by-Piece.” According to the web site advertising the project, the central character, Coatesville Police Detective AnnMarie Kersey – a direct descendant of Coatesville’s founder – investigates the double homicide of the city’s state representative, Willie Williams, and his wife, Patricia.

The driving force behind the drama is Oswaldo “Ozzie” Feliciano, the creator and producer whose own history reads like a screenplay. A former Philadelphia police officer who was charged with theft and terminated from the force in 1994, Feliciano wants to focus on the present, he said in a recent telephone interview.

Pressed to elaborate on his tenure with the Philadelphia Police Department, Feliciano said he was set up. He likened himself to Frank Serpico, a whistle-blowing New York police officer made famous by Al Pacino in the 1973 film of the same name. Feliciano said that he was eventually reinstated and permitted to retire. A public affairs representative for the Philadelphia Police Department said she had no record of the reinstatement.

Published news reports never told the whole story, Feliciano said, stating that he was not convicted and later had the charges expunged. Court records show a 1994 case listing simple assault, terroristic threats, and harassment – charges that were dismissed in 1995.

Feliciano said he prevailed in a federal civil suit against the City of Philadelphia. Court records show a judgment entered “in favor of the City of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Police Department,” and some of its officers.

In August 2004, Feliciano became entangled in the legal system again after he was sued by Parexel International Corp., another former employer, for breach of contract and defamation. Feliciano filed a counter-claim, alleging that he was fired for “refusing to engage in illegal activity.” In 2008, a federal jury awarded Feliciano $1.7 million in punitive damages for his “wrongful termination,” court records show.

Feliciano, who has been living in the Coatesville area for more than a decade, said the city’s rich history, diversity, and landscapes – ranging from “gritty to beautiful” – make it an ideal cinematic locale. “I think I bring a unique perspective, and I’m ready to put that on the street,” he said.

He said he has written five separate screenplays plus a pilot and an episode for the “Peace-by-Piece” mini-series. With the exception of an independent film-festival entry, he has yet to bring any of his production to the screen, he said. A January, 2011 press release said one of the screenplays, “Andy the Star,” would start pre-production in the spring of 2011 and wrap-up by summer’s end that same year.

Feliciano said he is committed to completing his projects and expects to begin filming “Peace-by-Piece” the third week of March in Coatesville. He said he is negotiating with a distributor who cannot be named until an agreement is finalized.

Although he expressed optimism that the deal would occur, he said filming would occur regardless of the outcome. He said he owns a software engineering firm that would help him finance the estimated $250,000 for the two episodes of “Peace-by-Piece.”

Prospective actors will sign a contract with MAJA pictures “agreeing to defer their compensation until either the show or film is picked up or distributed,” Feliciano said.

Auditions will be held on Feb. 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb. 23 at Olivet United Methodist Church, 310 E. Chestnut St., Coatesville.

Feliciano said he believes an “ex-cop surrounded by controversy” and a city with a history of arson and homicides can equal a winning combination. “I want to get people excited,” he said. “I want to put Coatesville on the map for something positive.”

According to a Facebook page promoting the auditions, more than 60 people have said they will attend.