What may seem like the latest national political phenomenon is old hat for veterans of the 2007 fight over illegal immigration in Prince William County.

Two of the center figures in the Coffee Party movement, which featured 392 host meetings across the country last Saturday, are Gainesville documentary makers Annabel Park and Eric Byler.

Their claim to fame locally came from producing the "9500 Liberty" video series three years ago as the two unabashedly progressive filmmakers followed the debate about the county's policies toward illegal immigrants.

Their work culminated in a full-length film that stirred up controversy from the left and right.

Park's Feb. 21 Facebook post lamenting the state of decorum in national politics sparked responses from dozens of her friends. As a result, Park created an alternative to the Tea Party movement, which she and others claim does not represent how most citizens feel about the federal government.

"Well, the really cool thing about it is a lot of people have stepped forward to take the lead in Prince William County," said Byler during a phone interview Sunday.

One of the stated purposes of the movement is to encourage "deliberation guided by reason amongst the many viewpoints held by our members," according to the Coffee Party USA Web site. That's done while bringing people together over a cup of coffee, tea or another drink of choice.

Saying Prince William County is at the "heart" of the national movement, Byler explained that one of the lessons he took from three years ago is "whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, it's natural to become afraid when people vilify you (and) attack you."

He took both sides of the immigration issue to task for using buzz words like "socialist" or "racist" to describe their opposition, though the self-described Democrat particularly singled out hardcore conservatives who he said would consider any non-conservative a "radical socialist communist."

"All of these tactics are part of what I would call an insurgency view toward democracy," he said. "Then you're forced to use these insurgency tactics (like) screaming, yelling and claims that aren't true. What happened in Prince William County is our community became infected, really toxified by hyper-partisan discord."

Manassas resident and retired SAIC vice president Alan Alborn has joined the movement. Alborn hadn't taken a leadership role in the illegal immigration debate, though he did speak out.

"To be honest with you, 2007 was kind of scary times," he said, adding that he felt "a little bit intimidated."

Byler, meanwhile, is an example of the disillusionment of the political left following the 2008 election and the rise of the national Tea Party movement, which focuses on limited government.

"You know, I wasn't even paying that much attention because I was so disgusted with politics that I didn't even vote," he said of the 2009 election, noting that he was out of the area on Election Day and never bothered to fill out an absentee ballot.

The 25 people who came to the Prince William County meeting March 13 at the Haymarket Town Hall included Libertarians like Alan Alborn and Republicans like Haymarket Town Council member Bob Weir.

The meeting also included those like Elena Schlossberg, who skewed left in the 2007 immigration debate, though she was initially a supporter of Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart (R).

Despite its call for civility in political discourse, not everyone is buying into the movement, particularly Stewart.

"The Coffee Partiers are a bunch of fruitcakes," Stewart told the Times on Sunday. "Yeah, they're a bunch of nuts. If they're going to be a coffee party, they'll be a hazelnut party."

Stewart elaborated, saying the Coffee Party is "just a phase; it'll disappear."

He derided Byler, whose 2007 films portrayed Stewart as being a right-wing ideologue, asking at one point, "Does (Byler) have a job?"

Byler said he does not have a full-time job but has earned income from college speaking engagements during the last couple years after striking it rich in Los Angeles making romantic dramas from 2002 to 2006.

Stewart described the Tea Partiers as patriots "concerned about the direction of the country and about the vast amount of spending that happening." He called the Tea Party a "legitimate movement" while saying the Coffee Party is "just a load of crap."

When asked to respond to the inevitable accusation that his comments are the type of discourse Coffee Party participants are fighting against, Stewart replied, "It's more important to be honest than polite."

Byler responded by saying, "I think we can be both polite and honest. And I think the consequences of losing our composure in the public arena are just too great to accept the leadership of people who no longer uphold the centuries-old decorum that we expected from our leaders."

Alborn found Stewart’s comments surprising because Stewart appointed him to the county's budget committee.

"That’s interesting," said Alborn, who helped coordinate the Saturday event. "I see him often. I'll let him know I'm one of the nuts."

One person who has bridged a middle ground between Stewart and Byler before is Supervisor Marty Nohe (R-Coles). He appeared in Byler's 2007 film as a voice of moderation and served as an unofficial narrator for the immigration story.

Speaking of the Coffee Party, Nohe took pains to put his thoughts into words that would express his views about Stewart's comments while avoiding political discord.

Pausing for at least 30 seconds before speaking, Nohe said, "I would hope that as a community, we would always be respectful of the opinions of those with whom we disagree because I believe that for every person who speaks up and gives us the opportunity to say that they're crazy, there are 10 others who may choose not to speak up because they may fear that they too will be called crazy."

He added, "I never want to create an environment where people are afraid to speak up because they think their government will say that they're crazy. We're always better off welcoming new ideas, especially the ones we disagree with."

According to Schlossberg, the sentiment at Town Hall Saturday "was really just a sense overall of being left out. There was a sense of renewed, I think, energy and hope, like you didn't just have to throw your hands up in the air and say it's just all too much, it's not worth trying anymore. I think there was a sense where this is a place people can come and don't have to agree."

Among the issues discussed were health care, campaign finance reform, education, those influencing government, the definition of public service and the media.

Alborn said he expects three or four smaller groups to begin meeting across the county in the weeks to come.

"It's not just about an issue," said the Haymarket resident Schlossberg, who served as a media contact. "It's about really creating a new paradigm."