Born (in 1959) and raised in Los Angeles, I am always interested in what was going on in other parts of the city without my knowledge during the years I was growing up in the San Gabriel Valley suburbs. This was a very well done documentary and I applaud the efforts of everyone involved.
It is not easy to understand growing up without any hope for success or advancement in life, but that seems to be a main theme of this film.
So sad to see that many of the residents from these cities have never seen the Pacific ocean, even though they are merely 10 miles away, becuase they feel more secure in remaining in their neighborhood.
The film showed authentic grade school pictures of children from these neighborhoods, which really broke my heart, seeing how they started out just like all other little kids, but then their lives take a turn toward violence and hopelessness.
The persons interviewed offered a lot of honest assessments as to why things are the way they are, but there were actually many factors offered in the film.
I enjoyed the film's perspective of the history of the black family in American and their migration from the south to throughout the United States following WWII.
The film toughed on the epidemic of fatherlessness, which many consider to be a major reason for their conditions and plights.
The film also talked about the lack of jobs (for example, the GM plant located in South Gate closed in 1982) as a reason for a lot of the poverty.
The film also touched on the problems of drugs, and the reason so many men are in prison for non-violent crimes.
While the film also interviewed left-wing social and political activist, Tom Hayden, it completely remained neutral in its politics and refused to lay blame on any actual policy. Which may or may not have contributed to the rise in gang activity.
One very powerful story featured the death of a young man who was in town to visit a relative. He believed that he should be able to walk any streets within the United States of America, and refused to believe he could be in any danger. Very tragic story.
Kudos to the film makers of this documentary for providing a thoughtful insight as to the conditions that have caused so much sadness to so many people.
It is not easy to understand growing up without any hope for success or advancement in life, but that seems to be a main theme of this film.
So sad to see that many of the residents from these cities have never seen the Pacific ocean, even though they are merely 10 miles away, becuase they feel more secure in remaining in their neighborhood.
The film showed authentic grade school pictures of children from these neighborhoods, which really broke my heart, seeing how they started out just like all other little kids, but then their lives take a turn toward violence and hopelessness.
The persons interviewed offered a lot of honest assessments as to why things are the way they are, but there were actually many factors offered in the film.
I enjoyed the film's perspective of the history of the black family in American and their migration from the south to throughout the United States following WWII.
The film toughed on the epidemic of fatherlessness, which many consider to be a major reason for their conditions and plights.
The film also talked about the lack of jobs (for example, the GM plant located in South Gate closed in 1982) as a reason for a lot of the poverty.
The film also touched on the problems of drugs, and the reason so many men are in prison for non-violent crimes.
While the film also interviewed left-wing social and political activist, Tom Hayden, it completely remained neutral in its politics and refused to lay blame on any actual policy. Which may or may not have contributed to the rise in gang activity.
One very powerful story featured the death of a young man who was in town to visit a relative. He believed that he should be able to walk any streets within the United States of America, and refused to believe he could be in any danger. Very tragic story.
Kudos to the film makers of this documentary for providing a thoughtful insight as to the conditions that have caused so much sadness to so many people.