Crips and Bloods: Made in America is a 2008 documentary by Stacy Peralta that examines the rise of the Crips and Bloods, prominent gangs in America who have been at war with each other. The documentary focuses on the external factors that caused African-American youth to turn to gangs and questions the political and law enforcement response to the rise of gang culture.
Contents
Cast
Bo Taylor: He is former Schoolyard Crip and the founder of Unity One, a privately funded organization dedicated to peacemaking and the transformation of gang members into productive citizens.
Skipp, Nikko and Bow Wow: Former Bloods and Crips members that join together as a part of Unity One, working to help active gang members make a better living and make the transformation they need.
Jim Brown: Pro Football Hall of Famer founded of the Amer-I-Can foundation. The mission of the foundation is to help provide life management skills and resources to at-risk youth and has been doing so for more than 20 years.
Rock Johnson: Former original Compton Crip member and currently the National Chief of Staff of the Amer-I-Can foundation. He is also the founder of the I-Can Youth Foundation.
Vicky D. Lindsey: Founder of Project Cry No More, a privately funded organization dedicated to providing therapy to mothers who have lost their children to gang violence.
Minister Tony Muhammad: Wester Regional Minister for the Nation of Islam and founder of Peace Makers, a privately funded program dedicated to resolving gang conflict.
T. Rodgers: Founder of Sidewalk University and author of two books on gang culture (one of them being '1995's - The Uprising and "Do or Die'" ) Rodger works on bringing armistice to gangs of all color and denominations, nationally and internationally.
Aquil Basheer of Maximum Force Enterprises and Aqeela Sherrils of The Reverence Project, both currently direct an intervention program specializing in the violence abatement, truce negotiation, and youth empowerment.
Terry Goudeau, Naji Harris, and James Harris: Original gang members and now working as community recovery and reconciliation counselors.
Kumasi, Bird, and Ron: Former Slauson gang members and now activist, educators, and community leaders dedicated to forging unity between African Americans and Latinos.
Film
The documentary is set in South Central Los Angeles, and the film emphasizes the area's proximity to some of America's wealthiest communities. South Central is five miles from Hollywood and twenty miles from Anaheim and Orange County. The documentary notes that children who grow up to join gangs often face a severe deficit of opportunities and highlights that the American Dream appears out of reach for the youth of South Central. Crips and Bloods: Made in America notes that violence between the two gangs has taken more than 15,000 lives to date.
Storyline
The documentary begins with a discussion of the circumstances that led to the rise of violent gangs including a lack of youth outlets, a need for in-group protection, and the emergence of the modern drug trade.
The film interviews former gang members who describe being turned away from youth organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America and Explorer Scouts of AmericaExploring (Learning for Life). The interviewees discuss how young African-American men are neglected from predominantly white organizations, and that black youth across South Central often have no place for developing a sense of identity. The interview subjects discuss how this gave gang culture a special appeal, especially among youth who lacked a sense of belonging.
The documentary also notes how gang culture rose from competition between neighborhood cliques, namely groups like the Slausons, Dell Vikings, and the Gladiators. In addition to providing a sense of community for local youth, these groups also fought back against white gangs who routinely caused problems in black neighborhoods. These first organizations offered a newfound unity and sense of safety for young black men that was otherwise out of reach.
Due to the perceived criminality of African-American men, the Los Angeles Police Department under the direction of Police Chief William Parker, regulated the Los Angeles area. Parker believed in a hardline approach to gang violence and resisted using social work to quell the violence. One of the ways he enforced this was through locking down African-American neighborhoods. According to Kumasi, a former Slauson gang member, "You had to be at the right neighborhood at the right time. You couldn't go east of Alameda, for example."
East of Alameda was a predominantly white neighborhood, where African Americans were not welcomed during the high of the Civil Rights Movement. Kumasi further discusses the invisible barriers that were established. If one was found walking through the “wrong neighborhood” they were questioned. This, in essence, limited the freedom to walk wherever one pleased.
Kumasi later described the experience of an African-American man of Los Angeles as a "walking time bomb". They were experiencing so much hatred from the police that sooner or later they would erupt. "The only question was upon whom," he said.
Reception
The film was a nominee for the award for Outstanding Documentary (Theatrical or Television) at the NAACP Image Awards and the Best Documentary at the Emmys.