Crips and Bloods: Made in America

Summary:

This is an exceptionally well made and quite well known documentary about the formation of the notorious street gangs the Crips and the Bloods in South Central LA. The film includes interviews with gang members past and present and considers the variety of social circumstances which led to the situation as it stands today. This includes the immigration of African Americans from the South during the 40s and 50s and the segregation and discrimination experienced by that population, as well as a discussion of how gangs originally formed as a mechanism for fighting back against white oppression, particularly from the police. There is a nice section on the Watts Riots. Also a discussion of the introduction of crack cocaine and how the gangs turned increasingly towards violence against each other.

My thoughts:
When I first saw this, years ago, it was an eye-opener for me. I had never before considered the reasons why anyone would join a gang or the systemic conditions which would prompt that choice. This documentary does a nice job of balancing history and sociology with real, human stories. It's a must-see for anyone interested in cultural diversity issues.

Discussion Points:

• What does the gang provide for its members? What is the psychological role of the gang in the members' lives?
• How are life chances impacted by growing up in an area like South Central LA?
• How did discrimination and prejudice contribute to the formation of the Crips and Bloods, and does it still contribute?
• What are our stereotypes about gang members? Were any of these challenged by this movie?

Website here
Runtime: 93 minutes
Streaming on Netflix: Yes!

The Pruitt-Igoe Myth

Summary:

This superb documentary follows the creation, rise, decay, and demolition of the Pruitt-Igoe housing project in St Louis. At the time (the mid-fifties), the project was revolutionary, intended to provide safe and healthy affordable housing for the urban working class. The complex's construction was based on the assumption that the urban population would continue to boom. Instead, white flight and the construction of suburbia drove those who could afford it out of the city, and jobs followed. Those who couldn't get out - many of them poor and black - were abandoned in Pruitt-Igoe. Without sufficient money for upkeep, the complex quickly descended into disrepair, becoming a violent and unsafe place for the residents.

My thoughts:
A complex look at a complex subject, but easily accessible through the range of social experts and former residents of Pruitt-Igoe, as well as pictures and video from the period. This documentary goes beyond the idea of assessing blame to explore the many ways that system failures combined to first create Pruitt-Igoe and then destroy it.

Discussion Points:

• What impact has redlining and segregation had on creating "bad" neighborhoods?
• How does the neighborhood one grows up in impact life chances? How might it cause internalized bias?
• Explore the diverse reactions former residents had to their neighborhood - some loved it, some hated it, some feared it.
• Do we as a society have social obligations to relieve extreme poverty? Can we ever attribute blame for poverty?
• Apply broken windows theory , labeling theory , and/or Merton's theory of deviance to this situation. Is any theory fully explicative?

Documentary website here
Running time: 83 minutes
Streaming on Netflix: Yes