Hacker Cinema
Crips and Bloods: Made in America
2009 · Film · documentary · 93 min
Directed by Stacy Peralta
With a first-person look at the notorious Crips and Bloods, this film examines the conditions that have lead to decades of devastating gang violence among young African Americans growing up in South Los Angeles.
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2 comments on Hacker News
I've read various stuff to this extent, but the most interesting treatment was in the documentary called "Crips and Bloods: Made in America" that examines the origins of those two gangs.
A big part of it was how the LAPD would only enforce laws in certain neighborhoods. The gangs were literally trained by the police that if they commit crimes on one side of a particular street, the laws will be enforced, but if they commit crimes on the ghetto side of the street, they will not be.
I'm also a huge fan of the show...For the interested who want nonfiction but also want a compelling narrative arc, there's a great documentary by Stacy Peralta ("Lords of Dogtown," "Riding Giants") on gangs in LA, "Crips and Bloods: Made in America." It's part history, part interviews with current and former hardcore gangbangers.
Two great nonfiction books on similar subjects that are highly readable:
A Hope in the Unseen, Ron Suskind (based on Suskind's Pulitzer-winning newspaper series)
Makes Me Wanna Holler, Nathan McCall (an ex-hood turned WaPost reporter)