Just saw this documentary today in San Francisco, at the historic Roxie. Really, really enjoyed it. It gives a whole new perspective on LA gangs. I appreciated the structure of the film, the subjects (gave great interviews) and the whole message. I thought it was brilliant. Kudos to Peralta, Baron Davis, QD3 and Cash Warren. Great film! Worth the money!
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I also liked seeing the film, but thought that Peralta came across as being somewhat naive.
And, the gang members, past and present, seemed too keen on making excuses for their mis-behaviours than wanting to proffer ways and means of correcting them and obliterating the presence of gangs, once and for all.
People can say the gang members were making excuses, but the only reason many of those people are alive is because they were FORCED to enter the gang lifestyle, and it is the only way they know.
I don't think anyone if forced to enter a Gang. To be a gang member is a choice people make, good or bad. It is a CHOICE, and IMO, a none too good one at that.
Kids who come from homes where their folks aren't into them (don't want them) or who don't care enough to look after their own kids, are ones who are more likely than not to join gangs, and commit criminal acts.
That's why I always say: THINK very, very carefully before you have kids, and don't elect to bring one into the world unless he or she is truly someone you wish to invest, time, a lot of money, care, etc in. Many kids come into the world because their parent's had sex without protection, & didn't want to abort an unwanted pregnancy for various reasons, religious and otherwise.
Many folks are not prepared to become parents and it takes a lot of TIME and MONEY fo raise a kid, and do it well
Anyway, I'd best get off of my Soapbox, sorry.
So how do you propose that a potential gang member gets his parents to be there for him (or exist in the first place)? You make it sound very easy to suddenly have a middle class and have all the wonderful choices that that class enjoys, like not having to join a gang to survive.
sharePeople keep throwing around this "making excuses" business. The excuses seem pretty valid to me. I'm not saying gangbangers deserve nothing but sympathy, but if you look at the context gangs exist in, it's pretty easy to see why it would be an attractive option to so many. A desire for protection from physical and verbal abuse, to belong to a crowd, to get material possessions...basically the same things you or I would want. It just so happens that we're lucky enough not to need to join gangs to get them.
"I am Jack's wasted life."
assassin,
I understand. I just don't agree with the baaad decision to join gangs. I too lived an UN-ideal childhood, but I didn't make this choice, despite having used drugs and run around with a less-than-desirable crowd of folks.
I stay on the right side of the law.
Try not to gossip about who / what you don't know. Harsh words can be cruelly speculative.
Well if you used drugs, you didn't technically stay on the right side of the law. But more to the point, I'm not saying gangbangers should have no responsibility for their actions. I'm just saying their circumstances severely minimize their culpability. That's something a lot of people have trouble seeing, and that the documentary did a great job of showing.
"I am Jack's wasted life."
asassins,
I USED ... PAST tense.
I STAY ... PRESENT tense.
OK?
No one's circumstances e-VER minimise their guilt. E-VER! I am shocked to "hear" you say this. Really I am.
Bad past or not, the choices you make are yours and you must take responsibility for all of your actions. There is no excusing what Gangsters do. Really ... there isn't. To advocate otherwise is dangerous. Yes, one can explain why they do what they do, coming from where they have, but ... excuse it? Nope!
Try not to gossip about who / what you don't know. Harsh words can be cruelly speculative.