Crips and Bloods: Made in America

In this documentary, the two gangs—the Bloods and the Crips—in South Los Angeles, California, are examined. It looks at the variables that have fueled the horrific gang violence that young African Americans have endured there for decades. There is violence, foul language, and drug use.As these gangs have branches all around the country, not only in LA,I learned a lot about them throughout my many years as a correctional officer. This movie succeeds in giving a human face to a topic that frequently sparks heated discussion. Many people's eyes can be completely opened by the inside look at the gangs and the way they function.While mostly focusing on well-known facts, this movie is still a shocker. No moral outrage or suspicion of a conspiracy sparked its creation. The film is, at best, incoherent as it relates to humanitarianism The worst-case scenario though for this film is it serves as a recruitment video.

Tears cascade down the faces of family members holding pictures of loved ones murdered by gangs in the streets of their communities. Los Angeles, California has a history of destructive social unrest beginning in the early 1940's that created the environment from which, two of the world's most notorious street gangs, the Crips and the Bloods was born. Crips and Bloods: Made in America is a hard-hitting emotional documentary that is gripping and compelling. Debuting as an Original Selection at the Sundance film festival in 2007, this film has been regarded as one of the best documentaries created in years.Crips and Bloods: Made in America is Directed by Stacey Peralta and Narrated by Emmy Award winning actor Forest Whitaker. Produced for DVD release by Ducudrama Films in 2009, this unrated documentary is a comprehensive and emotional film that keeps on giving. This film is a historical chronicle on the development of the Crips and Bloods street gangs.The plot of the movie is to identify the causative factors of gang activity and offers solutions to the problem using history and individuals involved in gang activity. University professors, interventionists, active gang members and community leaders discuss gang life and its impacts on individuals, families and society as a whole during in-depth personal interviews. Historical events are presented in a storytelling format supported by newspaper articles and graphic video footage. The interviews and stories are intermixed throughout the film resulting in a complete work on Crips and Bloods that leaves no topic untouched.I think that the personal nature of the interviews coupled with the historical backdrop is one of the most interesting features of Crips and Bloods: Made in America. The viewer gets a sense of realness and humanity from the interviewees. Ex-gang members reflect on their past and discuss how and why they changed their ways. Active gang members show frustration and a desire for their lives to be different. One of the most emotional parts of the film is the interviews of family members who have been killed in gang violence. They share the stories of their loved ones and exhibit deep sorrow while explaining different coping mechanisms they use to get by on a daily basis. The way in which the interviews are presented can have the viewer heartily laughing or shedding tears.I highly recommend this movie. Anyone interested in gangs would enjoy this movie. Law Enforcement could gain benefit from the movie in training sessions as it gives historical perspective and shows gang members as being human beings with feelings. Educators from junior high school through college could use this film for classes ranging from gang prevention/intervention to American history to Administration of Justice. Families should share this movie with their children at an age them deem appropriate as a parenting tool.There is usage of graphic language and images of violence that some viewers may find objectionable. I think that the movie presents all of that in context and to omit such would defeat the purpose of the move and detract from the overall message. A unique feature of this project is that it is ongoing and viewers are encouraged and shown how that they can get involved in its efforts. I give Crips and Bloods: Made in America five out of five stars.

This isn't about The Crips and Bloods. It's about how and the why these gangs and others are formed. It's about slavery thus the 'black man' cannot advance in society so they have a slew of excuses not to educate themselves and work like everyone else and other 'minorities'. It's about them boasting about their riots which we all know is only an excuse to loot. rioting never has and never will solve anything, but it does put a lot of people out of business because of all the damage done by the thieving rioters. It's about these people with all their excuses boasting about killing and acting like children marking 'their side'. It's about getting 'no respect'. I guess respect for these people is free everything. Even if they got free everything they'd still not be happy. Complaining and whining and woe is me is their favorite pastime. Always the victim. Yet I see a lot of very fine black people who are successful. Many of them didn't come from wealth or even middle class yet they rose above it, so, it is possible if you want it and try and stop expecting it to be given to you. Stop harping on slavery (Kanye got that right). Those who lived through it are the victims, they suffered in ways NO ONE in generations since will ever come close to, but they are gone now, so stop using their suffering to make excuses for your lazy butts. I don't see the Holocaust generations trying to gain free gain and making endless excuses for what happened to their people. Which was even worse than slavery. AND BTW slavery did not begin with the Africans, it began as far back as 3500BC. of all races. I have a best friend who is black, we've been friends since our youth. She had such a hard childhood, no love, no trust, no one to depend on. Most of her life through mid 20's she sofa surfed at friends because she had nowhere to live and couldn't afford rent. Had no food. Never once did I hear say it's because of slavery, or black people are just treated so unfairly, she educated herself off grants and never gave up. Today she lives in Manhattan and is highly successful. No one handed her a thing. No one can say it's because of them she's where she is. She took responsibility for her life and worked hard to live a good life now. She didn't need to join a gang either to feel she belonged or have a family.

The problem with this documentary is that it seems to rush the last half of it, you get a good amount of information about the migration of African Americans in to Los Angeles, the discrimination and racism that they faced and the formation of the early social clubs like the slausons. What you don't get much information about is the formation of the Crips and Bloods, and who their leaders were. The only name that got mentioned was Raymond Washington, but it did not tell you how they came up with their name, their choice of colors and how they managed to grow as much as what they have. The last half just basically give you a bunch of stories from members of the Crips and Bloods today. Worth a watch, but if you want to know about the story of the Crips then I would recommend reading the autobiography of Raymond Washington. There is also one about Stanley tookie Williams but it is not as truthful as the Raymond Washington book is. 5/10

One of the most insightful documentaries I have ever watched on a subject I knew little about. The director and all those involved in this production deserves massive credit for really lifting the lid off a human tragedy in the most developed nation on earth! How this tragedy is allowed to continue for so long is scandalous. The documentary is not all doom and gloom though and the fact that little by little the older gang members are turning away from the lifestyle and helping to turn around the younger ones without any state or government assistance is the real heart of this documentary film. Bravo!!

Very touching,informative and gives the real reason why the black community in america and all over the world is in shambles. Black people are not just naturally criminal or violent, the foundation of american slavery, racism and segregation and centuries of abuse by the white oppressor created a reverse effect to where black people who eventually ran out of leaders began to out of anger and hate for the white society and their own people destroy their own communities. So the foundations of the Negro behaviour created by Europeans became a time bomb centuries later to where the population of blacks decreased significantly due to years of programming and hindrance into the white corporate society and so although Europeans cannot be blamed for the actions of black people but their history made the modern Negro what he is today. THERE IS A REASON BEHIND EVERY DISORDER AND CHAOS GREAT DOCUMENTARY, ENLIGHTENING AND POWERFUL.

completely satisfied.

another hit for my son