Baron Davis Documentary

I just took some time to watch Crips and Bloods: Made in America , which is an award winning documentary produced by Baron Davis. I won't lie, this isn't a topic in which I have ever had much interest. However, I was drawn by the fact that it was produced by one of my favorite NBA stars and because the reviews have been nothing but outstanding. Plus, I'm on vacation, so why not.

I really recommend this to anybody who is interested in American history, anybody who is interested in urban culture, or anybody who will consume anything with an NBA player's name attached to it (as I said, I fall into category #3). This is much more than your typical film that interviews gang members in hopes of dehumanizing them, keeping people at an even greater distance, and making the problem worse. Instead, this film is filled with history. It takes us all the way back to the mid-20th century, and shows us how something that began so seemingly innocent exploded to the point where there have been over 15,000 gang-related deaths over the past 30 years in Los Angeles county alone. It also paints the current gang culture in an undeniably negative and unflattering light, and in no way glorifies street violence. As an anti-gang documentary, what makes this incredibly successful is the knowledge it provides in terms of how this problem arose, how connected it is with the history and politics of America, and how deep-rooted it is in the culture of this pocket of America.

It's on demand. Check it out.