Customer Reviews

Gangland: The Complete Season Three

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Very well made series. Each episode is focused on a different gang, inclusing interviews from current members, former members, aswell as the law enforcement agencys attached to investigating that gang. Definately some parts that may be hard to watch for some people, it is an understatement to say that this contains violence. My only 2 issues with this show is that it was made for people that watch 1 episode at a time, if you plan to sit down and watch a few in a row, you will find it gets repetative. Aswell, the first season is the best one by far, contains all the major gangs, the show kind of goes downhill from there, but thats not to say it gets worse, just not as good as the first season. I grew up in a very gang dominated city and throught i knew a fair ammount about gangs, apparently i was wrong. This series is a definate eye-opener.

seriously? 'all the trappings o' a gang'? just cause a couple o' pinheads choose to classify a group o' people as a gang doesn't necessarily make the claim true...'subculture' is a sociologically more accurate description. besides which, police villifying hard-core kids - who were ALWAYS 'on the cop's radar' - goes all the way back to the very beginning o' the hc scene, and is well documented

this series has - via sheer repetition - effectively established the hallmarks o' gang behavior :
- territorial disputes: only, fsu doesn't squabble over turf, nor do they tag, throw up gang signs, or roam the streets deliberately looking for trouble from other gangs. they're just kids who go to shows to listen to music and let off some steam
- drug trafficking and use: meth (and earlier coke) largely finance all actual gang activities vs. straight-edge kids who choose not to drink or do drugs...steroids? ok, that one is actually believable, however despite being illegal, can hardly be compared to substances like crack !!!
- ultra-violence: this one typically involves knives and - especially - guns, resulting in particularly large body counts; to include xecuting innocent civilians. meanwhile, fsu members still believe in the concept of settling disputes with their fists - NOT w/ knives or guns...hey, can anyone actually tell me just what is the difference between and fsu brawl and the brawls we xpect/celebrate every week in our professional sports?! christ, just look at hockey and tell me that's NOT swarming! and policing up the scene o' neo-nazis was actually a good thing - and i doubt any honest cop would even dispute the means on that one!
- oh, and did anyone notice that the boston cop said NO fsu incidents in 2 years?! name just one other gang in this entire series so far that the same could be said about !
- in fact, the ONLY similarity is a mutual distrust o' authority, but for very different reasons - gangs naturally fear authority because they actively engage in illegal activity; whereas fsu member's distrust stems from questioning the tenants o' capitalist societies - and rightly so

from the very beginning, hard-core music has largely been about fostering thought, NOT fear...in fact, when Elgin James waxes poetic about his own mortality, there is more honest perspective found there than everything else i have heard uttered by gang members in this entrie series so far - combined !

not to undersell what this series has done right, but an otherwise informing xamination has clearly run out o' ideas as this chapter sadly represents almost textbook misrepresentation o' something which carries with it simply the hint o' the dangerous, but is really just a VERY small group o' young people who are largely misunderstood in their passion for a particular music style, and belief in living drug/alcohol free (oh dear gawd! think o' the children!). the lack o' proper historical context here - to include NOT reporting on the harassments and beatings that cops regularly visited on these youth from the very beginning all around the country - also serves to underscore the attempt here to lump this group o' people into the same mold as the legitimate gangs xamined so far who actually ARE hell-bent on living with the overt intent on dealing death and destruction to those around them in their quest to xpand their drug empires - to include deliberately targeting civilians for no reason save moving up in rank...

this one chapter positively reeks o' filler. coming in S4 - the pensioner wars; and, gangs o' nerds who launch cyber attacks against those who claim Spock spoke the immortal phrase, 'may the force be with you'...

- don't just question authority; question everything !!!

parting shot : the allegation that their girlfriends were hiding knives from the police (a technique employed by other gangs as we have already seen) seems far-fetched, particulary as there was absolutely NO mention o' stab wounds in the 1 unfortunate fatality directly linked to this group. in fact, there was no mention o' knives being used in ANY o' the fights initiated by this group!!!

Gangland: Season Three, brings to light street conflicts im American
cities that is beyond the comprehension of anyone, in a brave and
fearless manner that is unmatched elsewhere, beyond the gruesome of
what is seen even, in the final moments of Taxi Driver, for example.

This series, in no shape, way or form glorifies conflict. Rather, it
builds on interviews with key individuals who decided that the
lifestyle wasn't for them after experiencing it first-hand for a
length of time and concerned about it potential as a livelihood in
the medium to long term.

In the case of LA GRAN FAMILIA (LGF), based in Atlanta, GA, the
founding of the group was noble at first, opposing various
injustices and humiliation from school bullies. At some point, this
goal changed to the pursuit of status, gold chains, glamorous rims,
Mercedes Benz cars, hotties, money and the exhilaration of
instilling fear in others generally, and competing with and
defeating local rival gangs specifically.

About 5 years before the opening of the Atlanta Olympics and
afterwards - a time during when the demand for manual labor in
public works projects was high, as well as the remuneration - a
massive influx of aliens from Mexico and Central America occurred,
increasing it 10 fold locally, and the general population of
everyone in metro Atlanta doubling as well.

Along with a much higher number of wealthy laborers came a much
higher demand for narcotics and underground services, including
cocaine, meth, ecstasy, marijuana. It also opened the door to
extortion and manipulation of those migrants, who by necessity
required fake ID and a means in escaping from the ICE (Immigration
and Customs Enforcement), such as changing living address regularly
remain untraceable by detectives.

With LGT, there are the rivals North Side 14, La Raza and the
Surenos. Through a well defined structure, LGT is made up of
Maltides 13, Latin Kings, Brownside Locos, Pachucos 21 and
Riverside Locos, all of those present to some degree in Atlanta,
Dikalb, Cobb, Gwinett and Hall counties, The only difference is the
absence of clearly defined territories, unlike LA.

For those the inhabitants in the vicinity, living in fear is a
token, as residents decline in identifying members to not being
shown as complainants to the law. For those on the outside, tags
seen on the street suggest the presence of various gangs, and an X
an opposition to it, hinting at animosity and imminent conflict.

The gang culture is present in other ways as well, through the
wearing of tattoos, a large number of drive-by shootings, called
cliquing, (men, women, children), hiring lookouts, pushers, hand
signals, kick doors (home invasions, burglaries), car thefts,
weapons use (shotgun, pistol, machine guns), luxury cars with bullet
proofed windows. All of this increasingly catching the public's
attention, as the ends justify the means, with an increasing greed
and viciousness and frequency.

The RICO statutes and the FBI are deployed to reign in those
operations, bringing members into the fish tank (detention), having
members roll over, and sentences decided.

If you like these sort of true crime documentaries Gangland is a nice look. Street gangs, prison gangs, drug dealing gangs, its all there- violence, violence and more violence. If you like this type of stuff check out the Street Legends series from Gorilla Convict Publications.

Gangland Seasons 1-6 is your usual glamorization of the Gang Life,Of Street scum,Of what Liberals feel sorry for "The Disenfranchised",The so-called victims of Capitalism according to the bleeding liberal,the Activist Judges,It gets 5 stars For INTEL that can be gained to fight fire with Fire. I don't want to hear the same usual defense of the Fatherless children,the haves and have nots. I grew up poor,I never thought of Fighting the Man, I rather be the Man than Some Poor Excuse,Poor Victim.And Join the Communes and Ranks of Animals and sociopaths on bent on the elimination of their own peoples and neighborhoods,I don't want to hear "Sociologists" talk about the Discrimination of the Blacks,Hispanics and so fourth and the banding together in Defense. All Weak justifications of Joining a Gang. You have Jesse Jackson(Like Sharpton,Race Baiters) Half Brother's Connection to the Underworld shown here,so it is informative,but is it History? I think the History Channel Like lots of Television has given in to What's Hip? and Sadly that is Reality series and History of Street Trash.