Customer Reviews

Slippin: Ten Years with the Bloods

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

 

 

I found this video very interesting: at once informative -- gang members themselves guide us through their world, explaining how graffitti tags work, their use of rap music, and their fascination with and choice of weapons; and they bring us into their social/family life, for instance -- and hilarious -- when " Low Down " Lemar takes a job as a court summons deliverer and when Jumbo and his Mom get into it, and so on. It also greived me at places: the death of " CK " (Crip Killer) Mike, the overall waste of Human potential and misguided leadership ability plaguing inner city areas like South Central, and the incessant and nihilistic preoccupation with killing and being killed, all made real in a world, their world, where it seems that you must kill or be killed, living and dying by the nines, by the glocks,and by the crack that will never know your name. But Jumbo's and a few others' survival -- and, in some cases, transformation -- heartened me.

All first-hand: no commentary from the documentarians. The gangsters are the only narrators.

Slippin' follows the lives of five Bloods (mostly "Rolling 20's") from South Central Los Angeles over a ten year period. I've spent quite a few years doing volunteer work with gangs and juvenile prisoners in L.A. and other cities and I'd say it's a very accurate depiction. The average viewer will be sickened and saddened by the wasted lives of these young people. It's not only the murder, violence, crime, and drug/alcohol abuse; at root it's the tragic absence of education, structure, normal life-skills, functional family units, etc. Bloods are shown living with their grandmothers and dealing out of their homes, which in my experience is very common. I won't go into all the reasons for that, but suffice it to say these young people's lives are broken and it's heart wrenching to watch them self-destruct on film. That Dig Dug took some of the money he had made in gang activity and hired a tutor to teach him to how to read was very impacting. After watching the film I prayed for these guys.

Many popular films, songs, and music videos glorify this kind of gang lifestyle and have encouraged far too many young people to imitate it. This documentary goes beyond the glorified image to show the meaningless despair and emptiness that truly characterizes gang life.

Sadly, this documentary could now be filmed in almost any city in America. I hope and pray that more churches/organizations/agencies/and just people who care will help create positive change in these communities. In my experience, what's needed is more holistic community development (addressing the needs of the whole person; body, mind, and spirit). For instance, churches should certainly continue helping people experience spiritual transformation through Jesus (I believe change starts there), but need to continue discipleship by providing (or partnering with others for) such things as vocation training, parenting classes, counseling/anger management, appropriate leads/preparation/attitude/clothing for interviews and work, remedial reading and math, money management including budgeting/saving/check writing/direct deposit, recovery meetings and interventions, after-school sports, computer, Bible, and homework programs, preventative health training, values/responsibility/worldview issues, etc. The books of Dr. John Perkins are excellent on this Beyond Charity: The Call to Christian Community Development Restoring At-Risk Communities: Doing It Together and Doing It Right, as well as the books of Keith Phillips Out of Ashes, Randy White Journey to the Center of the City: Making a Difference in an Urban Neighborhood,Ray Bakke, and Darrow Miller/Scott Allen.

Honestly, I don't have much to add beyond what the previous reviewers said. However, I do want to implore anyone reading this to please watch this film. It's depressingly underrated (I don't understand how it's rated a 6.3 on IMDB) and underwatched (could have something to do with the previous point). As stated earlier, there is nothing glamorous or sexy about this documentary. It's brutally honest without a message. It is nothing if not the closest most of us will ever come to understanding what it's like to live in a circle of hatred, hopelessness, and violence. Again, MUST WATCH!

I mean the video speaks for itself. Slippin. Yup there is some serious slippin that happens in this video. A little bit of keepin it real and a whole lotta representin. You can't go wrong with this video it will serve you till the end of your days with deep philosophical content.