Inside PBS Blog

Filmmaker Stacy Peralta struck a chord with audiences with his latest documentary, “Crips and Bloods: Made in America.” The film explores the history of two street gangs by taking viewers into the Southern California neighborhoods where the gangs formed.

We knew that this incredible story would spark questions about the people in the film and the story behind the camera. Here are Peralta’s answers to the questions you submitted. 

What's next for you and your involvement with the people you filmed? Maya
 
I’ve been asked to be on the board of 2nd Call – an organization run by Skipp Townsend, one of the former Bloods we feature in the film.  His organization is on the frontlines, every single day trying help keep peace, broker peace and keep things positive in his neighborhood and the surrounding neighborhoods.

What was it like getting access to current and former gang members? Were they very skeptical to allow a filmmaker come in and document their lives? Paul
 
My original assumption was that they were going to be skeptical and distant and perhaps were not going to want to get involved – but the opposite occurred, they were open to the idea and many even thanked me for wanting to get involved in bringing light to the subject.  This is not to say that everyone I approached said “yes.” But it is to suggest that there was a willingness from many different gang members to get involved so that this story could be told to the greater world outside of their own community.
 
I would like to hear more about the mothers of these kids. Do you know of efforts to help single moms in South L.A. to create a safe environment for their children before they become gang members? Wendy
 
The person to go to regarding any interest one may have in regards to the mothers who have lost children to gang violence is Vickey Lindsay and her organization “Project Cry No More.”  Vickey is one of the mothers we feature in the film and she has the most experience in dealing with this issue.
 
I caught this program by accident the other evening. Fascinating camera work and interviews. I am also interested in hearing about the process of making this film. How on earth did it happen? ChitaDenita
 
It came from my own misunderstanding of the problem.  I’m a Los Angeles resident and a documentary filmmaker and I wanted to understand this issue, so I made this film which allowed me to further investigate the problem and see it from an entirely different perspective. The end result is that it has changed the way I think and feel about gang violence and about those who live in the economically challenged parts of our communities in America.

What surprised you the most or was the most unexpected discovery during your time filming this documentary? Lulu
 
One of the featured former gang members in the film is an individual name Kumasi. In the film Kumasi said what I believe is the single most important line anyone spoke: “part of the mechanics of oppressing people is to pervert them to the extent that they become their own oppressors.”  

In my mind that line sums up gang violence and the ongoing tragedy that it is.

You can watch clips from the film, explore an interactive map of Los Angeles, and go behind the scenes with Stacy Peralta on the film’s website.

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