Independent Lens . CRIPS AND BLOODS: Made in America | PBS

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A blue bandana intertwined with a red bandana on a black background with a splotch of red. Text reads: In South Central Los Angeles, more than 15,000 people have died in a four-decade civil war between two of America’s most notorious street gangs: the Crips and the Bloods.

Documentary filmmakers Stacy Peralta goes to the root of this long-standing battle, talking with former and current gang members to reveal a multi-generational cycle of despair, social deterioration—and a drive to survive.

A man wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap sitting in a director’s chair reading, with a graffiti-covered wall behind him

“I made it my mission to go into the various neighborhoods and build relationships with prominent gang members and former gang members before the cameras ever arrived.”

—Stacy Peralta

Read an interview with the filmmaker >>

Opportunities are few; services are limited. Learn how disparities in areas such as economics and health affect the neighborhood’s residents.

View an interactive map of South Los Angeles >>

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