Dorothy feels trapped in the projects: "You're not there because you want to be there."

At the beginning of the documentary, the Collins family appears to be stuck. They are stuck in the projects' inadequate housing, stuck in the struggle to seek better educational opportunities for the children, stuck in the pain of losing Terrell, stuck with the troubles that come from drug use, and stuck in the systemic and oppressive forces of the "inner-city." Although they are stuck, they hold a dream of a brighter tomorrow.

Poverty, Discrimination and Violence: Creating Inner Cities

The area of Chicago in which the Collins family lives is often referred to as the "inner-city." People who are very poor, usually black or brown, and isolated from "mainstream" America populate it. The few businesses in the area are pawnshops, beeper stores, check-cashing establishments, fast food restaurants, cheap furniture and clothing stores, and small, but expensive markets. Bars, boards and thick plexiglas shield the store operators from the residents.

Inner-city neighborhoods are mostly very poor and comprised of women and young children. To care for themselves and each other, they establish very strong kinships and/or parakinships. They assist with childcare, household duties and crisis management, the joys and hopes, and fears and pain, as if they are family, even when they are not. The rules with which they learn to survive are often very different from what is seen in mainstream America.

In the inner-city, there is a persistent lack of jobs that pay a living wage; and restricted essential public services, such as police response to crises, building maintenance, trash pick-up, lighting and other services expected in mainstream America. Along with discrimination due to race, the negative impact of drug/alcohol abuse and distribution produces a significant level of alienation and a loss of hope for the future. In addition, inadequate shelter and housing, food and nutrition, clothing, and community resources, result in a social system that is hostile to the viability and survival of African American families.

The absence of material resources and the presence of double and triple sources of discrimination- race, gender and social class- create social obstacles that are very difficult to transcend. Viable solutions are those that address each source- the excess of poverty, racism and discrimination, drugs, alcohol and cigarettes, criminal justice bias and limited examples of positive human potential.

Discussion Questions

What is the "inner-city?" How was it created? What forces continue to keep the inner-city separate from the larger city? Should steps be taken to revitalize inner-cities? What kinds of strategies would be necessary?
How do the forces that create the inner-city impact the residents who live there? What stereotypes exist in the larger city about the people who live in the inner-city? How are those stereotypes influenced by centuries of race-based ideas about the inherent inferiority of African-descended persons?
What impact do stereotypes or preconceived notions about the residents of the inner-city have on the development of more effective strategies for addressing their needs? To what degree does racism limit attention to the needs of these residents?
Terrell was shot and killed by another youth in the neighborhood, as he was coming home. What impact do the following have on the incidence of violence in the projects: a slower police response time, inadequate gun-control laws, an insufficient police presence in the community and poor community-police relations?
Boys & Girls Clubs (B&GC) focus attention on creating a sense of power and influence, competence, usefulness and belonging in young people with whom they work. What strategies would you suggest to increase B&GC's impact on young people in the inner-city?
What is the role of youth service organizations and the larger community to eradicate the negative impact of life in the inner-city?

Resources

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America, (404) 487-5700
Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, (303) 492-8465
US Department of Labor- Employment and Training Administration, www.doleta.gov