Bastards of the Party

This is a must see for anyone who is remotely linked to the Los Angeles and it's gang problem. Cle "Bone" Sloan in his freshman production manages to capture the history of African-American's and their strained relationship with the city of Los Angeles and the federal government. He provides a rich backdrop that lays a foundation of gang relations not only with the community, but with political parties and even the F.B.I. and specifically J. Edgar Hoover and the infamous Counter Intelligence Program used to dismantle the Black Panther Party, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King jr.

Bastards poses many questions but attempts to answer none. It highlights the depth at which the gang problem exists in Los Angeles. Those who think that a simple cease fire or truce will lessen the tensions between the government manufactured enemies delude themselves. Sloan was able to reveal a deep-seated hatred between the red and blue factions that won't be easily appeased. Even when a loosely arranged truce was arranged, gang members themselves testify to LAPD involvement in keeping tensions between the two groups high. One gang member said that police officers confiscated his car, drove it to a rival gang neighborhood and conducted a drive-by-then returned his car to him.

Gang members still fear that any truce will not be upheld by rival members still grieving over fallen comrades. Listening to the testimony of member after member, its easy to see that the problem is far more complex than what meets the eye. I've contemplated how the problem could be solved and the only solution two solutions I arrived at were to either scatter all members across the United States to locations where tensions do not exist (which is virtually impossible), or if a common enemy similar to the one that appeared during the uprising in 1992 after the Rodney King injustice. Rivalrys were laid aside long enough to vent frustrations with the justice system that have been long standing.

I would like to see my brothers in Los Angeles put their weaponry aside long enough to join hands and rebuild their community. I would like them to recognize that, like all other people, we do have a common interest-it's called survival and it is so much sweeter when communities and together and tackle the problem as one.

The Prince