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It's been almost a decade since Marc Levin and Daphne Pinkerson exposed gang warfare in the heartland with the 1994 HBO documentary "Gang War: Bangin' in Little Rock." Now, the filmmakers return to Little Rock to update the stories of several gang members profiled in the first film.
BACK IN THE HOOD: GANG WAR 2 follows Leifel Jackson, onetime leader of the OGCs (Original Gangster Crips), as he is released from prison after almost a decade behind bars for drug trafficking. Jackson was one of the targets in the 1993 drive-by shooting captured in the first "Gang War" documentary. Now he is trying to live straight and make a positive difference in his neighborhood, but every day is a struggle.
"I think it's a lot easier doing time than it is out here struggling to make ends meet," explains Jackson. "I'm going to have to make an example, and my example is that you can come home, regardless of how long you're gone, and make it."
Jackson runs Our Club, a city-funded after-school program, in addition to working other odd jobs to provide for his family. Even though the city government honored Jackson with a Juvenile Justice Worker of the Year Award, he is not on its payroll, and does not have health insurance.
Although it's a violation of his parole to associate with gang members. Jackson is convinced that he has to stay connected to the streets, because those are the people he needs to reach. However, there is little incentive for the disaffected youth in the neighborhood to break free of the fast-cash, drugs-and-guns gang lifestyle in an area with few alternatives.
At his community center, Jackson delivers a cautionary message about the perils of his former life to a group of young kids, illustrating points through his own example and by showing scenes from the original HBO documentary. As Jackson explains, in 1993 (when he was 31), a war raged in Little Rock, one as real as the ones going on today in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Crips (who wore blue) were the sworn enemies of the Bloods (who wore red), and violence spread over turf wars. Established leaders like Jackson recruited young kids in their early teens or even younger. Since 1993, more than 400 people have died from gang-related violence in Little Rock.
Jackson invites one of his former rivals, Marvin Weathersby, a onetime leader of the West Side Bloods, to speak to the kids in his program. The two former enemies have put their deadly rivalry behind them to try and save the next generation. To his young audience's amazement, Weathersby displays some of his gunshot wounds, encouraging the kids to feel the bullets still lodged beneath his skin.
"' Gang War: Bangin' in Little Rock' received great response when it premiered ten years ago on HBO," comments director Marc Levin. "Since then, people have been wondering what happened to the original gang members interviewed. I stayed in touch with Jackson during his prison term, and my response to their inquiries was to return to Little Rock and chronicle the lives of those we profiled. I wanted to show Jackson's journey from then to now. He's changed his life, but is still a prisoner of his past."
While the original documentary exposed the growing problem of gang violence in America's heartland, BACK IN THE HOOD: GANG WAR 2 shows the struggles people face when they try to overcome the difficult circumstances in their communities and go straight. Notes activist and hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons, 'Bangin' in Little Rock' blew my mind. The sequel, 'Back in the Hood,' broke my heart. The war at home continues until we stop it."
Marc Levin and Daphne Pinkerson have produced numerous America Undercover films for HBO, including the recent "Heir to an Execution: A Granddaughter's Story," plus "Mob Stories," "Prisoners of the War on Drugs," "Execution Machine: Texas Death Row," "Soldiers in the Army of God" and "Gladiator Days." Their HBO documentary "Thug Life in D.C." won the 1999 Emmy® for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special, while "Gang War: Bangin' in Little Rock" won the CableACE Award for Best Documentary of 1994, as well as a Silver Medal for Best Documentary at the Houston International Film Festival.
BACK IN THE HOOD: GANG WAR 2 is directed by Marc Levin; produced by Marc Levin and Daphne Pinkerson; co-producer, Michael Skolnik; edited by Ken Eluto, A.C.E.; director of photography, Matthew Akers.
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