THEY DON'T GIVE A DAMN..BUT WE CARE

I'm sick of this shit.

Not long ago, my business partner Phil James and I were hired to produce and direct a documentary titled “THEY DON'T GIVE A DAMN” that told the story of the destruction of Chicago's housing projects and the dispersal of their former tenants. Having been born and raised on the Southside of Chicago, we were immediately interested in the concept of the documentary. Currently living in Los Angeles, people are constantly asking us,

“What's up with all the crime in Chicago?”

You have to understand, before working on the documentary, I was convinced that the destruction of Chicago's housing projects was the sole reason for Chicago's notorious rise in crime that earned it the nickname of “Chiraq” (It wouldn't be until later that I realized that the destruction of the projects was just one of the many factors that created “Chiraq”). For that reason, we felt compelled to include a chapter in the documentary that dealt directly with Chicago's crime-ridden streets.

As we began production on the documentary, I found myself being drawn even deeper into the story. Although I tried to keep a professional distance, I couldn't help but see the ills that were plaguing my hometown. Even the production was affected. One of our interviewees, a young masked gang member who blessed us with uncensored and chilling stories of the streets, was shot and killed three weeks after the interview. I was hurt. I was shocked. I was outraged.

But, like so many of us, my hurt, shock, and outrage soon began to diminish. After I finished my edit on the documentary, I returned to Los Angeles where the whole “Chiraq” topic just became headlines, news clips, and sporadic conversations. It became Chicago's problem. Not mine.

Then, it really hit home.

On May 29th, my cousin Pam and her boyfriend were attacked by a group of young black men near Ohio Street and Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. To escape their attackers, Pam and her boyfriend attempted to flee across Lake Shore Drive, where they were hit by a pick-up truck. Pam was killed. She left behind a twelve year-old-son.

Besides being heart broken, I was angry with myself. Had I really done all that I could to stop the violence in Chicago, that had now claimed my cousin? What the hell had happened to my hurt, shock, and outrage? By ignoring things and making it “their” problem, wasn't I making myself part of the problem?

How about you? Have you done your part?... Aren't we all sick of this shit?

But, as they say, “Talk is cheap.”

To be honest, we never had enough money or resources to make the documentary that we really wanted, not wanted, needed to make. While screening “THEY DON'T GIVE A DAMN” at various private screenings and film festivals, we've been very fortunate to receive donated photos, footage, and information. As filmmakers, Phil and I want to do our part to make a much needed difference.  Unfortunately, we still lack the funding to make the film we need to make.
 
If we want change, WE have to be the change.

This is much bigger than a movie, y'all...it's a movement.

If you're sick of this shit, let's show Chicago and the world that WE GIVE A DAMN.