Description: |
Life Saver: This Ain't Normal documentary film transforms gang members from angry, threatening individuals to fragile youngsters who are themselves endangered by their harsh surroundings (and often absentee fathers) and the allure of gang culture. Told primarily through the point of view of gang involved youth/young adults, entangled in the intractable violence of inner city Boston, "This Ain't Normal" examines the individual motives behind those perpetrating violence, the culture and the circumstances that precipitates these behaviors. Over the span of the film, viewers see members of the gang/crew, against steep odds, make the leap from doomed lifestyles to "recovery" -- self awareness, job training, mental health counseling, desire to be responsible parents, and a powerful new incentive to survive and thrive with the heroic support of an unusual team of curbside street and social workers who are on the front line, delivering interventions in an effort to prevent violence and ultimately provide opportunities that stabilize the lives of the young men responsible for the majority of the gun violence.The purpose of the "This Ain't Normal" film is to expand dialogue between law enforcement, municipal politicians, local behavioral health providers, business community and the various community base stakeholders and residents across the United States. The film unveils a workable remedy, to reduce violence and build healthy communities that provide viable opportunities and alternatives for our youth, in the face of the crisis of gang membership in our major cities and all its reverberating problems -- gun violence, high homicide rates, jail terms, and shattered families. |