“One thing you have to realize - if you opened them up there would be a stamp that says ‘Made in America’” ~ Kumasi (co-founder, The Slauson Club--the origin of the Crips)

Covering a topic that most documentaries avoid completely, the 2008 film “Crips & Bloods: Made in America” places the two most infamous Black gangs originating in South Central LA (the Crips and the Bloods) in the proper context - that of crippling poverty, police brutality, revolutionary resistance and a total failure of a capitalist system to provide for its inhabitants.

Contrary to popular belief, the Bloods and Crips originated out of oppressed Black and Brown youth who formed neighborhood clubs because they wanted to build a positive outlet amidst the oppression they were subjected to daily. These social clubs then evolved into vigorous revolutionary activity, as it coincided with the Black Power movement. As the vicious FBI COINTELPRO decimated Black revolutionary organizations, such as the Black Panther Party, one lesser known consequence of the federal government’s sweeping repression is that it provided these ghetto youth in South Central LA with the tools to destroy themselves. From the Watts Rebellion to the 92 Rodney King riot, through the crack cocaine era and 40 years of fratricidal warfare, this is the real story of the infamous Bloods and Crips.

This film clearly explains how gang violence, the mass criminalization and imprisonment of Black and Brown youth, is rooted in a capitalist system’s failure to provide for the people.

Join the the Party for Socialism & Liberation - Boston branch as we discuss how this white supremacist capitalist system has wreaked havoc on Black and Brown communities and a socialist analysis of gangs, white supremacy, and the state.

The City School is wheelchair accessible and has gender neutral bathrooms.

Light refreshments will be available.

If you need childcare please message us at least 48 hours in advance.