Redemption
Ξ April 12th, 2004 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Televison Reviews |
I watched the FX original movie Redemption last night. Brilliant performance by Jamie Foxx. Having spent so much time in LA during those hardcore gang years I was amazed by this story of Stan “Tookie” Williams and how he co-founded the Crips street gang and later set out on a path to try to broker peace.
When I was in LA, in 1984, I had to deal daily with the gangs and what it meant to live in South Central LA. It meant never leaving the house wearing too much blue or red. It meant making sure you didn’t get caught in the wrong place with the wrong people at the wrong time. It meant being cognizant of your surroundings at all times.
I never really had fear in the hood, I had friends who ran with the Crips, I had friends who ran with the Bloods…but because I was set on doing my thing and not bothering anybody…well no one really bothered me. I was the “smart girl”, the “bookworm”…I was the one that people came to when silly block arguments needed to be solved.
I would sit out on my front porch, reading or listening to music….craning my neck every time that police helicopter would fly over the house wondering if they were searching from someone from the block.
The only time I had a streak of fear rn through me was when me and Nikki were on our way home from the movies one night. Her uncle had picked us up from the theater and we were over near Crenshaw and King Blvd. Well he has to run by a friends house for a minute and makes a turn. It didn’t take long before Nikki and I both realized we were headed for The Jungle, a housing project that during the daylight you didn’t want to be in and you damn sure wouldn’t be stupid enough to go into at night…unless you had some hardcore business to do and had the artillery to make sure you came out the way you went in. Remember the movie Training Day? When Denzel gets his ass whipped by the skinny white boy? That’s The Jungle….one way in, one way out.
Anyway, we see the gates up ahead and both of us slowly slide to the floor of the car. I looked at her, she looked at me and all I remember after that was her whispering, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” I closed my eyes as the tears started to flow and became one with the floorboards of this car.
I have no clue how long we were there or what transpired…but I felt the car start moving again and after a while realized that the street lights were shining on the car. I got back up onto the seat and looked at Nikki….she was a white as a ghost…and that is pretty damn hard to do for a black person. She told me I was pretty pale myself…no reason not to believe her, I was scared shitless.
I have never been back to The Jungle…not sure if it is due to fear or due to the fact that I have never had a reason to venture up in there again. Maybe one day.
Then again, maybe one day Stanley “Tookie” Williams’ wish of peace will come true and none of us will have deal with fear on that level.