Sunday, December 5, 2010

The Jungle

"The Jungle" ist eine Kurzdoku von 1967 über zwei Streetgangs in Philadelphia. Zu dieser Zeit war Philadelphia "führend", was Todesfälle im Zusammenhang mit Streetgangs anging, 40 Tote pro Jahr!

Eine der Gangs, die Oxford Street Gang, hatte damals über 500 Mitglieder, mit eigenem Rangsystem und nach Alter gestaffelt... Absolut sehenswert!!!


Directed, written and acted by teenagers Charlie Davis, David Williams and Jimmy Robinson, 1967’s The Jungle chronicles the exploits of Philadelphia’s 12th and Oxford street gang. It is amateur film making that transcends its limitations and achieves a certain rough artfulness.

Death Row inmate, Philly gang member and writer Reginald S. Lewis recalls the Oxford Street gangs:
In my hometown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, vicious black street gangs seemingly ruled every inch of the black community, and it was a dangerous time to be a young black teenager living in the treacherous terrain of the urban wilds. My parents did all they could to keep my two older brothers and me from being drafted into the notorious “12th & Oxford Street Gang,” one of the largest, fiercest black youth gangs in the history of Philadelphia.
The Oxford Street gang had well over 500 members, divided into gradations and ranks, according to age. There were the “Pee Wees,” “The Midgets,” “The Juniors,” and “The Seniors,” and “The Old Heads.” There was also 8th & Oxford, 15 & Oxford, and “Uptown Oxford Street,” which was 20th Street, and beyond. These divisions boosted the ranks into thousands.” 
via dangerous minds.
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