Incarcerated teens seek justice as adults: documentary on racism, gun violence, capitalism
Documentary of racism, capitalism, justice
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/26/since-i-been-down-documentary-prison-justice-redemption
‘Always a possibility of change’: incarcerated teens seek justice as adults
Harsh sentencing in the US has led to many economically deprived young men receiving hard-to-contest life sentences but in new documentary Since I Been Down, hope awaits.
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Just over 18, he was tried as an adult, convicted of aggravated first-degree murder and sentenced to 777 years, 77 months and 77 days’ imprisonment. Since Washington state has no parole system, it effectively locked him up and threw away the key.
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Filmed over 12 years, Since I Been Down paints a stark portrait of a predominantly white state, Washington, whose prison population is overwhelmingly Black. It shows Tacoma, near Seattle, as scarred by drugs and lack of investment in housing, education and employment. With opportunities scarce, gangs offer a seductive sense of identity. One former gang member recalls: “I got addicted to being feared.”
Sheppard, who teaches at a liberal arts college in Tacoma, says: “It’s like Everytown USA. It has been a victim of gentrification, a legacy of people not being able to have bank loans, or any kind of loans, to rehabilitate their homes. As a result, these neighbourhoods become infested with public health issues. Disinvestment in communities and education and employment comes with gentrification.”
In 1993 Washington became the first state in the US to pass a “three strikes” policy, which mandates life in prison without parole for people thrice convicted of certain offences, from robbery to assault to murder. The consequences were devastating for a generation. By the end of 2020, Black people, representing 4% of the state’s population, accounted for 38% of those sentenced under the law.
Speaking via Zoom from her home in Seattle, Sheppard reflects: “It’s not just the three strikes and you’re out but a culture of punishment that you see in many different urban communities, particularly Black, brown and poor communities. Tacoma, Washington, is a visual metaphor for the legacy of those things.”
This was the era of moral panic and so-called “tough on crime” policies across America that targeted Black “super-predators”, including three-strikes laws that sent young people to prison for life. President Bill Clinton signed a national crime bill now widely blamed for giving the US the highest incarceration rate in the world.
Mary Flowers, an anti-racism organiser, says in the film: “This country is based on fear. When you have a country that is based on or has grown out of colonisation and slavery, people don’t rest easy. That’s why everyone needs to be armed in this country to protect what they have, because what they have was stolen.”
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Since I Been Down is now available on Sundance Now or to rent digitally in the US with a UK date to be announced
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Two statements strike me as best explanation I’ve ever heard about gun violence in this country
One former gang member recalls: “I got addicted to being feared.”
“This country is based on fear. When you have a country that is based on or has grown out of colonisation and slavery, people don’t rest easy. That’s why everyone needs to be armed in this country to protect what they have, because what they have was stolen.”
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