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Rock Talk, Vol. IX
Seems like everyone has a video on YouTube these days — even gang members in the Fifth Ward. KHOU found the video made by self-professed gang members, who talk about crime, life on the streets and grills (which cost $1,500 cash, apparently).
As you might expect, city leaders aren't too happy about the video: "They can't be the voice of the Fifth Ward," City Councilman Jarvis Johnson, whose district includes the neighborhood, said. "I'm angry. I'm angry about a video that portrays such a great neighborhood in such a negative manner." We're not so sure, though: "This is what our block looks like down south," one man in the video says as pictures of Fifth Ward houses roll by. "It ain't no bunch of projects like in Bronx, Harlem or nothing like that." Sounds like the folks at the GHCVB could find a way to spin that — though they might have a bit of a problem with a later observation. "When the crime rate is low in the hood, it's a bad thing, even when it should be a good thing," a voiceover says. "'Cause when police don't have crime to fight, they get bored and start making crime by planting drugs on innocent people." Yeah, we can imagine HPD wouldn't really take to that.
It's not clear whether anyone would actually take the Fifth Ward video seriously — looks like a lot of YouTube commenters don't, anyway (at least as far as we can tell) — but KHOU took the video to Harris County Precinct 6 Constable Victor Trevino just to be sure. "We have the picture clear-cut," Trevino said. "We can identify them. And if they are local, we can go after them and target them." Maybe Trevino will go after the various skateboarding dogs while he's at it.
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This video isn't exactly "made by self-professed gang members;" rather it's a clip from the film, "Hood 2 Hood: The Blockumentary."
http://www.streetgangs.com/movies/hood2hood.html
Basically a film maker goes to cities across the US and visits their "hood." Inevitable they always get the fakest, big talking kids to act like fools on camera. Houston's is pretty stupid, but some other cities are a lot worse. Vegas for example is clearly teenage wanna-be actors. You should check it out if you ever want a good laugh.
Thanks for the info — it seemed like there was a piece of the story we weren't getting. But if they wanted fake, big-taking kids, they sure got 'em here.