DVD Verdict Reviews The GANG WARS dvd release--

DVD Verdict reviews the HBO released DVD "Gang Wars" which features both Gang War: Bangin' in Little Rock and the follow up documentary Back in the Hood as well. Click here to see the entire review but below is a part of the commentary--


"Weaving throughout these profiles of Little Rock's gangs is Steve Nawojczyk, the county coroner who can no longer stand idly by as the endless stream of people killed by gang-related violence is passing through his morgue. With a simple, home-made poster board of photos of those killed by gang violence, Nawojczyk pounds the dangerous streets of Little Rock, using his poster to show kids the grim realities of gang life while pleading with them to "put the guns down."

"In this nightmarish world of distant bullets continuously ringing out in the night and the very real possibility of death at any given moment, Steve Nawojczyk's tireless crusade to stop the madness brings a semblance of sanity to the craziness. Nawojczyk is constantly putting in the "sweat equity" needed to fight the problem: He brings pizzas and take-out chicken to gang members' hang-outs as he talks with the key players with the most influence to calm things down. The meals are more than an opportunity for kids to indulge in free food; Nawojczyk is trying to show these kids that someone cares about them. It's truly inspiring to see this man, obviously well-versed and educated about the gang scene and its history, using his own time and resources in a constant effort to stop these kids from killing each other. It's also jarring to see just how much Nawojczyk and his proactive approach differs from that of the police profiled in the second documentary. Nawojczyk starts direct, honest dialogue with the gang members in their own neighborhoods; a police officer rides with a shotgun across his lap and refers to gang members as "terrorists."

Still, Nawojczyk never glosses over the horrific consequences of gang life, something that both of Levin's documentaries do without being overly bloody or gory. It's difficult to see an 18-month old infant on a stretcher after being hit by a stray round, a chunk of flesh missing from a child's arm that was "grazed" by an assault rifle's bullet, or a young girl literally being beaten into her gang by those who were supposed to have love for her. Some of the madness is purely emotional: A weeping mother collapses at her son's funerals; a brother spills quiet tears and fights back a trembling jaw as he visits the grave of a sibling who found suicide to be the only way out of the gang life of which he'd grown so tired. It's truly unsettling to think these events could have anything to do with a life that is supposed to provide so much respect, love, and wealth."

(Photo is of Steve doing school assembly in Springfield Missouri recently. Click here to read the articles from Springfield's News-Leader)



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