April 2017, my 17 year old brother was attacked and stabbed several times in an unprovoked attack. His attackers were black. As a filmmaker I wanted to produce something to address the issue. Why are these black youth behaving this way? I had to stop myself. The young men that attacked my brother represent the lowest common denominator within the black community, yet they are presented as the norm. The media seems to have a love affair with the negative image of black youth, presented knife violence as something that 'belongs' to the black community. Youths masked up, brandishing their weapons with pride are constantly given a platform. The perpetrators of knife violence have been given a voice, a platform;Tim Westwood (via the BBC) often features grime groups who are known gangs and often talk about their violent acts in their songs. Channel 5 produced the documentary 'Gangland' and has followed that up with 'Inside the Gang', (due to be screened Monday 8th May).
In the UK the majority of the population has little to no interaction with black people, presenting this imagery is dangerous, the knock-on effect it has on the interactions that black people, in particular the youth have in their day to day lives is damaging.
In this documentary a voice will be given to those who are simply trying to enjoy their youth and achieve their goals. At the same time it will address the fact that their is a problem with knife crime, but again this will be spoken about from the perspective of the youth. What are their thoughts on it and the way they are represented within the media.
Let's address the fact that crime is more prevalent in poor areas, and since black people are disproportionately poor, they are disproportionately affected – as perpetrators and victims.
Help me to produce a documentary that counters the mischaracterisation of the black youth whilst also addressing the fact that there is an issue that needs to de dealt with.