Did using actual gang members in the film cause in problems during shooting?
Not at all. No it didn’t. Everybody that came aboard believed in the project. Even if there were gang rivalries, once we got on set everybody was there to fulfill a focused vision that we all had. There were never any problems. The only challenges, as it pertains to gangs, was shooting a film demanded that if we’re going to shoot this film we’re going to shoot in the neighborhoods and communities that the film actually takes place in—that being Watts and South Central LA—and if you’re shooting in a war zone, there’s gang war raging daily, then you’re going to have to deal with some of the circumstances a gang war creates. That meant sometimes moving locations if the area got a little hot. Aside from that, it was a wonderful experience and everybody was really supportive and everybody was really excited after we premiered the film at the Pan-African film festival at the Magic Johnson theaters in South Central. They were excited about being involved in the project for the fact that the e
