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Contact: (Download a PDF version of this press release here.) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Teen Filmmaker Explores the Real State of Emergency in Oakland
San Francisco, CA , August 23, 2006—Conscious Youth Media Crew presents The Real State of Emergency, a raw, compelling short film made by 17-year-old East Oakland native Elliott McGregor, who used a digital camcorder to examine the steady rise in homicides in Oakland’s toughest neighborhoods. “It’s a true war in the streets of Oakland because of all the problems with drugs and poverty. What this means is that folks out there are trying to get it however and whenever they can. People are getting hurt and killed just trying to get on top and out of poverty the best way they can,” says McGregor. “If I wasn’t spending all this time to make this film, I could have become a murder statistic myself.” Formerly caught up in the street life of Oakland, McGregor made a decision to transform his life after attending a Beat Within writing workshop run by Pacific News Service inside juvenile hall. Now an intern at Conscious Youth Media Crew as well as award-winning youth journal Youth Outlook Magazine, McGregor uses journalism and film to develop his voice and communicate the perspectives of teens growing up in the Bay Area on social issues from the street level. Despite 2006 being declared the deadliest year in Oakland’s history, solving the “epidemic of violence” has remained a deep challenge. City government has implemented a series of quick fix solutions but many residents feel the root causes of this epidemic have not been addressed mostly because the victims are overwhelmingly young, black and poor. When Oakland’s mayor declared a city-wide state of emergency in March of 2006, McGregor decided to take a deeper look at the city’s crisis to explore the roots of the problem. McGregor’s film presents rarely heard teen voices sharing a grim reality of growing up in an environment of limited options, endemic violence and drugs, negative influences with few positive role models, and a failing educational system. “The state of emergency to me is the reality of living in poverty in Oakland. Living in poverty creates a state of mind to do what you have to do to get what you need.” The Real State of Emergency will be screened locally and nationally this Fall to youth audiences and the general public, as well as packaged with violence prevention resource kits for teachers and community service organizations. The Real State of Emergency has a total running time of 14:37, and can be viewed online at the CYMC Multimedia Library and at New America Media (use “CYMC” in the search engine) and on Channel 29 AccesSF September 5th at 8:00pm. For additional information and a sample copy on DVD, contact: About Conscious Youth Media Crew Conscious Youth Media Crew is a San Francisco-based youth-driven, digital media production studio. We provide the technology and training necessary for inner city youth to create quality media that represents their experiences, stimulates meaningful dialogue, and promotes social change. Conscious Youth Media Crew participants become life long learners who gain workforce skills to help shape a successful future for themselves and their communities. # # #(Download a PDF version of this press release here.) |
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