A feature length documentary that charts the rise and decline of the most dangerous city in America-- East St Louis, IL.
A few disclaimers before I start here:
- This is not a horror movie, however it is a subject I feel strongly about.
- I am a dyed in blue Ronald Reagan conservative
- East St Louis, IL took the title of most dangerous city from the city of Highland Park, Mi where I worked as a paramedic for 15 years.
- Goldie Taylor political views and mine do not match up on a lot of things this one however we are on the same page.
While the documentary focuses on Goldie's hometown of East St. Louis it could in reality be any small urban enclave. Places like East St' Louis and other small cities don't get the press or help their bigger more powerful neighbors do. And in the end that just be America's greatest shame. When I was a paramedic the term hero was thrown out a lot towards the emergency services I use to tell people I'm no hero I'm just doing my job, the real heros are the people in places like ESL, the 8 year old girl that makes sure her 5 year old brother is ready to go to school because mom had to be to work at 7am, the 15 year old boy that walks home from school with his trumpet case though sidewalks littered with drug paraphernalia and not slipping into the pitfalls of easy money and flashy cars, or the 70 year old grandmother that still after all these years watching the world fall apart from her front porch isn't afraid to tell the thug she will have none of his nonsense on her block. Those are the real heros in America today. Urban areas today have already lost a generation if we let it continue we will lose the country. Remember the troubles of places like East St. Louis and Highland Park, MI are a microcosm of what is happening in every town and city in the US. Ok thanks for letting me rant now on to to the film.
Goldie Taylor is a veteran journalist and opinion writer. A former staff writer at the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Taylor has been a working journalist and political consultant for nearly 25 years, including her current roles as an MSNBC contributor and a columnist at MSNBC.com. Taylor is a former editor-at-large for theGrio.com, the leading news and opinion site for African Americans, where she continues as a writer focused on domestic policy and social issues. She was also born and raised in East St. Louis so she not only has the journalist chops to tell the story but a vested interest on her subject that will only transfer to passion on the screen. With projects like this it's really easy to fall into the across the aisle finger wagging that sabotages so many debates. We can't let this happen with this film. Working with veteran and awarding winning news producer and photographer Mario Page. The experience to have a great story brought to life is there.
With a kickstarter only needing for $53,000 to make a reality, the ROI in shining a light on what is becoming the USA's albatross of shame will be priceless. Looking over the kickstarter page she has also incorporated some great perks in the campaign.
In closing I would like to challenge both sides of the political spectrum to come together and make Goldie Taylor's dream come to life.
Kickstart Campaign can be found here
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