This Ain't Normal

This Ain't Normal is an interesting documentary about the work street/social workers are doing in inner cities in Boston to help cut down on gang violence, being a surrogate father to some of these kids that are struggling get on the right path. It also touches on some of the connections within these "gangs". However, there are 2 scenes I feel stick out, that really hurt it, and don't serve the film at all. The 1st being half way through the film, were it mentions raids from the late 80's/early 90s that resulted in mass incarcerations of gang members and drug dealers. It is mentions how there was a time frame of like 18 months where there wasn't a single violent gang shooting or murder, shortly after this. This topic is only mentioned in passing, and not touched on or explored one bit. With no evidence given that the current gang violence today is somehow the fall out from those mass incarcerations. The second scene, is the closing comment of the film about holding gun companies responsible for inner city violence. Considering the movie does absolutely nothing to address, link, or draw cause or effect between inner city/gang violence and gun makers, this is absolutely disingenuous, to close out the movie on this note. As a 2A support, it's very dangerous to try an insinuate that some how gun makers are funneling guns out their back door into these inner cities to fuel gang violence. Both scenes do nothing, but to push an agenda, that is radically different than what is shown in this documentary.

This Ain't Normal is an interesting documentary about the work street/social workers are doing in inner cities in Boston to help cut down on gang violence, being a surrogate father to some of these kids that are struggling get on the right path. It also touches on some of the connections within these "gangs". However, there are 2 scenes I feel stick out, that really hurt it, and don't serve the film at all. The 1st being half way through the film, were it mentions raids from the late 80's/early 90s that resulted in mass incarcerations of gang members and drug dealers. It is mentions how there was a time frame of like 18 months where there wasn't a single violent gang shooting or murder, shortly after this. This topic is only mentioned in passing, and not touched on or explored one bit. With no evidence given that the current gang violence today is somehow the fall out from those mass incarcerations. The second scene, is the closing comment of the film about holding gun companies responsible for inner city violence. Considering the movie does absolutely nothing to address, link, or draw cause or effect between inner city/gang violence and gun makers, this is absolutely disingenuous, to close out the movie on this note. As a 2A support, it's very dangerous to try an insinuate that some how gun makers are funneling guns out their back door into these inner cities to fuel gang violence. Both scenes do nothing, but to push an agenda, that is radically different than what is shown in this documentary.