Documentary by the Community, for the Community
Mentor 1
Jennifer Plevin
Location
Union Cinema
Start Date
28-4-2017 12:40 PM
Description
Milwaukee is often known as a small big city. However, gentrification among other issues prevents these community members from connecting with each other. Despite physically close proximity, different races, genders, and ages of people have very different experiences within Milwaukee. As a part of docUWM, I help young community members tell their stories so that others can recognize where change is needed in our city. We do this through the Youth Video Collective, which is a long-running documentary project that involves various young people speaking on camera about their experiences with segregation, targeted criminalization, policing, and racism in Milwaukee. I've edited and gathered footage for this project, which has familiarized me with issues outside that exist outside of the East Side of Milwaukee. For example, one young black man described police officers forcing him against a police car just because he "fit the description." He also describes being held up at a bus stop by a criminal with a gun while on the way home from school. It is events like these that need to be known so people can be aware of what others endure in what they may think is a "safe" community. From the creation of these videos, I hope to inform Milwaukee's citizens of the less desirable truths of their city but do it in an engaging way that doesn't alienate its subjects. Using the medium of film gives those that are often silenced a space to voice their experiences and provides a door to deeper discussions among youth, adults, and elders in Milwaukee.
Documentary by the Community, for the Community
Union Cinema
Milwaukee is often known as a small big city. However, gentrification among other issues prevents these community members from connecting with each other. Despite physically close proximity, different races, genders, and ages of people have very different experiences within Milwaukee. As a part of docUWM, I help young community members tell their stories so that others can recognize where change is needed in our city. We do this through the Youth Video Collective, which is a long-running documentary project that involves various young people speaking on camera about their experiences with segregation, targeted criminalization, policing, and racism in Milwaukee. I've edited and gathered footage for this project, which has familiarized me with issues outside that exist outside of the East Side of Milwaukee. For example, one young black man described police officers forcing him against a police car just because he "fit the description." He also describes being held up at a bus stop by a criminal with a gun while on the way home from school. It is events like these that need to be known so people can be aware of what others endure in what they may think is a "safe" community. From the creation of these videos, I hope to inform Milwaukee's citizens of the less desirable truths of their city but do it in an engaging way that doesn't alienate its subjects. Using the medium of film gives those that are often silenced a space to voice their experiences and provides a door to deeper discussions among youth, adults, and elders in Milwaukee.
