Brick City. Did you watch it? Did you love it? Will you be tuning in tonight? Well I did, I am certainly interested, and I will. Now I will admit that there was a lot of hype surrounding this show. A.lot. So I was interested to see what it was all about. A friend asked me earlier what I thought and I said that I don’t know if “enjoy” is the right word, but I was drawn in. That said,  I’m also charging myself to look at this thing critically- it is a documentary, it was edited, it’s real life, but it’s also been packaged. (Did you see the scene where they were in the CompStat meeting? I had a Wire flashback and was like, did you cook those books? lol!)

Now, before I jump into the show, let me just (honestly) say that going in, I , like most people, did not have the highest regard for (or opinion of) New Jersey in general and Newark in particular. That stems from several things: the smell emanating from it as I pass by on I-95 on my way back from DC, a particularly unpleasant bus trip from Delaware where all the miscreants causing the ruckus debarked in Newark, the Real Housewives, and then, its reputation I mean, it’s Newark. It’s brick city right? So it’s gritty and it’s grimy. No offense to my Jersey girls, I love you all, but my reaction to the city has always been kind of like- oh. and then there’s the look-  the one that the girl who dated Aiden right after Carrie had on her face when they met for the first time. It just happens, I don’t own it. That said, I was born in Baltimore and raised in D.C. so I know from cities with certain reputations.

I liked the first episode for several reasons- the main one being that they are giving us a behind the scenes look at public policy from the ground up; literally, from the street teams who work for peace to the police director  (Garry McCarthy) determined to lower the crime rate, to the mayor (Cory Booker) who wants to make the city one of the best in the nation- they all need each other to do their jobs and I think the documentary shows that.

There was one story arc that I was really interesting in following and that is the one of Jayda. This is from the Sundance Channel Website:

JAYDA

Blood Gang Member, Youth Mentor and founder of Nine Strong Women

Jayda is a young woman (probably in her 20s) and a member of the Bloods gang. She’s also the mother to a four- year-old son, the girlfriend of a member of the Crips, and a mentor to teen girls in Newark. She’s real, she’s raw, and she, like everyone else, is trying a hands-on approach to changing lives. She goes out to schools and talks to the girls around her life,  the things she been through and survived, the type of life she’s lived, and about their lives, as well. I’m sure a lot of them can relate to her and trust her enough to listen to her. In this episode, she broke up a potential fight between two girls at a high school- one who claimed she was pregnant by the other girl’s boyfriend- and got them to calm down and shake hands. She also dealt with her own personal drama. She  found out that she is pregnant and that there was a warrant out for her arrest, stemming from a fight she had back in 2004 when she assaulted a girl. So she had to decide whether or not to turn herself in (and risk going to prison) or run. She decided to face up to her mistakes. She also decided to start a non-profit to further help  teen girls. I like her. A lot. And I’m curious to see what will happen. If you didn’t get a chance to watch it, check out the videos online. Here’s one of Jayda and her boyfriend, Creep. (I just love that they are both mentors/counselors to the young people; members of rival gangs and all)

She’s not perfect (none of us are). And I’m sure she’s done things in her past that she regrets (who hasn’t) but she is making a difference. And THAT, to me, is the point.

And I’m curious…who are the people that you look up to in life? Mentors? Parents? Teachers? Aunts? Do you feel like you have a voice? That anyone cares what you have to say and listens to what you think?

What’s the biggest issue you face in your life right now? Or in your school or your community? How do YOU think it can be solved?

let’s talk about it