What's behind the black-on-black violence at movie theaters

Ebony, Oct, 1991 by Aldore Collier

IT began with the release of the much-talked-about film, New jack City. Without warning or anticipation, violence-gang shootouts, stabbings, fights-erupted at theaters showing the film. Before the smoke cleared, on-screen and offscreen, one person had been killed in Brooklyn, rival gangs had exchanged gunfire in downtown Chicago and some 20 people had been arrested at a gang brawl in Las Vegas.

The uproar over this new phenomenon was scarcely over when a string of violent episodes erupted, like firecrackers, at theaters showing John Singleton's anti-gang movie, Boyz N The Hood. This time violence erupted in 12 states with two fatalities and more than 30 injuries. In the Los Angeles area alone, 11 movie patrons were wounded in what was described as "Wild West gunfire."

This has alarmed a number of people, most notably John Singleton, the 23-year-old director whose movie, Boyz N The Hood, was greeted by a whirlwind of gang violence. "The cause of all this violence," he says, "is bad parenting and a society that places more emphasis on Black people hating themselves so they can't respect each other. "

The problem, Singleton says, is not Black movies but Black families. "Parents," he says, "don't teach their kids. These kids are committing acts of violence because they're in search of their manhood. They're primarily raised by women. It is my belief that a woman cannot teach a young boy how to be a man. He needs a man for that. That's one of the reasons we have so many problems today. Brothers run out on these women and don't take care of their responsibility. What I'm trying to say is that we have to stop that."

It should also be pointed out that there have been scattered-and largely unreported-instances of violence at the showing of some of the White-oriented gangster movies. Some observers have suggested that racism is at the bottom of the widespread media focus on Black violence at Black-oriented gangster movies.

A number of critics have said that it is unfortunate that gang violence marred Singleton's film debut. For his film focuses on the adolescent years of three Black youths in South Los Angeles. One is raised by his father: the other two are raised by- a single mother. The father teaches his son pride and respect; the other two are booby traps ready to explode. One has a wife and a child; his brother is a gang member who has been in and out of reform schools. The film's message is that Black people, especially Black youths, "have to place more emphasis on Black life first and foremost."

Psychiatrist Carl Bell, M.D., who has lectured widely on Black-on-Black violence, says, "I can't imagine anyone who saw Boyz N The Hood going out after seeing the movie and committing violence because it was such a strong anti-violence film. if rival gangs went to see 101 Dalmations and started making gang signs, there might very well be violence. Whenever you have people grouped together in a public gathering like a festival or a movie where the turf is not staked out, you run the risk of having two rival groups in the same general area and an increased potential for violence." Dr. Bell says movies don't cause violence. It's family violence ... that has the most influence in terms of causing kids to fight," he says. "If you want to stop violence, stop family violence. The other strong variable is poverty."

Robert Townsend, who directed and acted in The Five Heartbeats, which opened without incident earlier this year, says that one problem is that violent images attract violent crowds, adding; "I think when you have a lot of shooting in your promotional material and the publicity shows a lot of guns and violence, people respond to that. And I think some younger people want to see shoot'em ups. Anytime you talk about gangs, it's going to bring out that clement." Townsend adds:

"Some people think the best way to get people into theaters is to show violence. Sometimes different gangs come to theaters because they want to see movies on the first night, and two gangs get together and fight. When young people who want to be gang-bangers see violence, somebody shooting who looks like them, all of those kids are going to come out to see that film.

Harvard psychiatrist Alvin F Poussaint, M. D., is another expert who believes that part of the problem is the way the movies have been marketed. "One reason for the violence, he says, "is that the movies have been marketed as gang-type movies, particularly initially, like in 'Coming Attractions,' which announce that this is going to be a shoot-'em-up movie.

"The films have been marketed like that because they want to attract young Black males. So when the movies open, they pull in inner-city Black kids, including some gang types. So the chances that there'll be violence are very high. "

Mark Gill, vice president of publicity for Columbia Pictures, defends the promotional material, saying: "What we've been selling is a reality-based movie, and an important one. The ad campaign changes the way all campaigns change ... The minute you get critics' quotes that you can use, you add those in."