Movie Scripts

My first response was to make a movie called “The City of Lost Dreams” which is about the state of New York funding more prisons and jails than schools and who is affected by this and what areas of New York are affected by this. I just want minority males to realize some of the harmful behavior that’s become a comfort zone for them. Then the next step would be to change that harmful behavior and utilize that energy towards something positive. I’m not claiming to be a righteous person. I have made many mistakes in my life but it would be a great justice to African Americans and young adults in America especially in the urban areas if they were to rise to their potential and become great figures in our society.

Some once said “Dreams are like feathers and if we have enough of them we can fly”

First Scene: The visions of doves flying through the air and then suddenly the screen breaks in pieces.

A Great triumph comes from darkness where all hope is lost. It’s like a symbol of light that pierces through the sky after a treacherous rain storm. Many young minds are lost in this storm of darkness. To the naked eye, the scandalous things in our society are not visible. But in the mind’s eye some might come to a realization that we live in society where people defer their dreams and crumble in the face of adversity.

Second Scene: As the words from the paragraph above are projecting on the screen the background is filled with out of focus lights.

Prison labor is a multi billion dollar industry. That’s why it is more lucrative for politicians to fund this cause instead of education. The benefits from prison for certain politicians “extend beyond jobs and political gerrymandering.” According to the New York Times, upstate New York Senate Republicans rely on bulging prisons because this is good for their district. “By counting unemployed inmates as residents, the prison counties lower their per capita incomes and increase the portion they get of federal funds for the poor. This results in a transfer of federal cash from places that can’t afford to lose it to places that don’t deserve it.”

Third Scene: The screen will display federal court buildings and City Hall.

I find it ironic how New York overall is a democratic state but is ran by republicans (referring to the governor and mayor). George E. Pataki as he is known seems to have great dislike for public education in New York City. According to the Justice Policy Institute in 1998 he cut in total $132.7 million from the CUNY and SUNY education system and according to Insideschools.org in 2003 proposed a plan that would cut $448.5 million from the city’s education budget. I take a great offense from this being that I’m a part of the New York City public education system and very soon will become a part of the CUNY system.

There are alarming statistics out there for young African American and according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics “Blacks were two times more likely than Hispanics and five times more likely than whites to be in jail.” I consider this a huge problem because I’m of African American descent and this information is telling me that I’m more likely to go to jail or prison than college. So if you add that to rising tuition costs for colleges and poorer conditions in the public schools it almost seems impossible for any young African American to proper unless they have money.

We as humans were meant for so much more, that’s why it breaks my heart when I see people of my nationality being thrown in the system. A lot of factors contribute to this problem like poverty and drugs. But I feel it’s more than that like we as a people are trapped in a mental slavery. Instead of taking full responsibility for our actions we pull the race card and blame other people for our problems. Some of it is true we are at a disadvantage because of the color of our skin. However, this should not be a factor in our downfall.

So much potential is lost when minorities go to jail or prison because a lot of them that end up in that situation are not guilty. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Do I believe a lot of African Americans are falsely imprisoned? Yes, and this is what troubles me. I want the youth of America and especially African American males to open their eyes and realize that life isn’t all about smoking marijuana, fast cars and jewelry. With the right focus, determination and education you can create a positive and lucrative life for yourself.

Many people can agree with some of the ideas that I have expressed. But it’s hard to get this point across to the youth when we live in a society where selling drugs and killing people are glorified. Traces of this confusion can be seen in our schools today. Do we blame the parents? Or do we put the fault on peer pressure? Some teachers feel that if the older students were to talk to the younger students then this would have a greater affect than the teachers pursuing this alone.

There are two ends of a spectrum like there are two sides to a story so another view of our society would reflect the hopes and dreams of the youth, “A foresight of fame and imprinted wealth.” Rising from hopelessness and despair is not an easy task. What can motivate us are our hopes and dreams. Someone once said that our “Dreams are like feathers and if we have enough of them we can fly.” So whether focus or determination represents light and our dreams represent flight we as humans have the ability to be incredible forces in the world.

If you want discover more about these problems visit these websites:

http://www.insideschools.org/ny/NV_pataki_budgetcuts_feb03.php

http://www.cjcj.org/pubs/ny/nysom.html

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/jailag.htm

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/jailrair.htm

http://usgovinfo.about.com/cs/censusstatistic/a/aaprisonpop.htm

http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/usa/race/