NYC program trains at-risk youth in filmmaking to "flip the script" on gun violence
The New York City Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice runs "Flip the Script," a 40-week program that trains at-risk teens and young adults, often with gun charges, in filmmaking. The 18- to 24-year-old participants, mainly from Brownsville, Brooklyn, and the South Bronx, are paid $20 an hour.
One of those teens, KJ Campbell, lost his father and two brothers to gun violence. The 19-year-old was also arrested in 2023 for illegal gun possession.
Campbell says that while in jail, he realized he needed to change the course of his life, "I see how people in there talk, the way they move, I don't wanna be like them."
Soon after Campbell's release from jail, he enrolled in "Flip the Script," which sparked his passion for filmmaking.
"I feel like this program could get me way far than I'm supposed to be … because I know I've got talent," said Campbell. He now plans to pursue a career as a film director.
Samantha Kleinfield, the Office of Criminal Justice's executive director, created the program in 2021 to help combat gun violence.
So far this year, 14% of shooting suspects in New York City are minors, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and 14% of all shooting victims are also under the age of 18.
"We were looking at innovative ways to address the rising gun violence and gang violence in New York City," said Kleinfield. "Filmmaking is seen as the transformative power of the arts to be able to process the trauma that a lot of these kids have experienced."
Entertainment industry professionals mentor the participants and teach them hard and soft skills needed to launch their careers.
One of the mentors, Aaron Jones, urges his mentees to adopt a new mindset: "It's cool to be positive and to do something with your life, instead of just throwing it away."
The 12-person crew is expected to finish their project this summer — a short film about gun violence that will premiere at a movie theater and be entered into next year's Tribeca Film Festival.
The office aims to establish a pipeline that leads from the program to full-time jobs. Since its inception in 2021, over 60 people have graduated from the program and 70% of them are still employed.
Kleinfield has an even bigger vision for the participants long term, saying, "I want to see them at the Academy Awards."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tekashi 6ix9ine friend Ariela La Langosta shot to death in possible targeted attack
NEW YORK — Ariela 'La Langosta,' a New York-based beauty influencer and good friend of Tekashi 6ix9ine, was found dead inside her car on the Cross County Parkway earlier this week. The 33-year-old model, whose real name is Ariela Mejia-Polanco, suffered several gunshot wounds before her body was discovered behind the wheel of her vehicle on Sunday morning, according the Westchester County Medical Examiner's Office. Police said Ariela's car was located just after 8 Mount Vernon, along the parkway's eastbound shoulder near Broad Street. 'Preliminary investigation determined that the woman was likely targeted for violence and her death was not a random act,' the Westchester County Police Department said in a press release. 'The homicide remains under investigation by detectives from the General Investigations Unit,' it continued. 'Due to that ongoing investigation, additional details are not being disclosed at this time.' Ariela, who boasts more than 560,000 followers on Instagram, starred in Tekashi 6ix9ine's 'Wapae' music video in 2023. The rapper paid tribute to his late friend in a series of Instagram stories following the news of her death, writing in Spanish in one post that she was the 'queen of New York.' He also said she was like a 'sister' to him and that she 'supported him' through everything. 'NY won't ever be the same,' Tekashi added. 'I loved you.' Ikon New York, the Manhattan restaurant and disco lounge where Ariela worked, also honored the influencer on social media. 'She was a brilliant, humble soul with incredible energy — the kind of person who could light up any room she entered,' the restaurant said. 'She will be deeply missed by all of us. Please take a moment to cherish and love your own loved ones. Life is precious.' Starlets of New York, a nightclub in Queens, also mourned Ariela's death, remembering her as 'a beautiful friend, loving mother, and daughter whose smile and energy lit up every room she entered' in a post on Instagram. 'Her energy will forever be missed, but her spirit will always live on with us.'
CNN
29 minutes ago
- CNN
Video shows DOJ prosecutor Ed Martin posing for photos outside of New York AG Letitia James' house
Congressional news January 6th Federal agencies Donald TrumpFacebookTweetLink Follow Ed Martin, President Donald Trump's Justice Department weaponization chief, called for the resignation of New York Attorney General Letitia James and posed for photos outside of her Brooklyn home last week – all as he is conducting investigations into her conduct. His investigation of James, whose office brought civil fraud charges against Trump, his adult sons, and the Trump Organization resulting in a half-billion-dollar judgment last year, is one of several the Justice Department has launched into the president's perceived enemies. But since beginning of the investigation into James, Martin has taken several unusual steps that fall outside the norms of prosecutorial conduct. He sent a letter to James' attorney Abbe Lowell on August 12 suggesting New York's top law enforcement officer resign, he appeared outside of James' home with a colleague trailed by a photographer for the New York Post, and appeared on Fox News pledging to take an expansive look into all of James' conduct. In video obtained by CNN, Martin can be seen posing for photos outside of James' home. 'This is a criminal investigation, not social media,' said Elie Honig, CNN's senior legal analyst. 'A stunt like that might get clicks, but it's patently inappropriate for a prosecutor to do and it certainly will give James and her attorney a basis to oppose any indictment, to argue it was prejudicial to the jury pool and that an indictment was brought in bad faith.' The conduct is 'outside the bounds of DOJ and ethics rules,' Lowell said in a response to Martin. Justice Department policy generally prohibits discussing criminal investigations publicly, and attorneys are not supposed to pursue investigations for political means or to go on fishing expeditions. DOJ declined to comment for this story. Martin, a ring-wing firebrand who pushed a retribution agenda that caught Trump's attention, holds four titles at the Justice Department: US Pardon Attorney, Special Attorney for Mortgage Fraud, Associate Deputy Attorney General, and director of the Weaponization Working Group. He is also investigating another Trump enemy, Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California, who led congressional investigations into the 2016 presidential election. Both James and Schiff deny any wrongdoing. 'We're gonna go to the very bottom of the facts, and if somebody did something wrong, we're not only gonna hold them accountable, we're also gonna look at everything else that they've been doing. Because when you're a liar, you lie not just on one thing,' Martin said on Fox News on Sunday. 'When you're a cheater, you cheat not just on one thing. When you're doing corruption, you generally don't just do it on one thing.' Grand juries in Virginia and New York are investigating James, people familiar with the matter have told CNN. The New York grand jury subpoenaed James and is looking into her investigations into the Trump Organization and the National Rifle Association. A separate investigation in Virginia is looking into whether she committed mortgage fraud on loan applications. Lowell punched back in a letter Monday to Martin addressing his call for her resignation, 'Let me be clear: that will not happen here.' 'Were there any doubts as to your political retributive mission, you erased them in your first statements about your appointment when you stated that your assignment is to 'stick the landing.' A responsible and credible federal prosecutor is not a pommel horse gymnast,' Lowell wrote. Lowell has said the investigations are on 'baseless and long-discredited allegations.' Before entering government, Martin was an organizer in the 'Stop the Steal' movement that claimed the 2020 election was rigged and later defended numerous people charged in the January 6, 2021, riot on the US Capitol. Martin was tapped by Trump to serve as interim US attorney for the District of Columbia, where he quickly moved to dismiss January 6-related cases and fired prosecutors involved in them. His tenure was tumultuous, and his nomination was dropped after bipartisan opposition. Martin said Sunday on Fox that he was in New York and New Jersey for meetings last week and went to view James' home. 'I wanted to lay eyes on it,' he said. 'You gotta get a sense of what is actually at stake.'
CNN
30 minutes ago
- CNN
Video shows DOJ prosecutor Ed Martin posing for photos outside of New York AG Letitia James' house
Ed Martin, President Donald Trump's Justice Department weaponization chief, called for the resignation of New York Attorney General Letitia James and posed for photos outside of her Brooklyn home last week – all as he is conducting investigations into her conduct. His investigation of James, whose office brought civil fraud charges against Trump, his adult sons, and the Trump Organization resulting in a half-billion-dollar judgment last year, is one of several the Justice Department has launched into the president's perceived enemies. But since beginning of the investigation into James, Martin has taken several unusual steps that fall outside the norms of prosecutorial conduct. He sent a letter to James' attorney Abbe Lowell on August 12 suggesting New York's top law enforcement officer resign, he appeared outside of James' home with a colleague trailed by a photographer for the New York Post, and appeared on Fox News pledging to take an expansive look into all of James' conduct. In video obtained by CNN, Martin can be seen posing for photos outside of James' home. 'This is a criminal investigation, not social media,' said Elie Honig, CNN's senior legal analyst. 'A stunt like that might get clicks, but it's patently inappropriate for a prosecutor to do and it certainly will give James and her attorney a basis to oppose any indictment, to argue it was prejudicial to the jury pool and that an indictment was brought in bad faith.' The conduct is 'outside the bounds of DOJ and ethics rules,' Lowell said in a response to Martin. Justice Department policy generally prohibits discussing criminal investigations publicly, and attorneys are not supposed to pursue investigations for political means or to go on fishing expeditions. DOJ declined to comment for this story. Martin, a ring-wing firebrand who pushed a retribution agenda that caught Trump's attention, holds four titles at the Justice Department: US Pardon Attorney, Special Attorney for Mortgage Fraud, Associate Deputy Attorney General, and director of the Weaponization Working Group. He is also investigating another Trump enemy, Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California, who led congressional investigations into the 2016 presidential election. Both James and Schiff deny any wrongdoing. 'We're gonna go to the very bottom of the facts, and if somebody did something wrong, we're not only gonna hold them accountable, we're also gonna look at everything else that they've been doing. Because when you're a liar, you lie not just on one thing,' Martin said on Fox News on Sunday. 'When you're a cheater, you cheat not just on one thing. When you're doing corruption, you generally don't just do it on one thing.' Grand juries in Virginia and New York are investigating James, people familiar with the matter have told CNN. The New York grand jury subpoenaed James and is looking into her investigations into the Trump Organization and the National Rifle Association. A separate investigation in Virginia is looking into whether she committed mortgage fraud on loan applications. Lowell punched back in a letter Monday to Martin addressing his call for her resignation, 'Let me be clear: that will not happen here.' 'Were there any doubts as to your political retributive mission, you erased them in your first statements about your appointment when you stated that your assignment is to 'stick the landing.' A responsible and credible federal prosecutor is not a pommel horse gymnast,' Lowell wrote. Lowell has said the investigations are on 'baseless and long-discredited allegations.' Before entering government, Martin was an organizer in the 'Stop the Steal' movement that claimed the 2020 election was rigged and later defended numerous people charged in the January 6, 2021, riot on the US Capitol. Martin was tapped by Trump to serve as interim US attorney for the District of Columbia, where he quickly moved to dismiss January 6-related cases and fired prosecutors involved in them. His tenure was tumultuous, and his nomination was dropped after bipartisan opposition. Martin said Sunday on Fox that he was in New York and New Jersey for meetings last week and went to view James' home. 'I wanted to lay eyes on it,' he said. 'You gotta get a sense of what is actually at stake.'
