The story is narrated in first person by Luis Hernandez, a Puerto Rican teenager who was detained in a juvenile detention facility in Providence, Rhode Island, accused of drug handling. The stiry starts a week after Luis'release. However, his desire to stay clean is soon crushed by his inability to cope with events and circumstances around him. His story is also expressed through interviews with other teenagers sharing the same background. Luis' predicament is shared by many other minority youngsters in Urban America who spend their prime years In and Out of trouble with the law, and In and Out of the establishment. They attribute their situation to a lack of education, job opportunities and to the negative effects of life on the streets. The story offers no immediate solutions to the problem but stresses Luis'ingrained qualities, love of family and talents as a self-taught artist and hip-hop performer.
2003,
USA,
25 mins,
Produced, edited, and directed by Pia Camil