Photos by Nikol Anderson
11:55am | Last week we introduced you to James Cheeks III and Kevin Campbell, the filmmaker and photographer team who have spent the last several years creating On The Grind, an award-winning documentary about skateboarding in Long Beach and the youth who use it to stay away from trouble.
The film made its Long Beach premiere last Saturday at the Art Theatre to a raucous crowd – many of whom appeared in the film – and hinted at the release of a feature-length version that is currently in the making.
On The Grind was as jarring as anticipated, and much more. It is a story of kindness and struggle, life and death. You follow one skater into the hospital for the birth of his first child, and listen to another describe the look in the eyes of the man who tried to kill him.
Through it all, there is skating. The film is primarily shot at the old 14th Street Skate Park – a rundown, tiny version of its current self. It’s home away from… well, it’s just home for a lot of skaters that don’t have anywhere else to go. The film follows the hopes and dreams of the Hammer City Skate Gang and its wildly-diverse membership, but the park is the real star of the show, fostering a community of skaters who look out for each other and encourage positivity in a truly dangerous neighborhood.
“It’s unique and its not like any other place in the country, or the world,” says Campbell. “For people to embrace us and show us love, we could show them love by telling their story accurately and with integrity. And not just trying to get in and get out, but being a part of the community.”
That emotion and family atmosphere came spilling out of the theatre after the showing, as complete strangers hugged the stars of the show like they’d known each other for years. Laurietta King, the mother of a promising future professional skater who was killed by a stray bullet in 2005, delivered jaw-quivering testimony during the trial of her son’s murderers in the film, but embraced everyone leaving the show with a glowing smile. She grabbed my girlfriend and pulled her close like a long-lost friend.
Outside, the celebration continued and spilled into 4th Street as Hammer City members posed for photos in front of the marquee and hoisted Ms. King – as she’s known to the skaters – onto their shoulders.
There is still a lot of pain in the hearts of Hammer City and Ms. King after the 2005 murder of Michael K. Green, who many professional skaters say was next in line to earn endorsement and sponsorship deals. His death fostered a new family atmosphere among the skaters and brought Cheeks to Long Beach to follow the story.
“At the end of the day, everybody’s got a really interesting story,” says Cheeks. “Whether they come from a broken home, dad’s not around. Or Ms. King’s story, you know, her son was murdered and his brothers and sisters don’t have their brother around but everyone loved him. Everyone had this story of things that they’ve seen, even the [professional skaters].”
“A lot of these skaters do have some interesting stories and they pick up skateboarding as a way to be home away from home,” he says. “And it was interesting to see how the City worked with these guys that usually people want to say are criminals.”
The wounds have partially healed since then, with the debut of the documentary and the unveiling of the Michael K. Green Skate Park last January, a massive renovation of the skate park that more than doubled its size.
“This new park is like a gateway for the other skaters to go on a path like Michael K. Green to be that next skater out of Long Beach, and it gives them the opportunity to do the same things that Mike did,” says Campbell, a poetry major who had no film experience before attaching himself to On The Grind. “It’s humbling to be a part of the project.”
The local skaters are fiercely protective of their new playground. When Cheeks, Campbell and I spoke at the park last week, a Graffiti Removal team was on site using a pressure blaster on graffiti that was only a few hours old.
They’re protective of the park not just to keep out gangs or prevent dangerous territorialism, but simply because of their pride and respect for Green’s name on the sign.
“Look at it,” said one skater who stopped riding to explain why they’re so against the graffiti. “It’s beautiful out here.”
On The Grind, in its current version, doesn’t include the renovation or the controversy that surrounded its funding. That is being saved for a future feature version, says Cheeks, who is driven to log long hours of working on the film in hopes that it will bring new opportunity to both the skaters and Ms. King, who has another son that suffers from cerebral palsy.
Cheeks and Campbell say that future showings are coming. Check out OnTheGrindMovie.net for more information about On The Grind.