Summaries

Synopsis

Bangers to the Bible is a 64-minute documentary about the life of Bishop K. Donnell Smith, an inactive member of the street gang School Yard Crips in Los Angeles. An enlightening experience in 2007 lead him to change his life by becoming a man of God and eventually a Bishop. The movie shows his struggle to bring gang members to church and to make them realize that there is the possibility of a better life.The narrative unfolds through a series of storylines: We meet gang member Angelica who went from being a runaway child to getting caught up in sex trafficking. The viewers follow her on a night out with the gang, getting ready for work and they witness Bishop's numerous fruitless attempts to keep her from the streets. Not so in the case of "Ace Boy". The documentary shows him first as a full blown gang member who, after losing his son to a bullet and becoming homeless, finally accepts Bishop's advice and changes his life. Bangers to the Bible also features an interview with sociology Professor Robert Weide who explains the history of gangs in Los Angeles, which is deeply entrenched with the civil rights movement, as is Bishop's biography. His parents were active in the Black Panthers Party and couldn't stop him from becoming a gang member. Despite no longer engaging in crime, Bishop has the status of "OG" (Original Gangster) in the gang, which makes him be a feared and respected figure for the people in his neighborhood. The documentary also shows his inner conflict between the archaic rules of the gang world and his commitment to God.