Documentary 'The List' Brings To Light Dangers Of Gang Life

Mongo Allen is a former educator. He was a principal for more than a decade, and he has a list of kids whose lives have been ruined because of gangs.

He's now turned "The List" into a gritty documentary to warn parents, kids and the community about what can happen if certain signs are ignored.

The documentary "The List" grabs your attention from the very beginning. But Creator Mongo Allen said it all started with two names on a piece of paper.

"I saw an epidemic of kids getting killed or going to jail who were either in gangs, gang affiliated or they were in that area where it was acceptable to hang out with them," said Allen. "These are all kids that I knew, that I worked with, that had meaning to me, that were important to me. So when I did the film, that's what it was for. It was to be a deterrent."

Allen said unfortunately, most times what kids see is the glamour of gangs, not the cold hard reality.

2/10/2011 Related Story: The 'List' Your Child Should Never Be On

"They don't see getting 30 years in prison," said Allen. "They don't see you laying in a ditch after you've been shot - and your friends have left you there, your so called homeys have left you there to die. They never really grasp that until it happens."

Allen said some parents are also in the dark and fail to identify the telltale signs.

"If your kid is wearing red overtly, only red, he's not a super hero - he's probably a gang member," said Allen. "Identifiers are cuts in the eyebrows, hair color. Identifiers can be fingernail color, thick shoe strings belt buckles, tattoos. Identifiers are all over the body - they generally will let you know who they represent."

Allen has current and former gang members telling their stories in this 45 minute documentary, hoping it will compel others to get out or stay out.

"And it took terrible endings for them to actually say we got to get out of this and change our lives," said Allen. "How many kids do we have to see die? How many kids do we have to see go to jail?"

Allen has shared "The List" with churches and schools all over the metro.

Mongo Allen will also try to get his documentary seen at the Gangs 101 conference going on November 22 at the Mid Del Technology center in Midwest City.

The conference is open to the public.

For more information about Gangs 101