Descriptions:
America’s Crises | Ep. 18 – Cities and the Poor. Part 2
Episode Description
In its continuing look at urban problems, America’s Crises focuses in this program on the plight of the poor in the cities. In this, the first of two programs on the subject, the poor will speak for themselves and will tell about their problems. The program will identify the poor, show the various kinds of poverty in cities and reveal the extent of deprivation and degradation generation after generation of poverty can bring to a family. This program will also show some of the efforts bring made to alleviate poverty and will go into the criticism of the various poverty programs.
It has been two years and more than two billion dollars since President Johnson declared a War on Poverty. Much has happened since then. Riots have scarred many neighborhoods across the country which had been labeled prime targets in the Poverty War; in some areas federal funds have been withdrawn in a confusion of charges and counter -charges; now, the entire Poverty Program has become the center of a national controversy. For a first-hand look at the anatomy and pathology of poverty, National Educational Television’s camera crews went into heart of poverty pockets to film two hour long documentaries for NET’s “America’s Crises” series.
Focused upon in this segment are two areas of the country which were the scenes of violent disturbances and riots among underprivileged Americans. They are the Watts section of Los Angeles, site of last year’s lootings and burnings, and Chicago, which only recently erupted with outbreaks of violence and gunfire. On location, NET recorded the frustration, aspirations, and fears of America’s poor – literally one of every six citizens. Viewers will learn of the lack of motivation that paralyzes the lower class, as they witness a Chicago social worker attempting to help a large family. They will get a new understanding of the role of neighborhood organizations in finding jobs for the unemployed, setting up recreation facilities for the elderly, and providing health care for pre-school age children. From Los Angeles, there is a segment on group therapy for young adults, some of whom either witnessed or participated in last year’s riots in Watts. And the impatience that is growing stronger among the poor is explored through a discussion between two young workers who are dissatisfied by the manner in which Poverty funds are administered. In a second program, “Cities and the Poor, Part II,” NET will focus on the ferment arising in the nation’s slums and its effects on the Poverty Program. America’s Crises: The Cities and the Poor is a 1966 production of the National Educational Television. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
