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==FSU==
==FSU==
{{main article|Friends Stand United}}
{{main article|Friends Stand United}}
In Boston, James began singing for hardcore punk band Wrecking Crew and befriended a multi-racial group of kids from the tough areas of Boston and [[Brockton]]. They started FSU (originally 'Fuck Shit Up', however it came to be known as 'Friends Stand United' or 'Forever Stand United'). They formed to fight back against the influx of [[white power skinhead]] gangs in the area.<ref name=nat/> Having successfully eliminated several [[neo-Nazism|neo-Nazi]] groups, James turned his attention to drug dealers,<ref>Dark Planet: Visions of America 2005.</ref> going, in his words, “right after the heart of the enemy, money”.<ref>Enemy, J&M productions 2007</ref> He would rob drug dealers and then give half of that money to local charities.<ref name="nat">{{cite web |url=http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/inside/3442/Overview#tab-Videos/05227_00 |title=Inside Straight Edge |publisher=''[[National Geographic]]'' |accessdate=April 8, 2010}}</ref>
In Boston, James began singing for hardcore punk band Wrecking Crew and befriended a multi-racial group of kids from the tough areas of Boston and [[Brockton, Massachusetts]]. They started FSU (originally 'Fuck Shit Up', however it came to be known as 'Friends Stand United' or 'Forever Stand United'). They formed to fight back against the influx of [[white power skinhead]] gangs in the area.<ref name=nat/> Having successfully eliminated several [[neo-Nazism|neo-Nazi]] groups, James turned his attention to drug dealers,<ref>Dark Planet: Visions of America 2005.</ref> going, in his words, “right after the heart of the enemy, money”.<ref>Enemy, J&M productions 2007</ref> He would rob drug dealers and then give half of that money to local charities.<ref name="nat">{{cite web |url=http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/inside/3442/Overview#tab-Videos/05227_00 |title=Inside Straight Edge |publisher=''[[National Geographic]]'' |accessdate=April 8, 2010}}</ref>


While part of FSU, using a tactic learned from the United States government,<ref>Enemy, J&M productions 2007.</ref> James and other FSU members set up an "arms for hostages" scenario in which they traded [[handgun]]s with inner city gang members for [[pit bull]]s used in dog fighting rings. The dogs would then be nursed back to health and fostered until safe homes were found for them.
While part of FSU, using a tactic learned from the United States government,<ref>Enemy, J&M productions 2007.</ref> James and other FSU members set up an "arms for hostages" scenario in which they traded [[handgun]]s with inner city gang members for [[pit bull]]s used in dog fighting rings. The dogs would then be nursed back to health and fostered until safe homes were found for them.

Revision as of 19:30, 10 November 2011

Elgin James is a filmmaker, musician and a former member of Friends Stand United (FSU), a Boston, Massachusetts area group in the early 1990s. FSU has been classified by several law enforcement agencies as a gang, a distinction that James and FSU deny.

Early life

After a short time in orphanages and foster homes, James (who is of mixed race) was raised by civil rights activists on a rural farm in the Northeast.[1] With a crop of marijuana in the backyard and alcohol and drug abuse in the house, James formed strong anti-drinking and anti-drug beliefs which later led him to be a pivotal figure in the 1990s militant straight edge movement within the punk subculture. He had also become a vegetarian or vegan at age 11 after watching the animals he raised on the farm slaughtered.[2]

James had discovered punk rock through an older foster brother and attended concerts by seminal hardcore punk bands Black Flag, Agnostic Front and Millions of Dead Cops. He was arrested for the first time at age 12, and by 14 he ended up in juvenile hall. There he rejected the pacifist beliefs of his parents (who had marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Freedom Riders movement), and began studying the writings of Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael and Huey P. Newton, fusing them with aggressive punk ideals.[3]

James left juvenile hall, and inspired by civil rights attorneys William Kunstler and Morris Dees, left for Antioch College at age 17 to study pre-law. During a break in his first semester, he was involved in a gang fight and beaten in the back of the head with a baseball bat, which left him with left hemispheric brain damage.[4] He could not speak or move the right side of his body. After intensive physical and speech therapy he eventually recovered his speech and motor skills, but he ended up homeless, living on the streets and in squats across the country. Eventually he settled in Boston, Massachusetts.

FSU

Main article: Friends Stand United

In Boston, James began singing for hardcore punk band Wrecking Crew and befriended a multi-racial group of kids from the tough areas of Boston and Brockton, Massachusetts. They started FSU (originally 'Fuck Shit Up', however it came to be known as 'Friends Stand United' or 'Forever Stand United'). They formed to fight back against the influx of white power skinhead gangs in the area.[5] Having successfully eliminated several neo-Nazi groups, James turned his attention to drug dealers,[6] going, in his words, “right after the heart of the enemy, money”.[7] He would rob drug dealers and then give half of that money to local charities.[5]

While part of FSU, using a tactic learned from the United States government,[8] James and other FSU members set up an "arms for hostages" scenario in which they traded handguns with inner city gang members for pit bulls used in dog fighting rings. The dogs would then be nursed back to health and fostered until safe homes were found for them.

The founding core of FSU eventually splintered, with a large section moving on to motorcycle gangs including the Outlaws.[9] The split was amicable, but James and other founding members decided to leave a more positive legacy and steer FSU away from the criminal world. They established the Foundation Fund, which set up scholarships at local universities (Berklee College of Music and Suffolk University Law School) in the names of FSU members who had died. The fund also holds yearly benefit concerts to raise money for charities that reflect "hardcore punk culture" (teen homelessness, anti-handgun violence, suicide prevention and local orphanages).[10]

James and FSU were featured on National Geographic TV, the History Channel's Gangland series and in Rolling Stone magazine.[11]

Music and film career

James began his music career playing in straight edge hardcore bands such as Wrecking Crew, 454 Big Block and Righteous Jams. Later, James would experiment with country-influenced solo work that has been critically acclaimed and described as "hooligan folk" by the Boston Phoenix, and "folk-punk" by Wonkavision magazine.

In 2006, James moved to Los Angeles, California to work as a filmmaker. He wrote and directed the short film Goodnight Moon, starring Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy, which was released by THINKFilm. In December 2008, James was announced as a fellow for the Sundance Screenwriters lab, whose alumni include Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Alison Anders and Darren Aronofsky.[12]

Arrest

James was arrested by the FBI in Los Angeles, California on July 14, 2009, stemming from an incident four years earlier. He was charged with a criminal complaint of federal attempted extortion filed in Chicago.[13][14][15] It is alleged that in 2005 James sanctioned an attack on an individual who had past ties to white power politics.[16] James is then reported as to have said that the man could avoid further trouble if he made a $5,000 “donation” to FSU. After that incident, the FBI became involved, and after another attack, the victim scheduled a meeting with James to give the $5,000 while the FBI had surveillance on the encounter.[17] The individual has been revealed to be a member of the band Mest. Speculation has been raised that lead singer Tony Lovato's previous ties to white power groups[18][19] were the reason why the band was targeted,[16] given FSU's anti-racist stance. However the specific Mest member who was targeted has yet to be revealed.

Discography

1992- Wrecking Crew, single, (vocals)
1995- 454 Big Block, "Your Jesus," Century Media (vocals)
1996- 454 Big Block, s/t single, Big Wheel Rec (vocals)
1997- 454 Big Block, "Save Me From Myself," Big Wheel Rec (vocals)
1997- The World is My Fuse, s/t single, Espo records (vocals)
1998- The World Is My Fuse, "Drunk," Single, Espo Records (vocals, guitars)
1999- The World Is My Fuse, "Good Intentions," Espo Records (vocals, guitars)
2002- The Jaded Salingers, "s/t," Espo Records (vocals, guitars)
2003- Elgin James "For Carol.." Lonesome Recordings (vocals, guitars)
2004- Elgin James, "Long Way Home," Lonesome Recordings comp (vocals, guitars)
2004- Righteous Jams "Rage Of Discipline," Broken Sounds (guitars)
2005- Elgin James, "Tinted Soft Green," Emusic Digital Singles Club (vocals, guitars)
2006- Righteous Jams "Business As Usual," Abacus Recordings (guitars)

Filmography

  • Release (1998)
  • Live Thee Fourth (2000)
  • Boston Beatdown Vol. 2 (2004)
  • Dark Planet: Visions of America (2005)
  • Enemy (2007)
  • Goodnight Moon, THINKFilms, (2007) (writer/director)
  • Little Birds (2010)[20]

References

  1. ^ Revolution On Canvas, Time/Warner books, 2007
  2. ^ “Sounds from Underground” Lollipop magazine, 1996.
  3. ^ ENEMY, J and M productions, 2007.
  4. ^ Armed Aggression Fanzine, Issue 1, 1996
  5. ^ a b "Inside Straight Edge". National Geographic. Retrieved April 8, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ Dark Planet: Visions of America 2005.
  7. ^ Enemy, J&M productions 2007
  8. ^ Enemy, J&M productions 2007.
  9. ^ Catalano, Debbie, “Elgin James: Truth and Fiction”, Soundcheck magazine (November 2003), pp. 14-16
  10. ^ http://foundationfund.net
  11. ^ "Punk Rock Fight Club" by Mark Binelli Rolling Stone magazine August 23, 2007 issue 1033
  12. ^ 30/June/2009 Inside the Sundance Labs: Elgin James, Gang Leader Turned Sundance Filmmaker .movieline.com
  13. ^ 14/July/2009 Feds arrest 'punk rock' gang leader .chicagobreakingnews.com
  14. ^ Vives, Ruben (2009-07-14). "Alleged gang member arrested in extortion". L.A. NOW. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
  15. ^ 15/July/2009 Man accused of extorting money in punk rock scene .chicagotribune.com
  16. ^ a b 07/Aug/2009 Elgin James FSU Update - James in Chicago for a Pre-trial Appearance and More on Mest punkmusic.about.com
  17. ^ 20/July/2009 FSU Gang Founder Arrested For Extortion: Inside Punk Fight Club rollingstone.com
  18. ^ Mest profile punkmusic.about.com
  19. ^ 05/Apr/2002 Cosmetic changes work wonders Derogatis, Jim
  20. ^ "Little Birds: Featurette - Meet the Artists". traileraddict.com. Retrieved May 15, 2011.

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