The 904
Director of Photography and Editor: Bernardo Santana, III
Jacksonville, Florida, has been the Sunshine State's murder capital for the last nine years. According to the FBI's newly released Violent Crime Report, Jacksonville recorded a 22% increase in violent crimes last year- more than any other Southern city. Why is Jacksonville, not Miami or Tampa, Florida's murder capital? What historic and socioeconomic factors are contributing to the city's current crisis? How will Duval County – The 904 – (for the city's 904 area code) successfully address the murder epidemic that is threatening the very future of the city?
THE 904 will document the real-life story of a city's effort to stem the tide of violence threatening to consume it. And at the center of it all is a woman named Beverly McClain.
They found his body in the Ribault River, she says of her son, who was murdered two years ago. His killer was never found. "My boy had been missing for days, and the neighbors said, ‘If you want to get him, he's floating in the river,'" she said.
Beverly still doesn't know who killed her son, but what she does know is that too many mothers are losing sons, and daughters, to violence in her city. Her dream is to open a Center for grieving families, providing a formalized network of support and healing as they try to come to grips with the unendurable. But there is little money and no support from the city's powerful to help her realize her dream of opening Families of Slain Children in the heart of Jacksonville's most violent neighborhood. THE 904 will follow Beverly McClain as she comforts grieving mothers, consults with police officers tracking down the latest killer, and tirelessly works to raise funds and awareness to realize her dream of bringing comfort to other mothers like herself. Beverly's goal is to open the Families of Slain Children Center by the fall of 2008- will she be able to open her doors?
THE 904 will focus on several main characters, following real people through the narrative arc of the film to show how violent crime impacts individuals. These characters will be representative of the city as a whole, coming from different parts of town that have been impacted by crime and murder. By telling the stories of individuals of different backgrounds and races who have lost loved ones to violence, we will show the viewer that violent crime isn't just a problem that happens in someone else's neighborhood. It can happen in any neighborhood.
In addition to Beverly's story, we are following people like Annette Toole, who has lost three immediate family members to violence. There's also Brian Martin, a suburban business owner whose store was shot up by a group of thugs. He survived, but is permanently injured, though not permanently bitter. Then there's Gerald Dove, an ex-con who used to be one of Jacksonville's most notorious drug dealers. These days Gerald spends his time trying to teach kids to go straight – if he can get them to listen to his cautionary tale.