A proud African-American, an award-winning & acclaimed indie documentary film director, community activist & writer, Kevin Epps hails from Hunters Point, a predominately black, historical community in San Francisco. He is a self-taught and trained documentary film director whom many credits as the base for building the foundation, if not creating, an entire genre of independent film – ‘Indie films,’ inclusive of documentaries.
What crimes did they commit to be in Alcatraz, the worst prison in the world, and how were they treated? I wondered what did those unlucky souls do to get locked up in Alcatraz. I now had a different lens to look at and examine Alcatraz. I knew what it was like being caged up, degraded, because I have been incarcerated. Alcatraz was nothing to commemorate.
During the era of Prohibition, Alcatraz became the prison for the most feared prisoners, Gangsters, and Mobsters, many of who had frequently escaped local and state prisons or bribed corrupt local officials.
Who are the real public enemies?
Alcatraz and Al Capone are as linked in public imagination as identical twins although he only spent five years there. A case could be made that the prison was created for him in 1934.
Alcatraz Island is home to many things—migrating birds, a museum, an art gallery, gardens. It’s also home to the known and unknown stories of 1,567 incarcerated people. We know the tales of its most infamous residents, and stories of escape attempts loom large in popular culture, captivating visitors worldwide. But like most things on the island, there’s more there, and there are more stories to be told.
The book is a must-read; it’s a human story of indignation & resentment, a fight for survival and desperation that chronicles the inhumanity and mistreatment against blacks by the cruel American Injustice system.
Choose your preference now and dive into the merciless world of Alcatraz and the unjust American justice system.
Fro imprisonment, incarceration, reforms, injustice, conviction, fight for civil rights, and everything in between. The Black Rock is a riveting true story of the injustice faced by the African-American people in the unforgiving, harsh & destructive environment of the first-super-max prison, Alcatraz.
A snapshot by Kevin Epps.
“What crimes did they commit to being in Alcatraz, the worst prison in the world, and how were they treated? I wondered what did those unlucky souls do to get locked up in Alcatraz. I now had a different lens to look at and examine Alcatraz. I knew what it was like being caged up, degraded, because I have been incarcerated. Alcatraz was nothing to commemorate.”
Kevin Epps’s selective snapshot of the African-American experience at Alcatraz, The Black Rock, pushes through the fog of history in search of shards of contemporary relevance. When it finds them, the book comes into wrenching, pinpoint focus. Most of the time, however, the book comprises a riveting but thematically blurred collection of recollections. It’s a chilling and riveting read.
A brilliant representation of the stories of other incarcerated Black people on Alcatraz. Kevin Epps is a true master of real-story-telling
Echoes of injustice, a demand for equal rights, and the struggle for freedom. A thematic and realistic representation of the stories inside the notorious walls of Alcatraz. Masterpiece!
Films, Media, Books, & Merchandising.
San Francisco, California
