Most Dangerous City (East St. Louis, IL) Public Housing Projects, Documentary Film

Most Dangerous City (East St. Louis, IL) Public Housing Projects, Documentary Film
In-depth look into the streets of East St. Louis, IL
Journey through every hood in the "Most Dangerous City"
"highest homicide rate of any city in the United States"
Shot & Edited by @ArtisticReign & @DevoAntwon
Instagram & Twitter @ArtisticReign @DevoAntwon

[mittiemoorecollins]

U can really feel the bad vibes coming out the phone. Just the depression, no hope, just the feeling of anxiety, fear, anger, sadness.

[kevinkollmann]

I'm a middle aged white man from Southern Illinois, but E. St. was my home three times in my life, from 12 to 30, 1990, 1994, and 2010. I've walked the steets, I've ran in the projects, I've broken bread with the people who still call this There is only sadness left in E. Boogie, sadness, pain, and a memory of hope that is long, long She will forever be a part of who I am, yet watching this, I only feel

[derekwilson]

I'm from east St Louis and they told me a lot growing up I'm 63 years old and was fortunate enough to come out of the place but I still have nothing but love for the place

[ryanmuldoon]

for the people saying its not that bad...a few years ago the murder rate was so high that if it was the same size as nyc there would be 8, 000 murders...yall are some sad souls tryna downplay an awful scene.

[JazmineHiill]

My hometown 😢 wow I used to live in the Gompers & grew up in the holes. This video brings back so many memories I had family in nearly every housing project in this video. Praying for my city. I’ve definitely come a long way 🙏🏾

[paullopezopaclinicman]

I lived in the nearby area, Cahokia and Belleville for over 20 years. My wife worked for Hudlin’s insurance and I worked at St. Mary’s hospital, then Kenneth Hall until it shut down for good. Then I worked at Touchette Regional. It is truly very sad to see a community of very good people being run down by corruption and crime.

[michaelm]

I visited ESL for the first time recently. I’ve driven through Gary, Camden, Cairo, Mississippi Delta, everywhere. ESL felt the most creepy.

[BigSi-xwwv]

9:00.. Damn you can feel the bad energy through the screen. You could tell that place is abandoned for good reasons.

[CrimsonDeathBed]

I grew up in Cahokia, then moved to Granite City, then to Collinsville before moving to Florida in 2010. I spent a lot of time driving through and around the East St. Louis area, this video does the best at really conveying the "Vibe" there, it's hard to explain, but it feels different there, you know you're in a scary place.

[douglasmacrae]

The music in this video gave me the chills. Liked. 👍

[zachshelton]

To me, as a child. I couldn't help myself but to explore these rundown places. To a kid, these just looked like potential forts lol.

[kaylamarga]

I grew up here (Im 23) and it's like many hoods. It's to the point of no return financially, the corruption is off the charts and most young people don't really have a vision of life outside of the ESTL. But the crazy thing is, most of us from here feel at home, mainly because we know when and how to move around ESTL. However, the crime is not as bad as one might assume, it's actually dying down, the murders and shootings that is. And most people are too poor to steal from. Its just a typical slum. So crazy it is between St Louis and the Metro East, meaning many people commute through or past the city every single day.

I also drive through omw to work and just fantasize about what it used to be and could become. Never will be the bustling city it was, but if the people come together it could be a beautiful place again. Lots of cheap land, lots of potential for jobs/companies to come in, it could be a Pontoon Beach of sorts. But there's just no real sense of community there yet. I want to change that.

[dannonheidelberg]

You did that fam. A real tour of East St Louis.

[noah_ac]

This is some VERY captivating music! Really goes with the video!

[oscarcatx]

I was married and lived in ESL in 1966...We lived in an apartment on Collinsville ave. near the old 400 club...The week after we moved, someone kicked in the door of our former apartment and shotgunned a man and woman who had moved in there...Nuff said...

[colhufs]

i’m a DoorDasher for the Belleville “zone” (for those unfamiliar with the area, this is a town not far east of ESTL). being how close the two towns are, i often get deliveries i have to take there (mind you all, i am a 5’4, 140 lb, 19 year old FEMALE). i have genuinely noticed no difference between tips i receive there or in other nearby towns like belleville, fairview, ofallon, etc. also, i’ve never had a bad experience with any of the customers i have interacted with… weirdly enough, i would say 90% of orders i take there are “hand to me” (versus the option to leave it at the door) and every single person is extremely respectful and genuinely just nice. as scary as this place may seem, i think a lot of the violence and murders that go on are dependent on the people and interactions you have. i don’t think people there are just waiting around shooting random strangers (at least i hope not), a lot of violence is related to poverty and lack of resources… so ultimately if you avoid any conflict, this doesn’t have to be such a scary place for you.

[vincentwesterfield]

Some of the dumping of trash people from Belleville and surrounding areas come to dump trash, i grew up on the river which was called the bottoms, until they built the highway over our property. And moved us to the Robinson's, they gave us lawnmowers to keep our yards up and grass seeds to plant, we had flowers and everyone respect each other

[PJBovio]

Boy oh boy!!! This film was extremely well-filmed, really giving an up-close-and-personal view of not only the rundown projects but the sad, barron, burned out property they stand on. Imagine being a child growing up in such a godawful environment? The violence, crime, destruction and substance abuse that results from the anger, depression and sense of hopelessness that comes from being poor and dissed by society is enough to traumatize any child. When I think of children residing at the Robinson and DeShields homes playing in their yards with the abandoned Nester (?) glass factory looming over them like a sentinal of doom, it sends a chill through me. Symbolically, it's as though the projects are a cracked, dusty, empty bottle and the old, ruined factory is its cap.

[alyssaley]

My husband was born and raised here.. been through the city multiple times & have been in random shootouts more than twice, seen bodies, abandoned building everywhere, trash dumped in huge mounds, burnt up cars and houses.. buildings. So much more. Shits really real out there. There no money running through there legally to help these people. It’s so heartbreaking. This city is proof that you are a product of your environment.

[kalbomataba]

I am a white guy. In 2020 I worked for the Census Bureau and I did census in Gompers and the big apartment buildings on Missouri Ave as well as the other apartments going down towards Centerville. I never really was scared and never got threatened or anything. Maybe I was dumb and didn’t know it.