ALERT! ALERT!ALERT! 

VENUE HAS CHANGED FOR THE GOD'S CRYING CASTING CALL

NEW LOCATION: 

MECCA

UNISEX SALON

PROGRESS PLAZA

1501 BROAD STREET (BROAD & OXFORD ST)

"God's Crying" the docudrama you don't want to miss...

The Who's Who involved with the Philly Artists against Violence Project

Shout Out to "Ant" WE RUN THE STREETS FOR JOINING THE PHILLY AAV "GOD'S CRYING" PROJECT! 
It's truly a blessing to have young black men engage in social media films that relay a positive message to youth  in our communities. Ant (We Run the Streets) is a young black entrepreneur who is leading by example that fame and fortune can come from hard work. Whatever you dream or desire- work hard, stay committed and do you...the rest will fall into place! 

Update on the God's Crying Auditions - GREAT NEWS!!! Jimmy Da Saint will be stopping pass to check out how the auditions are progressing! Thanks Jimmy for the Philly AAV Support!

Philadelphia Artist Against Violence: God's Crying Film & Upcoming Auditons

Philadelphia Artist Against Violence: God's Crying Film & Upcoming Auditons: God’s Crying Docudrama: Actors and Actresses Needed Calling all inspiring actors, actresses and down to earth people, stand-up com...

The Skittles Party has been added to "God's Crying" Film

Most of you have heard about the new get high method young people are engaging in. I decided to take this article directly from a newspaper to give you an idea of why we added this scene to our "God's Crying" Film.  As with all our scenes that are created from real life experiences but with a twist.....the powerful message at the end! STAY TUNE!!http://www.hrmvideo.com/catalog/pharm-parties-a-lethal-mix

 Trail Mix

Losing a valuable life so young and innocent

 What could you have done to prevent your friend from dying?

 Anything good can be used for bad!

 Where would your child be in 5 years?

 And children follow in their parent's footsteps huh?

 Don't be in denial: you know what your child is doing!

 Friend's Don't Let Friend's KILL!

 We must start paying attention to the warning signs! Depression, Lonliness & Anti-Social Behaviors are not normal!

Listen, these young people committing theses crimes are not strangers to our community! They are somebody's son, brother, nephew, uncle, dad and friend.Are you not tired of attending funerals? Are you not tired of the RIP shirts and teddy bears on the ground? Well I'M gonna tell you what I'm tired of:.. SEEING people crying over their relatives and friends at their funerals like you didn't know what was going on and that this could be the end result! ARE YOU SERIOUS! and you think you don't have a hand in their DEATH! You may not have pulled the trigger but you DID NOTHING TO STOP IT OR GET HELP! Now you are without a friend, his son is without a father, his mom without her son, his siblings without their brother and you think you tears matter....WITH YOUR SILENCE AND LACK OF ACTION YOU ARE JUST AS MUCH FAULT AS IF YOU PULLED THE TRIGGER! NOW THINK ABOUT THAT!

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Richard Porter/Plainview HeraldWhile it still lingers behind marijuana, cocaine, meth and alcohol, the abuse of prescription and over- the-counter drugs is a growing problem in Plainview, according to law enforcement personnel. Plainview narcotics detective Ramiro Sanchez said the warning signs are much the same as with other drug abuse — mood swings, change in behavior and withdrawal from family.

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Posted: Sunday, January 30, 2011 12:00 pm | Updated: 4:14 pm, Mon Jan 31, 2011.

By RICHARD PORTER Herald Staff Writer | 0 comments

Pharm parties . . .

Depending on who you talk to or what source you read, they either are a growing wave of possible destruction or a figment of the imagination of people who have too much time on their hands.

In Plainview, while prescription drug abuse is on the radar of local law enforcement personnel, it still doesn't compare with other forms of drug abuse, according to Plainview Police Department Investigator Ramiro Sanchez.

Allegedly, a pharm party is when people get together and deposit whatever pharmaceuticals they can get their hands on in a communal bowl and party-goers then scoop out handfuls and ingest them.

The issue of prescription drug abuse came to the attention of the Herald when a couple of police incident reports cited cases of Plainview school students being caught on various campuses with prescription drugs that were not their own. The incidents occurred in December, and in the most recent the junior high-aged student was caught with a 500 mg hydrocodone pill and three 1mg clonazepam pills.

According to a Web site sponsored by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, "Clonazepam is used alone or in combination with other medications to control certain types of seizures. It is also used to relieve panic attacks (sudden, unexpected attacks of extreme fear and worry about these attacks)."

The same Web site explained that hydrocodone is used to treat pain and coughs: "Hydrocodone relieves pain by changing the way the brain and nervous system respond to pain. Hydrocodone relieves cough by decreasing activity in the part of the brain that causes coughing."

Ironically, the first of the two incidents occurred at about the same time that PISD Director of Operations Rick Garcia attended a safety seminar on drug abuse.

When asked about the subject of prescription drug abuse, Garcia acknowledged that there is heightened awareness.

"Just coming back from this safety seminar, they said it is becoming more of an issue," he said. However, Garcia added that, "District-wide, we haven't seen it very much."

In a presentation from the seminar, presented by Rick Torres, school safety specialist with the Texas School Safety Center at Texas State University in San Marcos, the concept of a pharm party was described. He said the concoction often contains drugs such as "Xanax, a strong tranquilizer, and powerful painkillers like Vicodin and Oxycontin."

In providing statistics from the Web site drugfree.org, Torres said that:

•Every day, 2,500 teenagers use a prescription drug to get high for the first time.

•Sixty percent of teens who have abused prescription painkillers did so before age 15.

•An estimated 2.1 million teens are abusing them - a figure that has hardly changed since the government's national Survey on Drug Use and Health started tracking it in 2002.

At the other end of the spectrum, in a Jan. 21, 2010, online article published on the Web site Slate, the writer argued that the notion of pharm parties is the product of "a police officer or a drug counselor who asserts that the soirees take place or have heard young drug-heads talking about them. Given such stringent evidentiary standards, it's a wonder that preschool teachers aren't claiming that unicorns are real, too."

Regardless of which end of the spectrum one leans toward, Sanchez said it is an issue in Plainview.

"I've seen a rise in the abuse of prescription drugs," he said. "We're finding a lot of the younger crowd where they're calling them "Skittle Parties" (after the brightly-covered candy)."

Sanchez said in one instance a youth had a daily organizer that detailed some of the pills.

"He was able to explain what each pill was and if you took them together, you get this kind of high," Sanchez said.

One common problem police are seeing is children drinking cough syrup.

"They call them syrup heads," he said.

Traditionally, Sanchez said, prescription drug abuse has been associated with adults who have gotten addicted to strong painkillers after being injured or having surgery. Eventually, the patient starts forging prescriptions or moving from one doctor to another to another to keep getting prescriptions.

As the issue evolves, people begin selling their own prescriptions, Sanchez said.

"A 7.5 milligram hydrocodone is going for $5 a pill on the street," he continued.

Sanchez said children get involved when they begin stealing drugs from the family's medicine cabinet. He said stealing drugs from a medicine cabinet is a lot less expensive than buying them on the street.

"It's a growing problem," he said. "We're hearing more and more, and I'm seeing more and more where the kids are getting the pain pills."

Sanchez said the youth he's talked to say they do prescription drugs because "it mellows them out."

While prescription drug abuse is a growing problem, Sanchez said it still pales in comparison to other forms of drug abuse.

"Marijuana still is No. 1. We have a bad marijuana problem in Plainview," he said, adding that cocaine, methamphetamine and alcohol follow, in that order. He place prescription drugs fifth on the list.

From the school's perspective, Garcia said PISD has a policy governing when and how medications of any kind may be brought onto a campus.

According to that policy, only authorized employees may administer:

•Prescription medication, in the original, properly-labeled container, provided by the parent, along with a written request

•Prescription medication from a properly-labeled unit dosage container filled by a registered nurse or another qualified district employee from the original, properly-labeled container

•Nonprescription medication, in the original, properly-labeled container, provided by the parent along with a written request

•Herbal or dietary supplements provided by the parent only if required by the student's individualized education program or section 504 plan for a student with disabilities.

Garcia said the district treats illegally-obtained prescription drugs the same as any other type of illegal drug. He added that the drug dogs used by the district are trained to detect them.

"We've had several hits from the dogs and the students have had to prove that they have the prescriptions (for the drugs in question)," he said.

One thing the district is beginning to keep a closer eye on is legal energy drinks which can have varying effects.

"We try to be very proactive," Garcia said.

In the meantime, he continued, parents need to be aware of what their children are doing when it comes to addressing the possible use of any kind of illegal drug.

Sanchez said key things to look for are the same as in other instances of abuse - mood swings, behavioral changes and withdrawing from the family.

"If you know your kid, you'll start to notice the behavioral change," he said.

In regard to storing prescription drugs in the home, Sanchez took a hard line.

"You're going to have to start treating that stuff like a gun," he suggested. "Lock it up."

- - -

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000635

To comment:

rporter@hearstnp.com

806.296.1361

Philly Artists against Violence in Atlantic City

Philly Artists against Violence engaged the Community at the Stop the Violence Break the Silence and the Hurricane Sandy Benefit at the Shore Park Community Center

God's Crying Film & Upcoming Auditons

God’s Crying Docudrama:

Actors and Actresses & Artists Needed

2nd Audition 

Calling all inspiring actors, actresses and down to earth people, stand-up comedians, beauty queens, ladies' men and everyone in between. This is your lucky day. Philly AAV casting calls are looking for you! Yes, you! 

MECCA Unisex Salon

Progress Plaza (1501 Broad Street)

December 15, 2012

11 AM - 7 PM

For more info text us your interest @ 267-702-0199

We've got so many real-life scenes that we're looking for fresh, new talent all the time in our Casting Call notices. Whether you're an up-and-coming rap star, R & B singer, pop/rock star that enjoy matching your lyrics to our scenes there's sure to be a scene your music is perfect for the world to hear.

So don't miss your chance to be in this docudrama and show the whole world your talent. Make people think; make them cry; make a crowd stand up and throw their hands in the air (and say I know that’s right); or just show them how hot you are! No matter what your specialty is, we just might want you in our film.

The film “God’s Crying” is an intervention and preventive tool created to address the high surge of violence, substance abuse and incarceration among predominately African American children and families across our nation. We have created this docudrama to empower and educate young people by showing the consequences of one’s actions. Many of the stories are similar to what you have heard in the news but with a twist, the characters bring to light different choices and alternatives that were available after the “wrong” choice was made. 

Expires:  January 1, 2013/ Union:  Non Union /Gender:  Both 

Age under 18:  Yes/ Age over 18: Yes /Talent needed:  Acting

Calling all actors/actresses!!! Actors and actresses are being sought to fill multiple roles for a concept film (along the lines of Pink Floyd's "The Wall"). The following roles are needed:

Please reply with a bio and a media link to a voice reel (or general film reel). Film and acting students are welcome to apply! 

1. Female / early 25’s yrs. /  [Mother] (High off wet commits unspeakable crime)

23 year old Lela a single mom, unemployed on public assistance hangs out with her friends getting high from the time she wake up in the morning until it’s time to go to sleep. Lela 6 year old son named Kareem whose father left her because she never had a plan to be anything in life is an adorable normal kid like other kids his age getting into everything when his mom is occupied with her friends getting high.  Little did she know that her carefree, irresponsible lifestyle would land her up in prison for the most unspeakable act that any human being or mother could carry out.  Being high off wet, Lela killed her 6 year old son and lived to talk about it. Granted permission by the District Attorney Lela attends her son funeral where she relays a powerful to those walking in her shoes of living life recklessly.

2. Female / late 20’s/  [Mother] (domestic violence destroys families)

27 year old Keisha comes from a family of domestic violence and vowed never to let a man hit her or disrespect her in life. So when her daughter’s father left her because of her verbal and physical abuse she took that as a sign of disrespect and put a hit out for him on face book. Her secret is revealed when Mike’s cousin Rodney learns what happened.

Male / 20 yrs / [Mike’s Cousin]

Rodney is Mike’s cousin who learned from friends on face book that Keisha put a hit out on his cousin and the reason he is dead today. Mike has to determine how is going to handle learning the truth and how to tell his family and friends that Keisha is responsible for Mark’s death.

3. Male/early 20’s /  (suicide)

21 year old Josh commits suicide after some friends tape him with his lover thus exposing to his family and friends his well-kept secret; that he is gay.

4.  Male/ mid 20’s. / . (drug war-senseless killing)

Jerrod buries his cousin Mark who died over a drug war. Jerrod speaks out at the funeral and holds himself accountable that he did not do more to end the feud.

6. Male / late 40 yrs. /  [Detective]

Detective Thomas investigates the claim about Mark’s Death not being a robbery but a hit off of face book.

7. Male/Female 40-60 y/o/ [Pastor]

We are in need of 3 individuals to play the role of a pastor

Pastor 1 consoles Keisha after the murder of her son:

Pastor 2 performs the sermon at Mike’s funeral

Pastor 3 performs the sermon at Josh suicide

8. Male/early 20”s/

To play the role of Mike (Rodney’s cousin) lying in coffin. You will be a still model for the scene

9. Female/early teens/early 20/[High School Students] (Pharm Party gone bad)

Blair parents were always going on trips leaving her at home. Although they made sure she had all the necessities she could ever need including a credit card for emergencies Blair chalked it up that her parents just wanted her out their hair. So every weekend she would throw a party with her friend from school. First it was alcohol and beer with a few popping of pills then the urge grew greater. Now Blair & her friends call it the “Skittles Party”. She wanted all her friends to bring the prescription drugs to exchanged and randomly ingested, in order to become intoxicated. That was the new ultimate high. On Halloween, Blair invited 9 of her closes friends over to have fun. They were too old to go trick or treating so she encouraged everyone to raid their parent’s medicine cabinet and order from internet pharmacies prior to the party and bring the goodies. That night her and her friends filled a bowl with such drugs as Xanax, a strong tranquilizer and powerful pain killers like Vicodin and Oxycontin. Psychotropic drugs like Zoloft, Prozac, and Wellbutrin, with other powerful pain pills and tranquilizers the bowl was filled with over 1000 + pills which they all laugh about and called it their "trail mix". Once the bowl was filled each of them took a handful of pills and watch as the other one took theirs first. Blair was so high that she did not notice her best friend Rebecca shaking over in the corner. Everyone just laugh at the newbie of the party not paying much attention to the warning signs that Rebecca was not playing and having difficulty breathing. It wasn’t until Chuck went over to Rebecca to wake her did they realize their party went terribly wrong. 

PERFORM YOUR SONG for "God’s Crying"

Prepare 16-32 bars of rap, R& B, or pop/rock song that relate to a God’s Crying scene.

On the spot auditions to listen to your song that matches a theme in one of our scenes.

if your song is selected to for one of the scenes in our film you will be notified by telephone.

Anyone interesting in participating must include a self-taped audition video and a headshot 

Please make sure you label your CD with name, number, email address and headshot.

**Please make sure that your music is copyrighted. NSF will not be responsible!