They Don’t Give a Damn: The Story of the Failed Chicago Projects

A timely and revealing documentary that sheds light on a major event that contributed to the development of present day Chicago, Urban Movie Channel (UMC) presents the exclusive premiere of “They Don’t Give a Damn: The Story of the Failed Chicago Projects,” which is now streaming on the SVOD platform for African American and urban audiences in North America, created by Robert L. Johnson, Chairman of RLJ Entertainment and founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET).

Based on the book “Where Will They Go?: Transforming Public Housing” by Dr. Dorothy Appiah, the documentary vividly tells the story of Mayor Richard Daley and the Chicago Housing Authority’s 1999 “Plan for Transformation” – a redevelopment agenda that purported to rehabilitate and construct a total of 25,000 new public housing units.

Directed by Chicago native Kenny Young, and produced by Phil James, the film provides a look at the worldview of the displaced residents: their identity formation, their perceptions of public housing, their thoughts and feelings about redevelopment, their underlying fear of neighborhood gentrification, the cultural myth that perpetuates status value, adult learning, and the implementation of Chicago’s transformative plan.

The film’s premiere on UMC marks the first time it has been made available for wide release. Available at urbanmoviechannel.com, UMC is the first premium subscription streaming service that showcases quality African American and urban entertainment across all genres from RLJ Entertainment.

The documentary is now available to stream on UMC.

Trailer below:

They Don’t Give a Damn: The Story of the Failed Chicago Projects

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