Wannabe: Life and Death in a Small Town Gang | Full Documentary

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Published 2021-02-16
Content Warning: Language and Violence

Everyone has heard of big city and inner city gang violence. But in 1995 in Appleton, Wisconsin, a city of quiet, middle class neighborhoods with a low crime rate and a booming economy, saw the deaths of 4 young people associated with gang violence. A film by John Whitehead.

00:52 Background story of deaths of 4 young people
03:50 Derek Barnstable "D-Mac" crew's start and murder plot
07:58 Theories and rumors of what actually happened
09:56 Life before they became gang members
20:07 Appleton - home town America
22:27 Teenagers and gang life in the Fox River Valley
27:25 Derek's story of becoming a wannabe gang member
32:18 Derek sought power and loyalty as gang leader
34:56 Teens seeking surrogate family through gangs
36:49 Gang activity signs in Appleton
37:32 Jermaine Gray's story
43:44 Jonathan Kinney's sentencing
46:12 Derek trial and sentencing left unanswered questions
51:10 What's next for Appleton's youth and gangs
53:38 Remembering lost members of D-Mac crew 2 years later
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#documentary #youth #crime

All Comments (21)
  • Thank you for making this and releasing it on here for free. Very sad story. That Teacher was very caring and hit the nail on the head. They needed support at an early age, and it just wasn’t there. 💔
  • @TrapasaurusFlex
    Imagine dying thinking you were a street soldier, only to have a semi-comedic documentary made about you roasting the shit out of you and calling you a fake gangster 😂
  • @ThompsonGrant
    The girl that had her face blurred in the end will never regret that decision.
  • @anarchywon4170
    Laying someone's gang colors on their shrine when the gang is why they are dead in the first place, is like laying a needle on the grave of someone who overdosed.
  • @steve2372
    What a bunch of losers. Their 1st mistake is having a gang leader thats in special ed!! Should of told them right then how it would end
  • @briandomski8523
    "Travis quit the Appleton 'thug life', and he now works at a Shakey's Pizza. He and his girlfriend live in a trailer north of Appleton." -Best quote from the whole show!
  • @80ty6ixx
    You ever fall down the YouTube rabbit hole and think to yourself....wtf did I just watch??? Well, that’s me right now
  • @tylerblack3505
    As a black man this blew my mind and I'm speechless that last part with the girl singing took me out
  • @Nille0212
    Shane’s mom is an enabler. No way would a mom who doesn’t accept that behavior be calling his friends by their nicknames or displaying their colors like it’s a diploma.
  • @awKtn32-_-
    How many of you lost it when the “homegirls” at the end gave their hip-hop eulogy? I know I did. 😂😂😂
  • They got bored of not being able to kill any other gang members since they were the only gang in town, so they ended up taking each other out lmao.
  • @jddecker126
    I love these old type of documentaries probably from the 90’s! So nostalgic, I wish they would start making these again! Even the camera quality lol it’s awesome makes me feel like a kid again watching my big box TV
  • Man who are these confused kids throwing up two different gangs at the same time 😩😩😂😂😂
  • @WhimWams
    😂 the end of the doc is so Malibu's Most Wanted
  • @dejondabeast2
    The one thing Jermaine tried to escape from is what ultimately led to his demise elsewhere. Goes to show you the grass ain’t always greener.
  • The fact that the Special Ed teacher has a lot to share about these guys says a lot
  • @DeRock401
    This is as much a gang as the Salvation Army is the military.
  • That "Gangsta Lean" clip gave this Documentary that 5th 🌟 on my ratings scale🤣😂 Good Job