On the Grind Trailer (2009)

Trailer for the documentary On the Grind.

In 2006, Director James Cheeks III and Photographer Kevin Campbell set out to Long Beach to capture its thriving skateboard scene in the aftermath of a gang-shooting that ended the life of one of the city's most promising skaters. "On The Grind" follows a diverse group of skaters who are elevating themselves out of poverty with their passion of skateboarding. The skaters practice at a skate-park located in the middle of a war zone where drugs, violence and homelessness run rampant; and over the past three years, the filmmakers have discovered compelling stories of loss, loyalty and brotherhood that transcend Long Beach. This documentary will prove to be an artifact of the urban skate phenomenon, while providing hope for a community struggling to keep its youth from the undertow of gang-violence. Skateboarding isn't some suburban sport, it's a means of survival...