Review: 'Since I Been Down' documentary
Originally published on The JOLT News on February 17, 2026
On Sunday, Feb. 22, the Thurston County Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will be hosting a film showing and discussion of “Since I Been Down” for Black History Month. The star of the documentary, Kimonti Carter will be at the event.
The event will be held from roughly 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the YWCA building on 220 Union Ave. SE in Olympia. Tickets are a suggested donation of $10.00, reserve your seat here.
“Since I Have Been Down” takes place in Tacoma, Olympia and Shelton, and documents the racial injustice, gang violence, lack of justice within the system, how individuals live both in and out of the prison system.
The time period bounces between the late 1980s and early 1990s, and now. What brought tears to my eyes was seeing how the repercussions of all these events still impact many Washington families today.
I think everyone needs to see this documentary.
Having previous film editing experience myself, I found this film to be very artistic and the editing inspired. The way that Gilda Sheppard and her team wove together the narrative and visuals made the documentary flow with ease, making it very engaging.
The documentary is one film, but there is a distinct tone shift that happened midway that makes me want to split it into two parts. I will categorize my discussion based on these two parts.
If you do not have the ability to make it to the event on Feb. 22, I highly encourage you to explore the documentary’s website and choose a way to rent/buy/stream this remarkable film.
Part one
The first part of the documentary was all about stating the facts of what happened and documenting the testimonies of previous gang members, law enforcement, the loved ones of victims and community members.
Every perspective offered something deeply impactful and important to the overall themes and discussion. It’s gets deep into the sort of nitty gritty discussions politicians often avoid or try to reduce down to a campaign slogan.
I found myself pausing the film frequently and writing notes down notes. A half an hour in, I surrendered my pen and just allowed myself to soak in the documentary. There were numerous quotes that brought me goosebumps and audible gasps, but these were the ones I have not stopped thinking about:
“We were shut out economically. We are still shut out economically. The institutional racism that we have around economics still persists. The underlying issues haven’t changed. Disparities with education, employment, health care, transportation, and housing (remain relevant). But oh lets look at gangs, lets look at drugs, lets just look at them! Those are outcomes, not inputs. The inputs are the disparities that lead to that.”
“In America, money speaks. Money decides who makes money off of drugs and whose communities are devastated. It’s systematic."
“In elementary school, the teachers called me that problem kid, so I was labeled early. I ended up getting kicked out of school at 16, 17, 18. Those should have been my graduating years, but instead I was on the streets selling cockiness, not thinking I was going to make it to 21.”
Part two
Part two still had heartbreaking details and facts, but there were moments of hope that presented themselves in the way they told the audience about the education programs currently taking place in prisons across the state.
All of this started on a micro, very grassroots, level with a group of prisoners advocating and seeking to further their own education. The way that incarcerated individuals have educated themselves, created various programs and classes have eased racial tensions in their prisons.
These prisoners have learned how to heal and grow in a setting that is not rooting for their success. The two programs featured in the documentary were the Black Prisoners’ Caucus and the Taking Education and Creating History (TEACH) program.
This part was very effective in dismantling stereotypes all around topics on gang violence, drugs, and prisons because it showed that any person regardless of circumstances can choose to learn, have an open mind and heart, and make the world a better place.
The conversations filmed from their classrooms inspired me and made me wish that discussions like these were more commonplace in everyday society. I have some ideas on how we can begin to create this change:
Go to the event on Feb. 22, support organizations that fight for actual justice, and stand up for what is right even when it is not trendy.
https://www.thejoltnews.com/stories/review-since-i-been-down-documentary,28219