Elgin James

Elgin James is an American filmmaker, musician and a former member of Friends Stand United (FSU), a Boston, Massachusetts area anti-racist, With a crop of marijuana in the backyard and alcohol and drug abuse in the house, James formed strong anti-drinking and anti-drug beliefs, which later led him to be a pivotal figure in the 1990s militant straight edge movement within the punk subculture. He also became a vegetarian at age 11 after watching the animals he raised on the farm slaughtered.

James discovered punk rock through an older foster brother and attended concerts by seminal hardcore punk bands Black Flag, Agnostic Front, and Millions of Dead Cops. He was arrested for the first time at 12, and by 14 he ended up in juvenile hall. There he rejected the pacifist beliefs of his parents (who had marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and became Freedom Riders), and began studying the writings of Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, and Huey P. Newton, fusing them with aggressive punk ideals. He was not able to speak or move the right side of his body. After intensive physical and speech therapy, he eventually recovered his speech and motor skills, but he ended up homeless, living on the streets and in squats across the country. He eventually settled in Boston, Massachusetts.

FSU

In Boston, James began singing for hardcore punk band Wrecking Crew and befriended a multi-racial group of kids from Boston and Brockton, Massachusetts. They formed FSU, which originally stood for 'Fuck Shit Up' however came to be known as 'Friends Stand United' or 'Forever Stand United', for the purpose of purging violent white power skinheads from the Boston hardcore scene. going, in his words, “right after the heart of the enemy, money”.

While part of FSU, James and other FSU members set up an "arms for hostages" scenario in which they traded handguns with inner city gang members for pit bulls used in dog fighting rings. The dogs would then be nursed back to health and fostered until safe homes were found for them.

The founding core of FSU eventually splintered, with a large section moving on to motorcycle gangs including the Outlaws. The split was amicable, but James and other founding members decided to leave a more positive legacy and steer FSU away from the criminal world. They established the Foundation Fund, which set up scholarships at Berklee College of Music and Suffolk University Law School in the names of FSU members who had died. The fund also holds yearly benefit concerts to raise money for charities that reflect "hardcore punk culture" (teen homelessness, anti-handgun violence, suicide prevention and local orphanages).

James left FSU in 2007, stating he'd "been thinking a lot about violence and responsibility" since being interviewed regarding his involvement with the group by Rolling Stone earlier that year. At the time he was the last original founding member. and around 2009 he began working on Little Birds, loosely basing the film on his own life experiences. James was originally working on an autobiographical project about himself and his best friend who left their small towns and joined a gang in Boston. That film had Justin Timberlake attached to portray James and Nick Cassavetes attached to direct. But James was worried the film would ultimately "glamorize the violent lifestyle" he'd recently left behind, so he wrote Little Birds instead, substituting two fifteen-year-old girls for himself and his best friend.

James finished Little Birds shortly before its screening in 2011 at the Sundance Film Festival before having to attend a trial for his actions while part of Friends Stand United. Little Birds received a positive reception at Sundance in 2011, though it has received more mixed reviews following its release. It holds a 59% approval rating on film review website Rotten Tomatoes.

Arrest and prison James was arrested by the FBI in Los Angeles, California on July 14, 2009, stemming from an incident four years earlier. He was charged with a criminal complaint of federal attempted extortion filed in Chicago. It is alleged that in 2005 James sanctioned an attack on an individual who had past ties to white power politics. James is then reported as to have said that the man could avoid further trouble if he made a $5,000 “donation” to FSU. After that incident, the FBI became involved, and after another attack, the victim scheduled a meeting with James to give the $5,000 while the FBI had surveillance on the encounter. The individual has been revealed to be a member of the band Mest. Speculation has been raised that lead singer Tony Lovato's previous ties to white power groups were the reason why the band was targeted, Prosecutors had sought up to four years in prison, noting the extreme violence in which James had engaged in against Neo-Nazi skinheads. whom James has credited with helping him turn his life around. James told the New York Times that through working with Redford "I truly realized that I needed to leave the violence of that life behind.” In Robert Redford's letter to the judge he wrote "I believe that Elgin has the potential to make a difference. He has an important message for people of all ages and the possibility of change (and) the power of nonviolence." After the sentencing, James said in a statement that "The last few months have been a juxtaposition of the best and worst of my life. Today I faced my day of reckoning. … I have accepted responsibility for my past." Low Riders (2016, writer) Television series Mayans M.C. (2018–2023, co-creator/writer/director/executive producer) The Outlaws (2021–2024, co-creator/writer)

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result 2011Palm Springs International Film FestivalDirectors to Watch Little Birds Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Zurich Film Festival Golden Eye