The Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles was filled with love, healing, and history as Nothing to See Here: Watts hosted a powerful community screening and benefit concert honoring the community of Watts.
The event celebrated more than 300 community members who turned their pain into purpose through filmmaking. Their courageous storytelling sparked one of the most inspiring movements of unity in Los Angeles’ history, contributing to a material reduction in homicides in one of Los Angeles’ most violent communities.
The evening began with a live performance by filmmaker Lawanda Hawkins, whose “Silent March”, featuring more than 200 pairs of shoes of children lost to violence, stood as a tribute to the innocent lives lost.
The 90-minute documentary Nothing to See Here: Watts — a searing, self-made portrait of one of America’s most misunderstood communities, created by more than 300 residents of Watts, including rival gang members, police officers, students, and victims of violence, followed. The film chronicles their three-year journey to confront generational pain, bridge divides, and spark a peace movement that dramatically reduced homicides in the neighborhood.
The evening concluded with unforgettable performances by Grammy Award–winning artist Kim Burrell, Grammy-nominated singer Kenyon Dixon, and Salaam-Bailey, who also served as the film’s composer, featuring the Roc Kids Choir, performing “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” an original song from the film’s forthcoming soundtrack.
Multi-Grammy Award winners Stevie Wonder and Lalah Hathaway were in attendance to honor the occasion, along with Los Angeles Chief of Police Jim McDonnell, and more than 40 non-profit organizations doing work in the Watts community.
Produced by Michael Soenen (Nothing to See Here: Productions), Brandon “Stix” Salaam-Bailey (Think Watts Foundation), Todd Lieberman (Hidden Pictures), Suzanne Malveaux (Malveaux Global Media), and Sherine Ebadi (The Healthy Room Project), the event served as both a celebration and a call to action.
Proceeds from the evening benefitted the Nothing to See Here: Foundation, a community-led nonprofit dedicated to violence prevention, youth programs, and neighborhood revitalization across greater Los Angeles.
About the Film
Nothing to See Here: Watts poses a powerful question: What happens when Bloods, Crips, police officers, students, and victims of violence make a film together?
Filmed using only their phones, the filmmakers embraced the innovative format, sharing their stories raw and unfiltered, with each filmmaker having complete editorial control of their story. The result is a raw, unfiltered, and deeply human story — a visual testament to what’s possible when those most marginalized are empowered to reclaim their narratives. Bold, unapologetically real, and socially transformative, the film underscores that change begins when communities tell their own stories.
Filmmakers in attendance included Lawanda Hawkins (Community Activist), Qiuana Williams (Mother of a Victim of Violence), Cornelius Wills (Bounty Hunter Blood Gang Member), Tim Pearce (Former LAPD Officer), Kristina Ripatti (Former LAPD Officer), Meryland Gonzalez (Student and Olympic Boxing Hopeful), Neci McKinney (Victim of Violence), Erik Loomis (LAPD Officer), Emily Avalos (Student/Victim of Violence), Tyrone Riley Sr. (High School Basketball Coach, Former Grape Street Crip Member), Tyrone Riley Jr. (Student and Aspiring College Athlete), Celeste Garnica (Student), Jaime Gregory (Former Gang Member and Community Activist), and Pastor Jose Hernandez (Former Gang Member Turned Pastor). Together, their presence embodied the film’s powerful message that reconciliation, healing, and hope are possible when a community comes together to tell its own story.