Cold War Testing on African American Population in St. Louis with Filmmaker Damien D. Smith

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During the cold war, the united states military conducted covert weapons development testing in what the Army identified as a "densely populated slum district". The spraying of zinc cadmium sulfide along with what evidence suggests was a radiative substance centered on a region that included the Pruitt Igoe housing complex. The film Target St. Louis, which has won the Urban World Best Documentary award in New York was directed by actor and film maker Damien D. Smith. On this episode of Breaking Green we will talk to Damien, about the film, the research it is based on and the importance of film in shinning a light on such a difficult subject.

Damien was born in St. Louis and now lives as an actor, screen writer and prodcer in Los Angeles. Smith’s stage and television credits include the NAACP Theater Award-winning production of “12×9,” and most recently the television series “Snowfall” on Fx Networks and “The Purge”on USA networks. His directorial debut short narrative film entitled ABOUT THAT…, a powerful look at love through the eyes of a mentally disturbed young man won the Arts with Impact film Award. Smith’s last short film Daddy’s Big Girl won the Gentleman Jack Daniel’s Reel to Real Filmmaker of the Year Award.
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Target St. Louis Vol 1 Trailer

Damien Smith IMDb
IPA press release on St. Louis weapons test

Behind the Fog book by Dr. Lisa Martino-Taylor
St. Louis Post-Dispatch


Disclosure: Steve Taylor is married to the author of Behind the Fog.

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Chapters

1. Breaking Green Introduction (00:00:00)

2. Episode Introduction (00:00:24)

3. Damien Smith Bio (00:01:00)

4. Damien Smith's Career as Screenwriter and Actor (00:02:02)

5. Target St. Louis Trailer (00:06:42)

6. Covert Cold War Testing on African Americans (00:08:22)

7. Putting Faces to the Tragedy (00:11:32)

8. Takeaways from Making the Film - It's a Cold Game (00:15:38)

9. Validation for those Exploited (00:18:08)

10. Break (00:20:09)

11. Stranger than Fiction (00:21:16)

12. Smith's Grandmother (00:22:05)

13. Premeditated Exploitation (00:24:47)

14. Ben Phillips and Litigation (00:27:04)

15. Goal of the Film (00:28:35)

16. How to Follow Damien and the Film (00:29:10)

17. Reception to the Film - James Baldwin Park Showing (00:30:37)

18. Historical Consciousness (00:32:05)

19. James Baldwin (00:33:01)

20. Outro (00:34:46)