Annette John-Hall: 'PHLash' of inspiration helps Philadelphia students learn

If only Philadelphia's flash mobs could be as joyous and fun as the New Yorkers who boogied down a loosely organized Soul Train line in tribute to creator Don Cornelius over the weekend in Times Square.

But, no. Random group attacks by Philadelphia teens in recent years have given the name "flash mob" an entirely different meaning.

Here, flash mobs erupt in acts of violence and violation. It's a collective crime that has "black kids" smeared all over it.

Mayor Nutter told them as much. "You've damaged yourselves," he admonished in the now infamous church sermon last summer that addressed the issue. "And quite honestly, you've damaged your race."

An indictment that can't help but reverberate in the ears of all African American youth, whether it applies to them or not.

The students at Boys' Latin of Philadelphia Charter School know all too well how most folks perceive them. But they hope to present a kind of multidisciplined perspective with their original production of PHLash: A Mob Story, which runs Thursday through Saturday in the school auditorium.

The docu-play powerfully examines the city's flash-mob attacks. Student actors play city officials, law enforcement, and victims, using dialogue gleaned from more than 40 interviews they conducted themselves. (And, yes, Nutter did allow them to use video footage of his speech.)

Director and class adviser Greg DeCandia says it's important to affirm that black teens can and do "use their numbers for good." The hard work and dedication they put into every aspect of the production validates that, he says.

But more important, PHLash gives voice to the students' experience. And through playing other characters, they've come away learning a little more about themselves.

Which, when you think about it, is the best possible kind of lesson.

All of the PHLash cast members are black and male. Nine of the 12 are being raised by single moms.

Suffice it to say they're used to being typecast.

"Me and my friend were walking from school," relates cast member Myles Hinsey, 15, "and the crossing guard said we were going to start a flash mob just because we were jaywalking. I felt upset because what she said was ignorant on so many levels."

What that crossing guard didn't realize is that Hinsey would never start a flash mob, especially since he had been the victim of one.

The attack on Hinsey is graphically depicted in the play. Hinsey doesn't play himself, but he did interview his mother for some of the dialogue.

Two cast members also experienced the harmful effects of mob attacks - but from another perspective.

James Powell and Seon Gilding found themselves on South Street in March 2010 when a flash mob broke out.

Gilding, 16, remembers that he and his friends went to South Street just to hang out and because of "girls."

He didn't expect the hundreds of teens who took over the street. And while Gilding says he would never attack anyone, he admits the whole scene was "fun" and "an adrenaline rush."

"The priority was to just get people there to socialize," he says.

Not so true with Powell. The strapping senior says a friend was out to do some damage - and did - that same night on South Street.

"My friend got on top of this guy and beat him and grabbed his money," Powell says. "I kept telling him to come on. . . . It was crazy."

Powell says he no longer associates with the friend, who was eventually arrested, but still feels guilty because he didn't do anything to stop it.

"Yo, what he did was wrong," Powell says. "Ever since that day, I've never hung with anybody like that. I'm not that kind of person."

Interestingly enough, Powell very effectively portrays a Philadelphia police officer in the play.

One of his lines: "One bad apple makes it bad for everybody else."