mr. perreault, i have held crack babies in my arms. >> it is a crack epidemic . >> this has reached epidemicroportions. >> reporter: and just like an infectious disease crack's spread was rapid and vicious. in philadelphia pe, the tiny yellowish rock shook this city to its foundation. >> they would stop their car and start shooting. >> reporter: activist and resident of the neighborhood remembers those dark days like they were yesterday. talk to me about what this time. >> it was a lot of violence, a lot of shootings, a lot of keem being killed, a lot of people fighting over territory. sometimes there would be like eight nine gangs in one little community like this. >> reporter: crack addicts strolled the streets and folks lived in fear. people were broke, hungry and out of work. despair lead to desperation, and crack seemed to be the perfect remedy for the inner city blues. it was cheap. the crack epidemic didn't discriminate. it wasn't just the fathers, sons, and brothers smoking rock, it was mothers, sisters, and daughters too. a gritty documentary shot in north philly gives a rare glimps