More than 100 years ago, through his journalism and his influential book, How the Other Half Lives, photojournalist Jacob Riis dramatically portrayed issues of homelessness, poverty, crime, public health, and race relations in America. This video provides a desperately needed historical perspective on the plight of America's "other half" today. The film combines Riis's original photos—including his recently restored magic lantern slides and text as read by the actor Fritz Weaver—with the social vision of contemporary award-winning photographers, including Margaret Morton, Eli Reed and Fred Conrad. Using archival footage and photos, the video retraces Riis's original odyssey through New York City's slums to explore the similarities and contrasts between the 1890s and the 1990s.

Examining the case of Martin Sostre, a black Puerto Rican bookstore owner in Buffalo, New York, who was framed on drug possession charges in 1967 and sentenced to prison, this film shows how the American justice system can be abused for purposes of political repression.