She was “third-generation.” Having had trouble with the law, she was forced to wear an ankle bracelet and given a choice by her parole officer of attending school or going to boot camp.
Gruwell’s class, Eva Benitez was the toughest Latina gang member. Jones was an ambitious, bright-eyed 18-year-old whose dreams of a career in entertainment were starting to come true with his role in the movie.įreedom Writers (2007) – Jason Finn as Marcus – IMDb.Īmong the Latino students in Ms. Who was Grant Rice in Freedom Writers?Īrmand Jones, who plays Grant Rice, died in the lobby of a Denny’s restaurant early on the morning of March 17. She hopes to return to school for a master’s degree. Since her graduation from high school, Miss Reyes has graduated from California State College at Long Beach and works for the Freedom Writers Foundation, motivating young people. He was fatally shot at age 18 in Anaheim, California after a confrontation with a man who robbed Jones of a necklace in a Denny’s restaurant.Įva is a 14 year old latino strong and sensitive young girl who is misguided, complicated and filled with anger displaying several different emotions throughout the movie. The film was dedicated to the memory of Armand Jones, who was killed after filming Freedom Writers.