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"I don't think some of these kids at such an early age realize the tragedy behind being in a gang." T.I.G.
STYLING, PROFILING--AND DYING
Tip From The Old School: School uniforms may add to gang problems
rather than prevent them. It is up to PARENTS to show up at local
school board hearings and get the full facts on school uniform
choices BEFORE school officials make decisions. continued...
Back to Prison on a Mission
Six former wards came back to the California Youth Authority (CYA) earlier this month. This time they volunteered to return. They were on a mission to deliver a message to the wards at N.A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility, which houses California¹s most violent youth offenders ages 18-24. The diverse panel of ex-convicts purposefully stepped through the fences of Chaderjian as law-abiding citizens. They each wore visitor¹s passes clipped on their shirts and security alarms attached to their belts for their safety
in the event that a riot "kicked off".continued...
Murder, Forgiven - The Dr. Levon Davis Story
A little over 14 years ago, Dr. Levon Davis was surrounded by a very different set of circumstances. He was sitting in a prison cell at the California Youth Authority in Los Angeles, California. He had been given a life sentence and was waiting for extradition papers from Florida as he was confronted with drug trafficking charges and the death penalty. Dr. Davis had participated in a double homicide during a drug deal gone bad, and had arranged what was to be his most electrifying and heart stopping date with an electric chair.continued...
Murder Forgiven In South Central Los Angeles Part 1
If you THINK that you are in LOVE...check THIS out.
Bro Mike.
THE PRINCIPLES OF BOAZ: A WOMAN’S CHECKLIST
There Are Things That Young Women SHOULD Look For In A
Young Man
IF They Are Thinking About A Long Term Relationship
With Him continued...
Markings Of A Quality Young Woman--For Young Men
There Are Things That Young Men SHOULD Look For In A
Young Woman IF They Are Thinking About A Long Term Relationship
With Her continued...
THE GANG LINE:Walk In Their Shoes
Tip From The Old School: Should Your Child Be Arrested, DO NOT ONLY Rely Upon A Public Defender. FIND The Money And PAY For A Private Attorney With Experience In Juvenile Justice Issues. DO NOT Play Your Child’s Rights ‘Cheap’! continued...
Snop snitchin and no snitch - THE GANG LINE:
THE ‘NO SNITCH’ SOLUTION? DON’T CALL ME BROTHER! BY MIKE RAMEY
Tip From The Old School: Should Your Child Be Arrested, DO NOT ONLY Rely Upon A Public Defender. FIND The Money And PAY For A Private Attorney With Experience In Juvenile Justice Issues. DO NOT Play Your Child’s Rights ‘Cheap’! continued...
Mike Ramey is interviewd by Gary Johnson, founder and publisher of BlackMenInAmerica.com.
1. Why are you so passionate about gang violence?
First, let me say thank you for interviewing me. I’m in the big time now, baby!
Anyway, let me also say that I am pro-color, because I am color. So, if some who read this interview want to make accusations, just remember that some of the most vicious gangs in American history were run and maintained by more of the lighter hue than those of color. Further, gangs are not a new phenomena. Now, what fired me up about gang violence this time around was a NATIONAL Juvenile Justice conference I attended back in 2003. One of the main speakers at a seminar admitted that the juvenile justice system had, literally, run out of money at ALL levels AND that the next five to ten years would HAVE to be spent in finding more ways to get parents involved in disciplining their OWN children instead of running them to court for every little problem. This was in 2003. Needless to say, I was not happy because not only had parents been sold a bill of goods, so had many of us who had been working in juvenile justice as probation officers, counselors, detention officers, etc. Up to that time, our training and skills were sharpened to convince both wayward teens and the public that the system ‘had’ the answers. Now, this comes along, which reinforced a lot of what I had been feeling for a long time; IF you don’t get the parent, or parents involved, the teen will have problems…including gang violence. continued
FIGHTING OUT OF A SOCIALLY-IMPOSED DARKNESS
BY M. G. RAMEY
The following is a true commentary. If you are a
male of the species and are ‘offended’ by it, in the
words of one high school coach, you’d better check to
see if you have the full equipment to be called a man.
Ahem. Brothers…are you tired of doing all the
giving, but none of the receiving when it comes to
YOUR life? Are you growing irritated at news reports
that de-value the contributions of men to society at
the expense of the institutions of the workplace,
marriage and family? If you are single, do you grow
cranky at the prospect of society dictating that your
future wife should be proposing to you and offering
you a ring, instead of having it done the traditional
way? If you attend a house of worship, are you tired
of seeing a woman in the pulpit, making an attempt to
marginalize--or feminize--Jesus Christ? Are you
rapidly growing tired of other men AGREEING with these
well-dressed Jezebels? Do you get tired of seeing
young women donning football jerseys, and young men
putting in ‘fake‘ gold teeth and talking to themselves
on street corners? continued
MASSA IS BACK--ON A NEW PLANTATION !
BY M. G. RAMEY
A few years back, a local news story got my
attention. Two mothers--with a total of five children
between them--decided to leave their respective
apartments and meet with a third woman for a ‘Girls
Night Out’ at a local bar. Mother number one had a
nine year old watching her other child; mother number
two had an eleven year old watching her two young
siblings. According to published accounts, about one
o’clock in the morning, the nine year old began
screaming for his mother. Of course, the concerned
neighbors called the police. After a bit of
investigation and waiting, the two mothers came
staggering home drunk--and were promptly arrested and
their kids were turned over to Child Welfare workers. continued
Holy Lights by godzman
I am sent not to Excite You, but to Ignite You…
Back in 2000 I was visiting a church in Atlanta with my kinfolks, and
as I entered I was giving thanksgiving and praises to the Father. As I sat
there praying with my head down, the whole church was singing a song that
said, Lord shine Your Light on me. Suddenly the Spirit of the Lord spoke and
said, “That’s the Problem” . I lifted my head up to see what was it
that God was saying, as I looked around the church. And as the church kept singing the Lord spoke again and said, “That’s the Problem, Their asking Me to
shine Light on them, when they should be Lights”. He took me to the place
in the Bible where it speaks to hiding your light under a bush. And He went on
to explain to me, how many are gathering in buildings where it’s so lit
up, and that's how a church can be that bush, where the lights are hidden and
not being shown in dark places.continued
Something For The Weekend
BRINGING THEM BACK HOME: GANGBANGERS VS. THE MODERN
CHURCH
BY M. G. RAMEY
As I sat down to write this column, I paused to reflect upon an exhausting week. First, my wife informed me that the teenaged son of a dear family friend sat locked up in our juvenile detention center.
His crime? Hanging out with ‘a buddy’ who had been engaging in a drug transaction…and was arrested by police. Second, I had just finished a closed-door teaching on the dangers of street gangs to a select audience of school administrators from one area of my home city. Finally, I had the opportunity to watch a portion of Ving Rhames’ production of the movie
‘Animal’, a no-holds barred drama about the struggle of a former criminal who was sentenced to prison for his crimes associated in the ‘perfecting’ of his
‘craft’ of ‘street thuggsterism’…only to wind up eventually shot to death by the son he had left behind. The son had chosen to ‘follow’ in his father’s footsteps as the terror of the neighborhood, even though the father--now returned from prison a changed man--tries to prevent his son from repeating
his mistakes. continued
“WHITE GUILT”: PLAYING “THE GAME” ? PART I
If things weren't bad enough concerning race
relations around the world, here's a new--or old
one--for you. It seems that a well known video game
manufacturer spend millions of dollars on an ad
campagain designed to 'play' the race card, with the
use of a WW model, clad in shocking white, grabbing
the face of a BW model, placed in a kneeling,
submissive position, as if to 'infer' the WW was
'superior' to the BW. The gaming manufacturer wanted
to convey that its new product was better than
existing products in the video game market place.
In the words of one of our sages: "I was born
at night; but not last night!"
The ad was quickly pulled from the EU market,
as there were more than a few protests. Heaven knows
what kind of protests would happen in the USA if such
a marketing campaign would take place.
Or, would their be any protests at all?
In my view, the race issue is like the weather;
everyone talks about it, but no one really wants to
address the real, bottom line issues involved. It’s
kind of like the social worker who chides the police
officer for arresting a wayward juvenile…until that
juvenile breaks into the social worker’s home. Only
then, does the crime issue become ‘real’.... continued
THE INMATES, THE ASYLUM & THE GREEN--Mike Ramey
In case you haven’t heard about this one: Hampton
University drew major attention to a change in its
dress code for undergraduate and graduate MBA
students. In a nutshell, it has banned the ‘casual’
look when it comes to hairstyles and clothing, and
instituted a ‘dress code’, demanding students to look
professional and business-like when they come to
class. Of course, the purveyors of the ‘gangsta
casual’ style (long dreds, unchecked cornrows,
tattoos, gold teeth, etc.) are crying ‘FOUL’. “After
all,” the critics rant, rave, and rationalize,
“Hampton is a BLACK institution; why can’t I dress any
way I want?”.... continued
What are YOU willing to RISK?--Mike Ramey
Found myself getting a little nostalgic over the past
weekend, and did a little reflecting upon Muhammad
Ali. Did a web search on some of the poems that he
spounted in his heyday. Went to
http://www.everything2.com/. One thing that one can not say is that Ali was all
talk! He backed it up! Check this...going to JAIL
instead of Vietnam at the PRIME of his career.... continued
EARL WOODS: BROTHER ABOVE THE FOLD--Mike Ramey
I wanted to
pay tribute to a man who not only understood the
‘hows’ in training a champion; but a brother who rose
up after several major failures in his own life to
carry on with determination and dignity. THE MANHOOD
LINE “Father of the Year” is none other than the late
Earl Woods. continued
THE GIRLS HAVE GONE…STUPID!
Earlier this spring, two articles out of the eastern
portion of the United States kept me laughing
heartily. One was from one major newspaper of record
out of Washington D.C., and the second was from the
OTHER major newspaper of record from the same city.
The first article dealt with ‘why’ older Black women
(32 and up) are ‘suddenly’ turning their noses up at
the prospect of marriage. The second article dealt
with the increase in the number of all-female gangs in
the nation’s capital, many of them run by younger
Black women (16 to 21)--some of them who are ALSO
out-of-wedlock mothers.continued
NO MORE SUGAR AND SPICE: GIRL GANGS ON RISE IN D.C.
By Gary Emerling
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Princess Galloway's days as a D.C. gang member began innocently enough:
She and her childhood friends had birthday parties, talked about
clothes and held sleepovers at one another's houses.
"It was, like, a normal thing females do," says Princess, 16.
As the girls grew older, the parties became nighttime outings to
go-go clubs. Belts and bags were replaced by blades and bats as
accessories. A girl gang was born. continued...
THE ‘N’ WORD…AND THE ‘R’ WORD
An Open Letter To All Hip Hop & Rap Artists--And Their
Future Supporters
Greetings.
My column today concerns the ‘N’ word.
The first part of my plea: USE IT…but SPELL it
right!
It is N-I-G-G-E-R.
Not ‘Nigga’, nor ‘Niggaz’, nor ‘Ni**as’, or even
‘Nicca’. continued
What Is A Strong Black Woman
I'm Tired of Today's "Strong Black Women"
A Tribute to Coretta Scott King
It's an off-week but I had to write this. To be sure,
the title of this Message alone will elicit hate-mail
from a gaggle of sisters who proudly label themselves
"strong black women." Many will not even
read the piece, they'll just erupt. Others will read,
but still refuse self-criticism. Most will simply
respond with neck-rolls and accusations that I am, at
best, a sexist or, at worst - I just hate
black women.
continued
"My Bloody Life," and "Once a King Always a King" are both written by an ex latin king member who wants to remain anyonmis and goes by the name Reymundo Sanchez.
The books are about a young boy who moved to Chicago from Puerto rico and has to deal with the move and his abusive father. His family abandons him and he has to defend himself and joins the Latin Kings believing that they would provide the love and the stableness that his family didnt provide for him but he was terribly wrong. As he gets deeper into the gang he sees its true evil side that deals with cold hearted murder and the fact that the gang leaders do nothing while the "street soliders," must do entirely everything for its gang while they sit back and relax and get money.
The book describes Reys first murder and his first time doing drugs and having sex with a 40 year old woman while he was 14. Book also desribes his time in and out of jail, trying to quit drugs and trying to be accepted back in society. This book means an entire lot to me because it hits home because my mother and many other members of my family are in gangs and are very much addicted to drugs. These books made me realize how much gangs dont care about people and may have saved me unlike my mother and the other members in my family. If you have a chance to read these two books i recommend that you.
WAKE UP…YOUNG LIONS!
As we sail into the second decade of THE MANHOOD
LINE”, I pause to thank you, the many readers of this
column, for making God’s dream for me to come true:
To write, circulate, and syndicate a column from a
biblical, business, and common sense perspective for
men ONLY. As I have maintained--if women understand
where I am coming from, then that is a blessing for
them. continued
GET ‘EM--WHILE THEY’RE YOUNG?
Warning: The Following Column May Contain Language
Unsuitable For Some Readers of “The Manhood Line”
WHAT THEN--DO WE SAY? PART ONE
As this column closes in on its ten year anniversary
mark, there is still much ground to cover, and issues
to be brought before the brotherhood. You see, no
matter how saved, sanctified, and full of the Holy
Ghost one may profess being; no matter how many
‘Million’ marches one has attended; no matter how many
protests one has initiated; no matter where one stands
on the abortion issue, one does not have to go too far
down the street to ‘bump’ into a child born outside of
wedlock. continued
GET ‘EM--WHILE THEY’RE YOUNG?
The article read like a bad dream.
Earlier in October, according to published reports, a
survey found that young women in the USA and Canada
are more sexually active--and in some cases sexually
aggressive--than young women in previous generations.
The study, released by San Diego State University,
hit with the force of a well-placed missile with a
nuclear payload. Researchers found that ‘…sexual
guilt plummeted, especially among young women…’ They
analyzed some 530 studies on sex spanning five decades
and more than a quarter million young people
Would you like to know one of the things I did when
gas prices started heading upward? Made sure that the
cars in the Ramey household had locking gas tank caps.
Was I being cruel? Did I not trust my ‘fellow man or
woman’? On the contrary--I was exercising wisdom I
had obtained in the seventies. You see back then the
gas prices started heading slowly--then quickly--out
of sight, then became hard to buy because of tight
supplies.
continued
3 Arrows for Young Archers
While many young men have been enjoying their
summers, some interesting items snaked their way
across my desk from many an MSM website involving
female teachers and male students. Now, for those who
may have tuned in late and assumed that its not ‘that
big a deal’ to hear about older women/younger men, I’d
just like to point out that it USED to not be that big
a deal…until the older women turned out to be the
teachers of the younger men and the dating arena
turned out to be your son’s classroom or high school
cafeteria.
continued
YG to a BG to a OG
I have been in most of your shoes and yes there is a way out of the lifestyle. I joined a deck for the same reasons as yall. I wanted to be respekted, I wanted to be Feared, but most of all i wanted recognition for the things i have done. GD's til they bury me................when they bury me i suppose.
We might not all be from the same organization but we all know how this game worx right ? To all the YG's out there, go back to school, to the all OG's come back to the hood, we need you to right your wrongs !!!!! The police cant save our babies, they dont protect and serve.....more like project and herb.lol.
I currently work with T. Rodgers of Sidewalk University. He showed me that there is proof that u can use what u have been thru and get paid for it. to my fellow Brothers of the Struggle, Love. I want yall to contact me if you readin this, let me show u how u can make some legit money.
T. Started the Black P Stone Bloods out there in cali, his strength and power has been shown and proven many times yet he still runs Sidewalk University, same shit,same hood different day different agenda. U can make money counseling these same youths that we so eagerly destroyed.
Tribalism dates back to our ancestors so its natural for us to feel that need or sense of belonging. We aint gangbangers, we are tribesmen and women, the lost tribes of shabazz..........So why is it that we let the government use what we have brought together: Bloods, Crips, GD's, Lords, Stones, Kings. To tear us apart ???????? think about it yall....................
Peace
Supreme Magnetik Allah
Sidewalk University
Akeru Cultural and Combative Sciences
BLAST YOUR FEARS!
I happened across a USA Today ‘Top 50’ Best Seller
Books list a few months back. After scanning some of
the current favorites, it was the cache of books that
were ‘below ‘ the Top 50 radar that caught my
attention…some of them were ‘old friends’ from my
junior high and high school days. continued
BLACK BUSINESS: BRING IT BACK HOME!
I would encourage any community-based program that
helps Black people to re-enter the workforce to take
this column, have their leadership put on their
‘Sunday Best’, take their annual reports and success
stories and start ‘making contacts’ with Black
companies--in their own home cities. continued
“CAN I CALL YOU SOLDIER?”
If you are unfamiliar with the written works of
Harold D. Davis, his June 2005 release should be a
wonderful calling card of his talent to ‘make it
plain’. Entitled: “Can I Call You Soldier? A Primer
For Involvement”, Dr. Davis proves in a very
convincing manner that the issues of manhood are the
issues of life; and that books FOR men, BY men on
RELEVANT topics will get the attention of the
brotherhood.
continued
Why You'll Be Sorry
First, I want to say how sorry I am that you actually CHOSE to enter a gang, when you probably had no need to.
Why? Because my husband has been trying to leave the MS13 gang for six years since they did NOTHING for him. What did he get? Here's a list: continued
My prayers are with you! I hope God blesses you with the strength to pursue the life you deserve, not the one the barrio tossed upon you.
To all of you working to leave the gangs
My prayers are with you! I hope God blesses you with the strength to pursue the life you deserve, not the one the barrio tossed upon you.
To my Latino brothers and sisters. Latin Pride means becoming the best you can be. There's no pride in being deported, or sitting en la pinta. There's no pride in having the U.S. Government or La Migra control your destiny. There's no pride in not having the same opportunity as others. There IS pride in overcoming an obstacle and looking back to help others do the same. There's more pride in that than having the world handed to you. Because when you overcome that obstacle, you have a greater strength.
So to all the mamis and papis in here, I pray for your success. Make Latinos proud! Become the best you can be and then help another.
‘ROLLING STONES’--OR SOLID HOMES?
This IS a formal Declaration of War against EVERY
Rapper, Hip-Hopper, and ‘No Schooler’ who has--either
in thought, action, or deed--attempted to bypass, tear
down, or destroy traditional marriage and stable
homes.
continued
U.S. House passes tough anti-gang law
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed tough legislation that imposes a 10-year minimum sentences on people convicted of gang violence, expands the reach of the death penalty and adds years of extra jail time for gang members who are illegal immigrants. continued
“What HAPPENED to your STANDARDS?”
To the sisters in the house, I must ask a question:
“What HAPPENED to your STANDARDS?”
TIME TO COME BACK TO THIS ISSUE:
I didn’t stutter. What HAPPENED to your STANDARDS?
I have noticed more and more ‘allegedly’ intelligent
black women out for a drive with the neighborhood
‘thugg’ in tow, complete with his diamond earring
stud, sagging pants, cheap jewelry, a hoodie or a
backwards cap on their head.
No, the brother is not driving the car; SHE is in the
driver’s seat.
I go into a store, and see high school girls
arm-in-arm with a pint-sized thugg wannabe from the
neighborhood. I take my wife to dinner, and I see the
streets awash in a flood of ‘thuggery’--even at the so
called ‘good’ restaurants.
A few months back, I happened to be sitting in the
office of a friend of mine who is a successful
education administrator. He too has noticed ‘the
rise’ in intelligent sisters who delighted (that’s
right, I said DELIGHTED) in driving around the town
with the neighborhood thugg in the passenger seat.
He and I were shaking our heads in disbelief.
My friend mentioned what a lot of Black men already
seem to know: Too many of the women of today are more
interested in boys, because they can’t control--nor
want to listen to--MEN. continued
Checklist for Life, Mike Ramey
Three Absolute Truths:
1. You have only ONE childhood!
2. You can ONLY be a VIRGIN--ONCE!
3. GUILT: LONG TERM memory for SHORT TERM fun!
The Three Enemies of ANY Christian:
1. The World (Social trends--I John 2:15; James 4:4)
2. The Flesh (Old nature--Galatians 5:17)
3. The Devil (To Steal, Kill, Destroy--John 10:10)
It is NOT a SIN to be TEMPTED
BUT it IS a SIN to YIELD to TEMPTATION
ESPECIALLY when you KNOW you OWN WEAKNESSES!
MEN/BOYS are stimulated by what they SEE & SMELL
WOMEN/GIRLS are stimulated by what they HEAR & TELL
Don’t BED them--unless you intend to WED them--Hebrews
13:4!
The AGE of an ADULT in the USA is 18--Below that, you
are a CHILD!
“If YOU/THEY can’t WAIT; YOU/THEY don’t need to DATE!”
“The BEST thing to WAKE UP with is a CLEAR
CONSCIENCE!”
Angel's Opinion
Ok, first off, the whole reason I joined up on this site is cause I like what is says. Tryin to get ppl up off the streets, and turn their lives around before its too late. I know this first hand. Not only did I jus mess up my own life, but I lost my daughter when she was 1 and a half yrs. old.continued
Ok, first off, the whole reason I joined up on this site is cause I like what is says. Tryin to get ppl up off the streets, and turn their lives around before its too late. I know this first hand. Not only did I jus mess up my own life, but I lost my daughter when she was 1 and a half yrs. old.continued
The meaning of Love
I started writing a response to a post last night before I left work, and continued on it tonight when I came in – I wrote three pages about relationships, before I realized that I what I was writing is something that needs to be written and perhaps sent to you at a later date, or posted so others can read it, but not how I should respond to your post. How I should respond to your post is to talk about what it means to love someone. continued
Mac and the Angel
I am Lil'mac and me and Lil Angel are here wit a
message to all you young girls out there living this
street life, representing, and having men that are
living gang lyfe to the fullest or even those
associated to the streets in some way. We want to
share our stories with you in hopes that we might save
a life or enlighten someone to not follow our path.
These stories hurt to write, and they might hurt to
read.. but please take a minute and take this in, if
nothing else we will know that we reached out to
others in hopes that they won't follow our paths. Both
of us learned the hard way what gang lyfe costs, both
of us deal wit those sacrifices daily. Both of our
ex's and kids fathers are serving between 12 and 25
years in prisons for living the lyfe they couldn't
give up! We deal wit that on a daily basis! We will
never forget where we came from for it has changed our
lives forever. We can both tell you we are lucky to be
alive today, two different stories, two different
endings, both ending in tears.. so please take the
time to read and understand what these stories say and
to all you young females out der livin la vida loca..
wake up!!! U aren't invincible and it can and will
happen to you! WE are both open to talk anytime.. so
if you need someone holler aight, keep ur heads up,
stay safe, keep ur familias safe, and please if you
are banging re-think the reasons your out there.. and
ask yourself.. IS IT WORTH IT??? continued
THE RENEWED JIHAD AGAINST TRUE MANHOOD
Thanks to the events of 9/11, nearly everyone is
aware of the term ‘jihad’.
On the flip side, fewer and fewer individuals can
understand--or even relate--to the concepts of
manhood, duty, marriage and responsibility.
Especially those who happen to be men and women and
‘think’ of themselves as being ‘modern’. “After all”,
the assassins rationalize, “its not like we are
attacking our OWN husbands, brothers, fathers, and
sons.” continued
Sun's articles from his Heaven for a G series. If you're looking for spiritual support this is the place.
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"Sorrow never spoken is the heaviest load to bear." Farook Sheikh