Former gang member writes play based on life experiences
Longmont Daily Times-Call – Longmont,CO,USA

A different road
Former gang member writes play based on life experiences

By Magdalena Wegrzyn
© 2009 Longmont Times-Call

LONGMONT — What do the “Wizard of Oz” and Longmont gangs have in common?More than you’d think.

A group of teens from the Longmont Youth Center are presenting “The Wiz O.G.,” a play about Longmont gang life, loosely based on the classic childhood story.

The play, written by 20-year-
old former gang member Tony Ortiz, follows two rival gangs as they party, fight one another and attempt to cover up a hit-and-run accident.

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If you need a gang tattoo removed you can contact us here and we’ll try to identify a resource in your area.

Inside NoVA

Program offers tattoo removal for teens, former gang members

By Uriah A. Kiser

Published: July 7, 2009

Elizabeth Walter spent a week in the hospital after her boyfriend stabbed her 14 times. She was just 14 years old.

Since then her boyfriend has been sent to prison and now, four years later, Walter spends her time highlighting the dangers of becoming involved with gangs.

She speaks to children and teenagers at local schools, and though she never officially joined a gang, her boyfriend was a gang member. She said she was drawn to him and the dangerous lifestyle when she was younger.

While she was with her boyfriend, Daniel, she had his name tattooed on various spots on her body, most prominently on her right shoulder.

Then the two got into an argument and he stabbed her.

Last week marked her 10th trip to the Greater Prince William Community Health Center to get the “Daniels” removed. Her tattoos are all but gone.

“I got them off because of my daughters,” said Walter. “So they wouldn’t ask a lot of questions about them.”

Hers is a story that members of the Prince William Department of Social Services, and others who donate their time at the Greater Prince William Community Health Center, consider a success.

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Here are some tips.  Bro Mike from Gangstyle.com

THE SHORT LIST: GETTING OUT OF GANG ACTIVITY
Reaffirm Need For Bible, Christ & Church:  The Banger life is one that seeks to FILL a SPIRITUAL VOID.  Youth AND family must decide upon a POSITIVE SPIRITUAL DIRECTION and CONTINUE in it, True Gospel Equals True, Permanent Change & Newness!

Secure Parental Involvement:  Parents MUST Be Involved Where Juveniles Are In Gang Activity.  Number ONE Factor In Putting Wayward Teens In Check ARE Parents/Guardians, PERIOD!

Confront Negativity:  Remind Teen That Perseverance and Determination ARE part of normal maturity and growth processes.  It’s About DEEDS, NOT Just TALK!

Confront Teen’s Entertainment Choices:  Just as one must ‘starve a fever to feed a cold’, a teen must ‘starve the negative by feeding the positive’!  Get Off The Rap/Hip Hop Prison Barge!

Confront Teen’s Educational Choices:  Develop sign in sheets.  Pursue what teen TRULY wants to be when they grow up.  Reaffirm the ‘Education’ mantra.  Clarify ‘Street’ vs. ‘Classroom’ Training.  Remind Them That Video Life Is NOT Real!

BOTTOM LINE: ONCE The Option Is Given To Them, LET THEM MAKE Choice!  Can’t Do It For Them!  Then Move To Next One!

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Sundoulos Blog #1 July 4, 2009, Atrium Village near Cabrini-Green, Chicago IL

Sonny1 searched the Illinois Department of Corrections inmate database on my laptop with his homie Jonny1, after our Sat. afternoon Bible study. Searching the inmate database is a common past-time for many of our youth from the neighborhood. Many of the men they grew up with, and sadly some of their peers, are incarcerated. Sonny found four inmates with his last name: his father, his uncle, and two cousins. In fact, all the males in Sonny’s immediate family, which could serve as a role model, are presently incarcerated. Woah.

This is Sundoulos writing this blog. Bor D asked me to begin writing a regular blog for Gangstyle. Some of you may remember my posts and articles for Gangstyle back in 2003 and 2004 when I did gang outreach from behind a computer monitor and keyboard, living in western Upper Michigan. This evening, I’m writing this blog from my crib at Atrium Village, just a 10 min. walk from Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing projects (or what’s left of them). I retired from my day job in Feb. 2008 and later, on May 30, I moved to Chicago to share Jesus Christ with street gang members and disciple them, and become more like Jesus in the process. I currently volunteer with three Christian street gang outreaches and two Christian at-risk youth ministries. I finally feel like I’m doing what God has called me to do to serve Him. But, urban Chicago is a universe away from Upper Michigan’s northwoods. lol

Now, I can take a five minute walk from my crib to a beautiful city park—Seward Park—and see gang graffiti on the benches there: “Norman a.k.a. Nemo G.” Nemo probably is (or was…) a Gangster Disciple. The GD’s are still one of Chicago’s largest street gangs, and Cabrini-Green was once GD “headquarters” when one of the founders Larry Hoover was still in the Illinois correctional system. While much of Cabrini has been torn down, and is nowhere as crazy as it was ten years ago, it’s still amazing how much craziness there still is. Just last week, one of the teens in one of our youth ministries was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the leg. He was with the wrong crew, at the wrong place, at the wrong time, probably doing the wrong thing—a scenario all to common for some of our neighborhood youth.

Just a ten minute walk from Seward Park, going north across Division St, up Sedgwick St. one can peep more gang graffiti in the concrete: “CVL”—Conservative Vice Lords and “MC Nation”—Mickey Cobras. According to some of our Cabrini kids, the Mickey Cobras roll especially deep in that neighborhood. This means our kids don’t cross Division Street going north–unless they absolutely have to.

To get back to the topic I started with, most of the male teens that we reach out to are fatherless—either they don’t know their father, or if they do, he’s not in the picture. Earlier this year, one of our older teens shared that he saw is father on the street and was shocked to see him. He hadn’t seen his dad in so long, he thought he was dead! The disasterous consequences of fatherlessness among urban youth are well documented, so I don’t need go into detail here. But, having to regularly deal with the effects of fatherlessness in our kids, consumes considerable quantities of love, patience, time and prayer.

Speaking of that, I’m going to close this blog now, because tomorrow is a full day. I have prayer at 9 AM at my church—Living Faith Community Church in the Lower North Center in Cabrini-Green, followed by ushering at the worship service at 10 AM. After church, three of our teens and I are rolling over to Chipotle’s on north State Street to get our grub on and talk about Pastor Will’s2 sermon. Later, at 4 PM, those teens–and three more–are coming over to the crib for Bible study, to watch the Gangland episode “Gangster City” (about Cabrini-Green in the GD heyday) and then watch something a bit more positive, “The Fellowship of the Ring.” That’s a different sort of Sunday than ones I used to have living in Michigan’s northwoods.

Peace and God madd bless until next blog.

~1~

sundoulos
John 3:30

1.Names are changed to protect the innocent. Lol
2.“Pastor Will” is Pastor William Gates. He is the Will Gates profiled as a teen basketball sensation in the landmark 1994 documentary “Hoop Dreams.”

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This from West Africa as Hip Hop goes global.  Wherever you go there are rappers, this week I have heard them from West Africa, southern France, Haiti, Iran even see below.

So here’s rap from Iran!!

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This from UK TV on the gangs of St Louis

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My name is cee cee

I’m a young female rooted out the streets of los skanles.

I call it los skanles because of all the BS i have been through. see when I was young I thought banging was it i thought saying I’m a young hoodsta was the lick but in reality it wasn’t. All I basically became was a product of my enviornment, because I made it that way. I was responsible for my own actions no one else. both of my brothers bang one from compton the other from L.A both or incarcerated one for 25 years to life for attempted murder the other 8 years for bank robbery. My father is a known gang member from watts, and my babydaddy is a known gang member from L.a. It seems that I pick men in my life who were like my father because thats all I saw. every last one of my family members who are incarcerated have made the news, and thats sad.

I have know positive male role models in my life to show me what a respectful, intiligent real man is suppose to be like. Not saying that gang members arent intilligent but they portray a role of ignorance most of the time. See most people I have came across was sworn in it but me i was born in it, and I have a daughter and I took her out of L.a because she will not live the life I had to live, we should always want better for our kids. Sometimes I sit back and think how I have lost some of my closest homeboys, I look at there pictures around my house and its sad. Our ancestors fought so hard to give us freedom and to thank them we kill eachother over what? (nothing).

Our generation is so corrupt, the next move is so unpredictible will it stop I doubt it, because you always got that little nigga who’s coming up and have no guidance and he feel as if he has to prove a point to become part of and fit in. In all that being said I understand gangbanging and most of the time people adapt to theyre enviornment but life is about change, and if we don’t never change what will we do become another statistic.I have been there,jumping out on females and niggas, ready to bring it when they really don’t
want it, just feeling like I’m a young soldier a young rida, and you know what its always somebody out there tougher than you, its always somebody out there who just really dont give a fuck.

It’s so easy to get into trouble and so hard to get out, know one is exempt from death so please remember that and think about God your mother and your family before you walk out that door and back on the block.

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My name is Robert “Huerito” Gratton, I was raised in Modesto, Ca., and I am a former high-ranking member of La Nuestra Familia “Our Family”, considered to be one of California’s most violent prison gangs. I have many regrets and I am definitely “not” proud of my past, therefore before I go any further, I am “NOT” writing to glamourize or glorify the so-called gangster life style which consists of brutal beatings, drive-by shootings and gangland slayings, rather I write as a educational guide and as a source of information to reflect upon for leverage in assisting today’s youth in their struggles to resist the temptation’s of joining a gang.

With the lucrative allure drug sales and the easy access to guns, the streets have become a war zone. Kids are killing kids at an alarming rate and California state prison’s are filled to the hilt. There seems to be no end to the madness, however, I know what it is like to be raised in a drug infested/gang-related neighborhood, I know what it is like to bring pain and grief to loved ones and I know what it is to be in a prison gang therefore I speak from my heart, and believe me I am in fact living proof that there is a way out. People can and do change, but most at-risk youth are totally unaware of their options. With this in mind, I am willing to help out in whatever form or fashion you may choose, as I don’t what your children or mine to participate in that nightmare.

I myself spent my entire youth in and out of juvenile lock-ups and California’s youth authorities. None of the older “homeboy’s” ever showed me any different. I was taught “the way of the homie” at an early age and continued to commit some very serious crimes as an adult. Going in and out of prison seemed like the thing to do and I spent another 15 of my 40 years as an adult going in and out of the California Department of Corrections. I lived “La vida loca” with the best of them and I put in more than my fair share of work for the gangster I thought were my friends, most of whom are either dead or in prison.

It took a long time, but I finally found the light and decided to change my life. I have since written a gang awareness, prevention and intervention program entitled: Teaching About Gangs (TAG) program. Furthermore i go around the country training law enforcement/probation officer’s, school teacher’s and concerned parent’s about gangs. I’ve also written my life story “THE RISE AND FALL OF THE NUESTRA FAMILIA” available at www.knowgangs.com if you are interested. Last but not least, if I can be of any assistance to you, please don’t hesitste to ask.

Sincerly, Robert

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One of my favorite posts from our site. some of the old timers kickin it about being a kid…

back N da dayZZZZ……..i miss b’n a shorty…….

yo who remembers transformers, GI JOE, writin assignments, hide n go seek, grabbin asses, hood fights yellow bus rides…… passing notes in class….. da dumb ass wite boy dat would steel his moms money and throw it up in class, substitute teaches…… turnin lights out when da teacher left class…….cappin ……..man i miss being a shorty…………i remember findin my pops crackpipes…..wondering wut it was…….or ……… shit…..just being fine wit runnin around outside alll damn day……….freak session at da gurl whos mom worked from 10 pm till 7 am……..man joe dat was da spot……….who can relate??????? dats when life was good………..when we was kinda innocent …..and dint think much about shyt ……..life was able 2 b taken 4 granted…………damn i miss being a shorty

OLD SKOOL BREAK DANCIN WITH THE CARDBOARD ON THE GROUND, #2 PENCIL WARZ, AKA WOODZ
TRANCHLA AS THE CLASS PET.BASEBALL CARDS, X-MEN COMICZ, BIG WHEELZ, WATCHIN DOUBLE DUTCH JUMP ROPE STEALIN 5 BUCKZ OUT YO MAMMAZ PURSE AND SHIT THEN GET AN ASS WHOOPIN.LOL ONLY COST 10 CENTZ TO RIDE THE PUBLIC BUS SLINKIEZ.LOL..YEAH I REMEMBER THAT SHIT.LOL REMEMBER GARBAGE PAIL KIDZ? SHIIIIIIIIIIIIT..LOL .LOL I HAD THE BIGGEST COLLECTION!

Damn he took it back!!! Who remembers lunch tickets free lunch recess right after u eat and then gym class. No gold just rockin them medallions wit a pic of africa on them shits. Fraggle rock was the shit. MCM sweat suits. hide and go get it is what we played. pro wings and shit. Fight one of ya boys for talkin bout yo mama. But aint none of that shit matter cuz we was little ni66a’s actin how we wanted to……

hide and go seek in the dark… freez tag… playing basketball w/ the boys… only concern of colors was who had the biggest crayola crayons box (i always had the SMALLEST one)… rellay races… guys who’d snap girls bras… jump rope… cheez bus rides… sneaking into movies… learning how to take shots… stuffed animals… monsters under my bed… water fights in the park… throwing shit out the 15 floor at ppl… tricks on the swings… broken bones… lil skool dances… the corner candy store… the ice cream truck… notes w/ “code” names in them… cheating on tests… sneaking outta the house….. damn i can go on and on.

damn i dont remember that i remember my dad bringin a new ho everyday while his ho was workin, and remember how my mama sent my ass away when i was 5, remeber watching my uncle die over some cream, remember teachers puttin they knee into my back and puttin me on the floor cause i said no to shit, and them putting me into a mental insitution for a year cause i came and hit his ass with a baseball bat, i remember jumpin ni66as and gettin sucked up by mexican skeezes in bathrooms and having free lunch and government cheese that came in the cardboard bow that never melted just hardend when you tried to make a grilled cheese sandwich, i remember eating stale food bank wheaties and powdered milk with a lil powders sugar thrown in tasting like baby formula to make it seem real, i remember putting plastic bags in my gazelles with 4 pairs of socks cause i couldnt afford boots when it snowed, i remember dirty ass starter coats wit broken zippers and cotton comin out the sleave, and selling smokes and crack round middle schools and watching my ni66as turn into clucks, fuck the old days it was a piece of shit life…

ALL THIS IS BRINGING HELLA MEMORIES! IM GONNA GET IN THE MIX! WHAT ABOUT BUYING THEM BASEBALL CARDS FOR THE GUM, FUCK THE CARDS!!LOL, OR PLAYING MARBLES FOR KEEPS, DIGGING THEM LITTLE DIRT HOLES IN THE SCHOOL YARD. AHAH THEM WEAK AZZ FIGHTS, I FELT THAT ONE ABOUT TALKING ABOUT MOMS. WHAT ABOUT “MY ADIDAZ” OR THEM PUMAS BOYYY! WITH THE FAT LACES, THOSE WERE THE SHIT!! OR WHAT ABOUT THEM BMX DAYS AND SKATE BOARDING, BUILDING RAMPS, TRYING TO DO TRICKS THEN EATING IT!! OR TRYING TO JACK SOME CANDY FROM THE CORNER LIQUOR STORE AND GETTING COUGHT OR CHASED BY THE KOREAN MAN! AHAHAA!! THEM NOW&LATERS!! THEM CHINESE DUDES WERE ALWAYS GOOD AT ALL THE LITTLE GAMES!!!

Thanx to seven, bdogg, hydrog, old skool, genocide and lazy for this

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