Jamell Crouthers

  Alphabet City 3

  UUID: 579ca933-2a2a-4cf5-a306-e2ba31947c22

  This ebook was created with StreetLib Write

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  Table of contents

  Gang Life

  Confined To These Streets

  Jumped In/Gang Initiation

  Protect Your Crew/Dead Homies

  Drugs, Guns, Business

  Robberies Daily

  Almost Died/Fighting To Survive

  Momma Always Worried

  Pulled The Trigger

  Big Brother Is Watching

  I'll Never Tell

  Gotta Do A Bid (Prison Life)

  The Wrong Way Out/The End of Me

  Ending Gang Life

  Social Media

  Gang Life

  What’s up, my name is Ronald and I’m writing my story of gang life,

  From a protective custody prison in the middle of a Midwestern state.

  There’s a story to the reason why I’m here but we’ll get into that later,

  I’m a gang member of the Red Gang from Alphabet City.

  We’re considered one of the most violent gangs in the country,

  We kill and at a high rate, we honestly don’t care who’s in our way.

  When you’re part of this gang, it’s a lifetime ordeal,

  Well until you’re in a situation like mine but it’s too early to discuss all of that.

  Let’s just say situations and circumstances got me to where I am,

  Not necessarily good but the situation I am in is better for sure.

  Gang life starts at an early age, I was 12 when I got involved with the Red Gang,

  It’s nothing to be surprised about, that’s what happens to a lot of young kids in the inner cities of America.

  I lived on D street and that’s part of their territory area,

  We control most of the radius of Alphabet City on the lower end.

  We also have the largest amount of people in our gang in Alphabet City,

  It’s to say that my gang recruited well and got the right people into the organization.

  We only wear red and sometimes we can get away with wearing black,

  Until we’re in their neck of the woods in Alphabet City, then it’s a sign of disrespect.

  Having gang signs is also part of the deal and we surely have them,

  I won’t share how many we have but we do have a few that represent what our gang stands for.

  Our gang is about honor, respect, hustle, money and control,

  We are involved in plenty of illegal activities but it’s how we keep money flowing into our pockets.

  Life on the block is necessary and part of that is protecting our territory,

  If we see someone from another part of Alphabet City, we want to know who they are and their business in our area.

  It’s all about representing the set (our gang and clique),

  And making sure our money keeps flowing on a daily basis.

  There’s a totem pole of people in the hierarchy of our gang,

  From the president, vice president, court officers all the way down.

  We have those who specialize in importing our drugs,

  We have those who import our weapons and those who control the money.

  There are others involved as far as lookouts for the police and federal agencies,

  We have our killers who will blow a person’s head off without thought process.

  There are our drug dealers on the streets selling our product,

  There are also those who cut up the drugs, bag it to prepare for the drug dealers also considered “runners.”

  Gang life continues in every season, the weather forces us to change things,

  During the summer we have more leeway and business coming our way.

  There’s also more violence, shootings, and killings during that time,

  We have to be way more alert, our heads on the swivel at all times.

  We just can’t get caught at the wrong place at the wrong time,

  It’s why we have lookouts for not only the cops but also drive-by’s.

  Staying strapped (having a gun) is always necessary,

  Especially for those who are out in the streets on a regular basis.

  The runners mostly have guns along with the head honchos who run the gang,

  The higher ranked you are, the more power, the bigger the gun you carry.

  Head honchos carry AK-47’s and machine guns at any given time,

  They have to protect the houses we have where our weapons and drugs are stashed.

  The runners mostly have 9mm handguns, they’re easier to carry,

  Along with easier to handle and when on the run, you can shoot and fire while retreating.

  Social media wise, we try to keep a low profile, we know government agencies watch us,

  They’re trying to infiltrate our organization and we can’t have that.

  A few months ago, they got into one of our stash houses in the middle of the night,

  We knew they were coming, we just weren’t prepared and some of our guys were ambushed.

  They came with the firing squad of men in armor with ammo,

  A shootout with them would’ve been catastrophic for our organization so the guys there went down quietly.

  They’re still awaiting trial but it’s not looking good for them,

  The district attorney is building up a case where they can win without any doubt.

  When you represent the set, it’s about showing your allegiance,

  To an organization that recruited you and wants to see you make money.

  It’s also about flashing your signs, wearing the colors on an everyday basis,

  You’re not allowed to wear any other rival gang’s colors at any given time.

  There are serious but dangerous repercussions for wearing a rival gang’s colors,

  Let’s just say you’ll regret that decision if you were to do it.

  In Alphabet City, gang are just a way of life,

  The majority of young teenagers and grown men are in a gang.

  If you’re not, you know someone who is in a gang,

  And you’re protected through them in the neighborhood.

  You’re less likely to be jacked (robbed) for electronics,

  Or what you are wearing around your neck, wrist or on your feet.

  Fighting one of us, especially those with short tempers,

  They’ll just shoot you, take what they want and leave you to die.

  To ask if most of our gang members have a conscience,

  You already know the answer, especially if law enforcement knows how we roll and operate.

  When you’ve been in a gang for so long, it’s becomes your life,

  School was out of the picture at a very young age, I didn’t care for it.

  I was bigger than most kids when I did join the Red Gang,

  I wasn’t necessarily tougher but I grew some courage as time moved along.

  Certain things were implanted into my mind that were clearly apparent,

  To how this gang works, operates and continues to run decades later.

  When gang life becomes part of your life, these young men become your family,

  No one else matters, they’re your protectors in these dangerous streets all day, everyday.

  We all know and understand from a young age that we can end up in prison or six feet under,

  It’s the life we’ve accepted from the moment we were born in this place.

  There's nothing glamorous about living in Alphabet City,

  You’re either mentally strong or you get eaten alive.

  Being tough doesn’t necessarily mean carrying a weapon,

  It’s more of being smarter than the next man walking down the street.

  It means being smarter than the men and women on the beat (cops on patrol),

  It means being smarter than the white guy who doesn’t fit in your neck of the woods and knowing he’s a government officer.

  Now we’re onto them with seeing them our shade of skin,

  We’re just onto them and what they’re doing on a daily basis.

  Once you become part of this life, you’re confined to these streets,

  It’s a mindset that you have to be ready and prepared for once you’re initiated into the Red Gang….

  Confined To These Streets

  These streets are a dirty and dangerous game,

  If you’re recruited into this gang at a young age, you’re ready.

  There’s something they see in you that you may not see in yourself,

  Your instincts, knowing when something is going to happen, being keen and on your toes.

  They see that you understand the game and how it all goes,

  You watch how they operate, carry themselves and how it works.

  You proceed with caution with how you perceive people,

  Your intuitive mindset keeps you from getting yourself killed.

  The streets become part of your life and it’s all you know,

  The 26 block radius of one confined neighborhood.

  Where you hustle and do whatever you can to make money,

  Whether it’s robberies, selling drugs or making big deals.

  It’s controlling and running the blocks you’re setup in,

  It’s knowing how other people move and being watchful.

  There are meetings daily about how things will move and shake,

  Whe re people will be assigned to, to be lookouts for law enforcement.

  The lookouts are the eyes and ears of the streets,

  Listening and watching anything and everything that goes on.

  It’s being smarter than law enforcement and rival gangs,

  Along with the residents of Alphabet City because they can be the eyes and ears for law enforcement.

  Anything out of the ordinary or something we don’t normally see,

  It’s paying attention to it for a certain period of time until things change.

  It’s having burner phones while we are on the streets,

  Paying cash to buy them so law enforcement isn’t tracking any cards we may have.

  Our apartments and stash houses are guarded 24/7/365,

  It’s the only way we can continue to keep the money flowing into our organization.

  It’s keeping tabs on residents who may be informants for law enforcement,

  Walking past our corners where we sell drugs and listening to our conversations.

  With calls to each other, it’s speaking in code and keeping it simple,

  I won’t share how we speak but we have small sayings we use.

  There are quick messages such as, “law enforcement Block A,”

  Or “rival gang in the area,” the normal things we have to deal with from day to day.

  Sometimes it’s easier to text than to make a phone call,

  Code in texting is easier and faster and we tend to change it up from time to time.

  It’s more to keep law enforcement on their toes if they get access to our burner phones.

  In the streets, we use our burner phones for 3-4 days at a time and change them,

  We also buy burner phones from different locations and different people every time.

  Once again it keeps law enforcement on their toes with our activities,

  It’s basically staying ahead of them at all times, no matter what.

  The wrong code can get us in a bad situation and we don’t want that,

  Has it happened to us? It has but only a few times.

  Where the changing of a code caused someone to send the wrong things through text,

  Next thing you know we’re running from law enforcement and it cost us money that day.

  With codes, it’s a lot to remember so it can be confusing at times,

  It’s why we’re not allowed to use drugs much and we have to be alert all of the time.

  Gang life isn’t for everyone, especially when the streets is your moneymaker,

  You don’t make money, you don’t eat, it’s as simple as that.

  Being a contributor to the organization means bringing in money daily,

  It doesn’t have to necessarily be selling drugs, it can be anything.

  Taking out a rival gang member, that means he’s not in our territory,

  That means money stays within our block radius.

  Helping with shipments of guns and/or drugs,

  Getting them safely into the stash houses or apartments we control.

  It can be finding new people to do business with,

  Building solid connections that are trustworthy to keep our money coming in.

  We do have our fun and we do have off days from time to time,

  But the reality is Time Is Money Everyday and having a no days off mentality helps us stay focused.

  Gang life is very intense in the streets of Alphabet City,

  It’s why we recruit heavily, even on other gang’s territories.

  While the recruiting process is daily and building something big,

  You have to be initiated and jumped in….

  Jumped In/Gang Initiation

  Gang initiation normally happens in the fall every year,

  It’s always after Labor Day in September and we have our new gang members by the end of Halloween in October.

  The guys in the hood know the deal and when recruitment time is,

  September/October is also the perfect time to get the young ones involved with us.

  They’re just starting school, dealing with new teachers,

  After a few weeks, they no longer care and are looking to make the money we’re getting daily.

  Mothers are trying to keep their young boys away from us,

  But seeing us on the block, getting cash handed to us is easy.

  It’s supplying drugs to people who are addicted and going through withdrawal,

  When they see the stacks of money in rubber bands we’re pulling out of our pockets, they see dollar signs.

  Gang initiation for young kids is testing their loyalty to the game,

  Let’s see if they can sell some rock (crack/cocaine) without getting caught by 5-0 (the police).

  Let’s test them to see if they can spot something suspicious,

  It’s seeing how keen they are to their surroundings.

  Getting jumped in can be intense as you’re jumped by numerous gang members,

  You’re punched, kicked, and pounded for a few minutes,

  We make sure not to hit in the face as we’re not trying to bruise up anyone.

  It’s a test of your manhood and if you can withstand getting hit and can take a pounding and stand back up,

  Kids getting hit by grown men is real and they realize they’re not getting hit by their friends on the block.

  The older gang members who get jumped in and initiated,

  Well they have to do crazy things to show their allegiance.

  You know, run in a grocery store and steal the money,

  Or rob someone for their phone and/or sneakers and shoot them in their chest, heart or head.

  Most of the time that doesn’t happen but some kids are crazy enough to do it,

  I’ve seen some of my gang members rob people and they weren’t with us yet.

  Once they show their allegiances, sometimes they get assigned lookout,

  Only because if things hit the fan, they know these kids will shoot to kill.

  Young kids in our gang, their brains are wired differently,

  It’s why we look for the crazy ones that will kill for us but can be controlled with structure.

  We don’t want a kid getting too ahead of himself in the gang,

  And think he can kill one of us or one of the leaders because that will be the end of him.

  Let’s just say your body won’t be found ever,

  When I mean ever, I really mean that and I won’t say whether it’s happened or not.

  If I’m writing it, let’s just say it’s a possibility that it did,

  History of this gang is crazy, especially when I immersed myself into it and learned about how everything came together.

  The young kids in our gang from 12-18 years old are considered our young bulls,

  They do all of the dirty work to keep the organization running from day to day.

  Most of these kids haven’t grown a facial hair yet and are holding 9mm handguns,

  And shooting them easily without any necessary practice.

  The only problem we have with them is keeping our affairs off of social media,

  Along with affiliating with those who aren’t part of our gang.

  They don’t necessarily understand that we become their family when they get in,

  They can’t be on the block doing silly things like they used to.

  Hangin’ out with the homies is no longer something they can do,

  The secrets and how we run things never get uttered to anyone outside of the Red Gang.

  I can’t say that every gang initiation has gone smoothly,

  Some have bled out in the street and we had to get them medical attention.

  It’s drive them to the hospital, drop them in front of the door and drive off,

  In the past, we threw them out of the car and told them you can’t speak of what happened.

  It’s happened three times so thankfully not too much,

  Thankfully we’ve never gotten in trouble with the law regarding that.

  The crimes committed, well that’s a different story,

  Some get caught on camera and some young bulls get charged as an adult and do prison time.

  With having fellow Red Gang members in the prison system,

  A lot of the young bulls get protected behind the gated walls of prison.

  We relay who’s coming through and sometimes the courts try to ship them far away,

  So they can keep us separated but the only thing is, Red Gang is everywhere.

  Some violent deaths have happened during initiation time,

 

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