this letter - Youth Today

FROM THE PENITENTIARY...
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To all'my brothers and sisters who are either in Gangs, are contemplating the thought of
joining one,or know someone who is ...
THIS MESSAGE IS FOR YOU!
There is so much life has in store for us. But because of our ignorance...we tend to
choose the paths in life that would only lead us to either prison...or the grave!!! (There is a
way that seems right onto aman... but the ends thereofare the ways ofdeath!)
We don't stop to think about the suffering and pain we are/will put our families and loved
ones through, if something were to happen to us, because of the paths we have taken, and
the crowds we have chosen to hang around with!
HAVE SO MUCH TO LOSE!
I know what it is to hurt people... especially those whom we love and who love us very
dearly. Many were the times I disrespected my mother, my father, and all of those who
. ~..... only wanted and meant good for me. But of course, like many of us, I wasn't always like
that.
all started as a young teenager, when my life took a toll for the worse. I wanted to be
Down... to be Respected...and Recognized! I wanted to be part of that 'in crowd'. The
love, companionship, friendship and intimacy I've longed for as a child by my parents- to
embrace me, listen to me and giv~ me their undivided attention and more, was found by
me in that 'in crowd' (gangs) - or so I thought!
At first, whether it was the peer pressure (the people I chose to hang around with- and
considered my friends!) or the coolness I perceived them to have as they embraced me
(or showed me love- as they call it today). I wanted to show and prove myself to them.
To show forth my loyalty- and that I feared nothing (although at times I was scared as
hell), that I could be just like them or even better. In their eyes ... I had a lot of heart!
;r-----_ .._,-,_

At that time (1980's) ... some of the most infamous gangs around New York were the
'Ball Busters', 'C.C. Boys', The 'A-Team', etc. Although I wasn't affiliated with any of
them, I was involved in lesser-known ones.
As time went by I became a member of one of America's most Notorious Gangs- 'The
Almighty Latin King Nation' (AL.K.N.). Before I knew it, I was one of the top leaders
(1 st Crown) on Riker's Island, serving two prison sentences totaling 39 years to 79 Yz
years, for two unrelated am1ed robbery cases, one of them which I had nothing to do
WM.
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I had just turned 22 years old when I came to prison. I was just a kid who took the wrong
paths in life, hanging out with the wrong people, the wrong crowd... leaving behind two
kids (a daughter and a son) ofms own- without a father to raise them.
One of the people that were most affected by my incarceration was my beloved
Grandmother, who died of cancer not long after my arrest I blame myself till this day,
because I was her pride and joy- her backbone, her life, her all- and I let her down!!!
(Mi Abuelita- Te Quierol- PerdonamePor Hacerte Sufrir!)
It seemed like the more I embraced the gang life...the more enemies I made, the more
problems I had, and the more people I was hurting. I thought I was doing the right
thing.; .educating those brothersitos who didn't know how to read or Write, sending
them to school, getting them jobs, ect I tried to mide them through what the Nation
(Latin Kings and Queens) stood for! (Respect-Honesty-Unity-Knowledge-and Love!!!).
I tried to follow all of our lessons to the fullest. ..including having brothers abstain from
using or selling harsh drugs (Heroin-Coke- Crack-etc.).
I tried to keep the peace between us and other rival gangs (Bloods- Crips- Netas-Smokesetc.),
but what I realized most was, that the mo{e I tried to do good for the whole (all), the
more bitterness grew WIthin my Bro's and Others- I also realized that although I was
doing the right thing by helping.those who needed it most- being involved in gangs' was
not the move!!! Not only was it not the right,move...but there was nothing positive about
it
Nevertheless, in 1'994, ~fter spending almost 2-years on Riker's Island and being
sentenced, King Blood (The Godfather of the A.L.K.N.) opened doors for anyone who
wished to leave the Nation. And I must say...ashard as it was for me to do to reave
something; I had so strongly stood for, believed in, and upheld to the fullest all the
Brothers and Sisters I had grown so close to ...had so much Love for, who had embraced
me, with a Respect, in pure Honesty, United with such Loyalty, and so much Knowledge
and Love .. .I left the Nation! .
To my surprise, many others followed in my steps as time went by. Whatever their reason
for leaving may have been, I know why I left. I left because I made my mother suffer and
cry so many times, put her through so much pain- My kids...what kind of a father figure
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might I have been to them if I were still repping? How many Brothers and Sisters lives
might I have put in harms way...or jeopardized when the time came for me to give the
orders? How many lives might I have taken or put in jeopardy by putting my Brothers
and Sisters on Street comers to sell Drugs, Guns, and maybe even their Sollis and Bodies
ifpush came to shove- just to make another Dollar?
But yet... there are many ofus who fail to realize that this is what we are·doing! it has·
gotten to the point where Our Women, Our D:~LUghters, and even Our Nieces and
Granddaughters, are not only selling their Bodies for Money and Drugs,to get by on a
day to day bases...but in most cases, just giving it up to anybody- FOR FREE!
What has become of us? Where has our Integrity, Self·Respect, Morality, and Morale
gone?
AIDSIHIV are at its highest peaks ever. ..and Blacks and Latinos seem to be the only
ones at the top of that league. Instead of Helping Our Women and Educating Them, all
we want and worry about is the sex part- getting into their pants...and the saddest part
about it all, is, that it's getting worse!
What ever happened to our values/morals, our self-respect and the respect for others?
Huh? Tell Me Please! We are Destroying Our Women, Our Youth, Our Daughters and
Sons, Nieces and Nephews, Granddaughters and Grandsons- My Brothers and Sisters­
.........................WE ARE DESTROYING OUR FUTURE!!!
Men are leaving their women pregnant to manage and raise their kids on their own
without a father- CHILDREN ARE BEING LEFT FATHERLESS­
WHAT HAS BECOME OF US??? WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO FAi\1ILY VALUES?
We are Destroying each and every one of Our Own Families...Lives are being Taken and
Destroyed due to The Drugs, The Sex Craze, The Guns, The Violence, and The Gangswhich
are now using their Members (OUR YOUTH) as Pawns In a Chess Game, to
Protect them and Their Drug Empire-Enterprises!
YOU ARE BEING MANIPULATED AND CONTROLLED BY INDIVIDUALS
WHO COULD CARE LESS IF THEIR GRANDMOTHERS DIED! JUST AS LONG
AS THE MONEY...YOU ARE MAKING FOR THEM...KEEPS ROLLING IN!
This is not how it should be my Beloved Brothers and Sisters... We have to Change! We
need to Change! We MUST Change!
If it's Money you want to make...Educate yourselves...Learn about starting your own
Business. There are so many people out there who want to help us, and are willing to
Teach us all we need to know to start and operate our own Small Businesses! I can help
you... But the only way they are willing to help you, is ifyou are willing to help yourself.
Ifyou are willing to change... and no longer want to do or be involved in the things you
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are and do! Let them know that you no longer want to Destroy your Community, but
instead help Build it into a much more amicable environment, to Create that sense of
safety and security for our little Brothers and Sisters who are yet to young to even
understand what it is that's going on around them... To Build and Fix their Playgrounds
and Parks, so that they may enjoy the life many of us never had OUR YOUTH!
It is only then that Crime, Violence, Drugs, Guns, and Gangs would drop to its lowest
levels!
We have been Destroying our Communities, Our Youth, and Our Families for too long
now... We have been Destroying our Parks and Playgrounds, our Schools and Youth
Centers, Homes and Neighborhoods, Streets and even our Cars and more... it's time to
make a change... it's time to show and prove to them that we are not the LOWLNES
that they perceive us to be... that we can change for the better, and for the better WE
WILL!!! It's time for us all to become the people they thought we would never be, and to
show them that we will never become the LOWLNES they have always perceived us to
be!
Today is our chance... to not only prove them wrong- but to be an example onto them
and others as well... Our Youth need good Role Models in their Lives- People who will
bring out their Talents, Potential and Skills. We MUST show them how to Lead and Live
Positive and Productive Lives! That there are other alternatives in life other than Selling
Drugs... Committing Crimes... Violence and Gangs!!!!
We must bring out the positive attributes that lies within each and every one of them, by
being that perfect example onto them...and we must always remember, that. .."[T]he
main weapon against crime.. .is [E]ducation"!
We have,been granted an opportunity...and it is one we cannot afford to throwaway or
misuse in any form, shape, or way...This opportunity r am talking about can only come
from within...r call it the opportunity of HOPE! A Hope that can and will bring about
change! "[A]nd if we are willing to put our [H]earts and [M]inds and [B]obies to the
challenge, we can create [H]ope.
"[H]ope for those :who might aspire to become [E]ngineers, [A]ttourney's, [T]eacher's
or [E]iltrepreneurs- not just [B]asketball [P]layers or [R]ap [S]tars or [S]treet [H]ustlers
or [D]rug [D]ealers.
'[H]ope for those who, right now, see that their chance of spending time injail are greater
than their opportunity to spend time in college.
"[H]ope for young women who see that their chance of having a high school pregnancy is
greater than their chance of getting a high school diploma.
"[H]ope for young inner-city men who see that their chance of dying by a gunshot is
greater than their chance ofliving in a decent neighborhood in a house oftheir own."
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Alan Page- an Associate Justice Of The Supreme Court Of The State Of Minnesota
quoted such "Hope"... and he quoted it with Conviction and Vision- He quoted it to
Motivate People Like Us, who want to do the right thing...because he not only believed
in it...but because he saw something Beautiful in Our Future...and that Future, was Our
Youth! Our Children! Our Little Brothers and Sisters! Nieces and Nephews! Daughters
and Sons! Granddaughters and Grandsons!
My Brothers and Sisters...That Future...WAS YOU!!! .
Written by: Richard Pena
#93R2859
KC.F.
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