Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
<strong>Standouts</strong><br />
San Francisco County<br />
<strong>Standouts</strong> Volume 16.35/36<br />
My Life<br />
What’s up with <strong>The</strong> <strong>Beat</strong>? Trying to get up out this thing soon.<br />
Hoping that they let a brother go home to his fam bam. Missing<br />
everybody I love, man.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y got a ninja locked up, but when I get out, I’m about to<br />
change my whole everything. Like, every day I wake up now, I always<br />
think about my mom--the love of my life, the person who put me<br />
into this world. It’s making me feel bad and mad, ‘cause, like, I can’t<br />
even wake up to go see my mom and give her a kiss and a hug, and<br />
tell her I love her, ‘cause I’m in here. But it’s cool. <strong>The</strong>y can’t hold a<br />
ninja down forever.<br />
-Surf Boy Sonny<br />
From <strong>The</strong> <strong>Beat</strong>: Who are you angry at? Who is depriving you of your<br />
family? What would you like to say to this person, especially if this<br />
person is you? You have a tender heart for your mom.<br />
I Write My Way Out Of My Anger<br />
Dear Momma,<br />
When I get mad, I pick up a pen and write<br />
Instead of getting off on who I’m mad at.<br />
But trust me, I will do it.<br />
I’m just trying to do right, so I can get back to my mom’s spot.<br />
Kick back and chill, and eat out of my mom’s pot.<br />
I really do regret that time I made my mom’s tears drop.<br />
I’m just trying to get out, so I can make mom feel like she on<br />
top.<br />
Yeah, I know that she hates me being on the block.<br />
Every night she tell me that she hope I don’t get shot.<br />
But, I keep it on my side, just in case I got to drop.<br />
Disrespect Mom, and it’s off top.<br />
Moms, you appreciated, and I love you off top. Love!<br />
-Jamil<br />
From <strong>The</strong> <strong>Beat</strong>: You’re right to write out your anger, instead of avenging<br />
it on whoever you’re mad at. Your mom seems to worry about you more<br />
on the outs than when you’re in juvy. She wants you to leave mess<br />
alone. Will you listen to her?<br />
I Come From Animals<br />
Shhh be crazy where I come from. I come from animals—gorillas,<br />
apes, lions, and tigers. It’s a dirty swamp out there where I’m from.<br />
Ninjas got to watch they backs, so you don’t get gunned down.<br />
Police be harassin’ us. We get jacked for how we dress. People<br />
call us gangbangers, but we are just brothers in our eyes. We hold<br />
guns for survival, and we just hope to have a good day, and nothing<br />
bad goes on, but it never happens.<br />
It’s a dirty, dirty world, in jail or out. In jail, you belong to them<br />
people. <strong>The</strong>y can do what they want with you, when they want, so<br />
when I get out, I hope to be smoove. I hope this grouper expects me,<br />
so I can get my life on the right track.<br />
When the police grab us, they put their guns to our heads,<br />
because they think we have guns, slam us on the cars, check us,<br />
and let us go. I just be, like, what you do that for?<br />
-Max<br />
From <strong>The</strong> <strong>Beat</strong>: How can you avoid any scary people who act like<br />
menacing animals in your community, so you won’t have to carry a<br />
gun to defend yourself? Since your friends and you carry guns, can<br />
you understand why the police are wary of you, although they should<br />
never slam you up?<br />
<strong>The</strong><strong>Beat</strong><strong>Within</strong>.org<br />
Page 22<br />
Thinking About Baby Bezzla<br />
Damn, I’m just thinking my dead homie, Baby Bezzla, and all the<br />
times we had together. Every time I think about him being gone, I<br />
could never believe it, that shhh be crazy. When you will hear when<br />
your homie passed, you be, like, “What? I was just with my ninja the<br />
other day. Now he gone.” Damn, it be taking a long time to believe it.<br />
-Rock<br />
From <strong>The</strong> <strong>Beat</strong>: We’re so sorry about your friend, and that you’re<br />
grieving for him. It’s natural for you to take a while to accept your<br />
friend has passed, because you don’t want it to be true.<br />
Back Again<br />
Man, what’s up with <strong>The</strong> <strong>Beat</strong>? A ninja back in this weak juvenile<br />
hall. I told myself over and over I was never coming back, but it’s<br />
funny how your freedom can be taken from you in a blink of an eye.<br />
I’m tired of coming in and out of this hole in the wall. I’m<br />
seventeen now, and it’s time to stop playing pitty pat with them<br />
peoples. It’s time for me to be free as a bird, and be back with my<br />
people, where I’m ‘posed to be at, you dig?<br />
And, to all my real ninjas on lock down--keep your heads up<br />
and keep your minds right.<br />
-No Pity<br />
From <strong>The</strong> <strong>Beat</strong>: Is it also funny when maybe you decide, spontaneously,<br />
to be messy, and jack yourself back into juvy? Should you stop playing<br />
pitty pat with your freedom? Don’t your people want and need you<br />
home, as much as you need to be there?<br />
Police Do Positive Things<br />
What’s with <strong>The</strong> <strong>Beat</strong>? This your boy, D-Nice, still in this thing. Let<br />
me tell y’all the positive things about the police. <strong>The</strong>y give kids<br />
backpacks for back to school, and on Thanksgiving, they hand out<br />
turkeys, and Christmas, they give kids toys. That’s the positive<br />
things they can do.<br />
-D-Nice<br />
From <strong>The</strong> <strong>Beat</strong>: Police are generous, and it’s nice that you’re so grateful<br />
to them.<br />
When I’m Free<br />
I see me getting out and being cool<br />
No mess-ups, and not doing the fool<br />
Forget what my PO talkin’ about<br />
And when times get hard, I’ll thug it out<br />
Do what I have to do to get my profit<br />
I got a bad temper, so I need to watch it<br />
For those who test me, I don’t say jack<br />
Tell them to leave me alone, it’s like that<br />
I stay away from trouble and from clowns<br />
Do good and let nothin’ hold me down<br />
I have a future, so I wait and see<br />
But all that comes when I’m free<br />
-No Trouble<br />
From <strong>The</strong> <strong>Beat</strong>: If you rely on thugging when times are tough, what will<br />
prevent you from coming straight back into juvy? How can you morph<br />
the skills and talents you’ve learned from the streets into legal work<br />
that you like, are good at, and proud of?<br />
Moms Makes Me Happy<br />
Moms made me happy when she had me and my two lil bros. My<br />
moms also makes me happy when I see her happy, ‘cause I like<br />
seeing her happy and smiling. I get happy when I know my mom and<br />
my little brothers are having fun and are happy.<br />
-Bean<br />
From <strong>The</strong> <strong>Beat</strong>: What could you do to make your mom and brothers the<br />
happiest? Staying out of any mess and being home? Can you do that<br />
for them, and yourself? Yes, you can.
Change language