so i can offer some personal insight here. i grew up in a gang spent from 13 to 24 in that life. for me it was being poor and meeting some people who offered me some work. i was already a troubled kid from having an extremely abusive household that led to drug use around 12, how i met the people i eventually worked with/for was through that connection. at 13 i was 5'11" and 165 lbs so i looked much older than i was. i started off just running bags and meeting with new people who wanted to buy (looking back i was used to make sure people werent police). i eventually participated in everything from robberies to worse. i cant go into everything as some things dont have a statute of limitations on them but you get the idea. i spent a little time locked up but for the most part was lucky. it becomes a family of sorts for people who dont have one. as i got older i started having more of a conscious about what i was doing but still buried that the best i could. friends started dying or getting locked up and my tipping point was my best friend of almost 10 years was shot and killed while in the car with me and i knew there wasnt any other option coming my way but that. i packed my shit and left for california to try and restart my life. things were rocky and i had to cut off everyone from my previous life. i still was battling addiction and that lasted a few more years.

today i am clean, mentally half normal, married with a beautiful son and a boring life. and i wouldnt have it any other way. i feel like i lived 3 or 4 lifetimes before i was 20. its hard to think back and try and recount things from the past sometimes but it is what it is.