The following program
discusses sensitive issues.
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Parents are
cautioned that some material
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may be too candid
for younger children.
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Today, you will meet a man
from the life of hard knocks.
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But now, he serves
Jesus. Find out how.
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Join us on The New Journey.
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Welcome back to The New Journey.
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On today's
program, we have a young man
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by the name of Annex Luberisse.
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Welcome to the
program again, Annex.
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Thank you. Thank you. All right.
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For the record, how old
are you and where are you from?
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I'm 30 years old, and I'm from--
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Originally I'm from Haiti.
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But I grew up in
Florida, my whole life.
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In West Palm
Beach, Florida. All right.
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And Palm Beach is by Lake Worth
and Miami, Florida, correct?
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Yeah, it's like 45
minutes outside of a Miami,
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heading south.
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And it's right
around that facility.
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Okay, as a young man
growing up in Florida,
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in infamous
Miami, Lake Worth area.
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What was it like
growing up in that area?
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Well, it was pretty hard.
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It was pretty difficult.
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Reason being is
because when I first moved
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to the States from Haiti,
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I had a little
problems speaking the language.
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So it was pretty hard coming up.
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You know to be able
to speak the language
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and to also be
able to communicate.
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So, it was a little
hard growing up in West Palm.
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Okay, what age did you
move from Haiti to America?
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Well, my parents are,
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my father moved me from Haiti
since I was three years old.
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So I have been
staying at Florida
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since I was
about three years old.
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Okay. Okay.
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Now, you grew up
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with your mother, your
father, and your siblings.
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Talk about your home
environment growing up in,
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eventually your
parents did separate?
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My home
environment was pretty hard.
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It was pretty bit difficult
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because my
father was a hard man.
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You know, I used
to have to watch them
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argue back and
forth all the time,
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fist fights most of the
time with my, not just, not just
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but with my
mother but my brother
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and also some of
my elder siblings.
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So growing up was pretty
hard, I was more a quiet kid.
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I stayed in my place
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because I didn't want my
father to know I was there.
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Get out of line, and
get you back in line.
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Yeah, get you
back in line real good.
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Okay, okay. He was good at that.
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Now, you eventually got involved
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in infamous Top 6 gang.
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I remember, I
first heard of Top 6,
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actually maybe a year ago or so,
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and it was, I was a watching
a program called Gangland.
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And it was talking heavily
about this, this violent gang,
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and you eventually
got involved in Top 6,
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which is based out
of Lake Worth, Florida.
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Talk about that?
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Well, Top 6 is based
out of Lake Worth, Florida.
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And Top 6 was a street gang
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and also a rap gang.
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But I didn't get
involved into Top 6
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until I got into high school.
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When I was in high school,
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the same guys I
will see in school
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would be the same guys
I will see at the club.
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And when things
break out at the club,
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they would always have my back.
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So Top 6 ran the streets
from Lake Worth going down.
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Our gang name was San Castle,
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we ran it from Hypoluxo, Lantana
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all the way down to Delray.
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And when you
said getting involved,
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I didn't get involved
in gang, I was the gang.
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You was. Okay. I started it.
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I created it.
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So, I didn't get the opportunity
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to just get
involved in the gang,
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to run it like there.
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Now, why do a
lot of young people
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get involved with gangs?
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You see, Aaron,
most of the time,
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young people would
get involve in gangs
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because they would be
looking for protection.
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You know, they would be,
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they would be
trying to prove their self,
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trying to make it
seem like they are tough.
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But that wasn't
why we became a gang.
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We was home boys.
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What I mean by home boys is that
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we would stay together,
we would live together,
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we would do everything together.
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Every weekend, we
was at the club together.
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So, it was very natural
for us to have each other back
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in case anything break out.
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So, we was very deeply
rooted with each other.
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So did you find that you
got like this brotherhood,
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this loving brotherhood
bond by being in the gang?
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Of being in a gang
really helped me out
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in a many different
ways, because it helped me.
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All my life I have been
chasing after one thing.
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Okay.
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My guys in the streets
was more to me like a brother.
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You know when
the Bible says that
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"There is a friend
that sticks to you closer,
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there is a friend
that sticks closer to you
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than a family member."
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Top 6, San Castle was that.
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They are friend,
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they stuck to me
closer than the family member.
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That was my life.
That's who I knew.
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So when anything
happened, that's who I turn to.
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Now you said
something interesting.
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You said that you were always
searching for that one thing.
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What was that one thing
that you were searching for?
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Well Aaron, as a kid growing up,
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my father didn't
really care about me,
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at least he didn't show that.
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My mother worked two jobs.
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She was never there.
She did the best she can.
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Okay.
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So, I never had love. Okay.
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I chased after it my whole life.
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I was involved in
the gang because of love.
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You know, it's very
difficult when a kid grow up,
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mother never hugged
him, father never kissed him.
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They never mentioned that
word, "I love you," to me.
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So, I spent my whole
life chasing after love.
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I would do anything for love.
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I would even kill, I
would even be killed for it.
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Looking for something,
you know, it's interesting,
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because in my life
growing up, I had that love.
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I had the mother and the
father that hugged me, kissed me
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and all that stuff like that.
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But still I gravitated
to that kind of lifestyle,
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to the street lifestyle.
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Do you think that
there was like a strong pool
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that was saying, you know,
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"Get involved in this and that,"
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you know, whether or
not you had the love or not?
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Oh yeah, it's a
very, very strong pool.
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When you see these guys,
and they have everything,
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everything you want, you know,
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they treat you like a brother,
they always there for you.
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You know, it's a pool to
always have a support base.
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You know we are
very social creatures.
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So we're always
looking for someone
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that we can talk to,
someone that we can depend on.
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And I didn't have the
family upbringing for that.
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So, whenever I need a guidance,
whenever I need a help,
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I would always
fall back on my friends.
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Okay. Okay.
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You know, I have done
that a lot of times too,
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even though I had
the parents to talk to,
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could have prayed with
and various things like that.
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I would always, you
know, fall back on the friends.
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I would trust my friends
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more than I would
trust my own family.
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And I remember even
when I was changing my life,
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that I didn't want
to contact my friends,
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because I felt
if I contact them,
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they'd kind of give
you this prescription.
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And the prescription
will be, "Well, smoke a blunt,
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drink some alcohol, and
call me in the morning."
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Kind of like the
doctor's prescription.
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Now, you have lost
friends in the street though.
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Talk about that,
those feelings that you got,
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when you would see
friends or even loved ones,
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lost in the streets?
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Well, the thing is that's
one of the most difficult things
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you can go through
with your life, is losing
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friends or family
members in the street.
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But the more and more you end up
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losing people in the streets,
the easier and easier it gets.
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Okay.
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One of my home boys,
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he stayed three houses
down the street from me.
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The night
before he got murdered,
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I remember I was telling him,
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"Hey, you know,
just be careful."
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Because I already knew
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what he was getting ready to do.
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So I told him be
careful, you know.
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The next day I was at
work, I received a phone call,
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one of my other
friends called me and told me
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that he was just gunned down.
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And it really hit a
home, when the last words
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you can tell your
friend was be careful.
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Yeah.
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Now, you know, you
had to go to a funeral
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because he is been murdered.
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But the next one really
hit close to home, Aaron.
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Reason being because
this next guy was like,
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he was a family.
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I grew up with
him, I live with him.
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He was mainly
like a brother to me.
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He was told
prior to him getting,
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prior to him dying
that if he didn't retaliate,
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the person that he had the
issue with would retaliate.
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But he didn't retaliate. Okay.
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So, he was gunned
down, down the street from--
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I actually watched
him die in the street.
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Wow, you know, on the streets
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it's kind of like a
killer be killed type world.
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You know, you have many people,
you know, out to get you.
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You know, I told him.
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I told him that, you know,
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if you don't take
care of your business,
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your business
will take care of you.
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You live by the
gun, you die by the gun.
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And you know,
you've told me before
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that you develop that mentality
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"live by the
gun, die by the gun."
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First of all,
explain what does that mean,
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and then how did you come
to that type of mentality?
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Well it's simple,
it's just like in Matthew
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when Jesus says, "Then
that lived by the sword,
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will perish with the sword."
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It's the same thing.
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You live by the gun,
you will die by the gun.
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You know, if you are
going to shoot people,
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be ready to be shot.
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You know, because the
devil is out to take it out.
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He is not out to play around.
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The devil is not out to
give you a second chance.
00:09:53.36\00:09:55.39
He is out to take you
out and your family out.
00:09:55.42\00:09:57.79
So if you gonna live with a gun,
00:09:57.83\00:09:59.66
be ready for someone else
to take care of you as well.
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Be ready to use it. Yeah.
00:10:01.13\00:10:02.46
And you know, people
used to say on the streets,
00:10:02.50\00:10:03.83
"If you are going pull
it, make sure you use it."
00:10:03.87\00:10:05.47
And the
interesting thing about it is
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we grew up with the mentality,
00:10:07.64\00:10:09.00
"If you gonna use
it, use it right."
00:10:09.04\00:10:10.71
You know, if you
gonna shoot some one,
00:10:10.74\00:10:12.67
make sure you don't
just shoot him in his side
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because they
are gonna come back.
00:10:14.71\00:10:16.38
They are gonna come back
and they are gonna kill you.
00:10:16.41\00:10:18.18
They are not
just gonna shoot you.
00:10:18.21\00:10:19.55
When we shoot, we shoot to kill.
00:10:19.58\00:10:20.92
And that is the
reality out at streets.
00:10:20.95\00:10:23.59
You know, I often tell people,
"Not everybody makes it back."
00:10:23.62\00:10:26.76
We are blessed and fortunate
that we can sit here today,
00:10:26.79\00:10:31.29
and we can communicate.
00:10:31.33\00:10:33.19
But many ones that you
know, ones that I know,
00:10:33.23\00:10:35.66
they are dead
00:10:35.70\00:10:37.03
or they're incarcerated
doing years behind bars.
00:10:37.07\00:10:40.27
You know, but it's a
blessing to be able to walk away
00:10:40.30\00:10:43.57
from that stuff with your life.
00:10:43.61\00:10:45.97
Now at this point in your life,
00:10:46.01\00:10:47.38
what was your
religious background?
00:10:47.41\00:10:49.11
Well, it's interesting
that you asked that question.
00:10:49.14\00:10:51.81
At that point in my
life, I was a baptized Mormon.
00:10:51.85\00:10:55.42
I was a Mormon.
00:10:55.45\00:10:56.89
And, but I wasn't
really going to church,
00:10:56.92\00:10:59.75
like I was supposed to be
going to church as a Mormon.
00:10:59.79\00:11:02.52
So, my
understanding of the Bible
00:11:02.56\00:11:04.69
and of my Savior Jesus
Christ was very limited.
00:11:04.73\00:11:07.66
So, as being a Mormon
00:11:07.70\00:11:10.23
and as growing up in a
very secular household,
00:11:10.27\00:11:15.14
it was very hard.
00:11:15.17\00:11:16.50
It was very hard for
me to learn about Jesus
00:11:16.54\00:11:18.71
or for me to know
anything about Jesus.
00:11:18.74\00:11:20.78
So, I pulled away
from the Mormon Church
00:11:20.81\00:11:23.28
to run into streets.
00:11:23.31\00:11:25.11
Now, in your household
was anybody else a Mormon
00:11:25.15\00:11:28.22
or did they
frequently go to church,
00:11:28.25\00:11:30.12
or was it just you?
00:11:30.15\00:11:31.55
Well, at first it was just me.
00:11:31.59\00:11:33.69
And I think my brother got
involved into it a little bit.
00:11:33.72\00:11:36.46
And my sister got
involved into it a little bit.
00:11:36.49\00:11:40.03
But just like I said,
00:11:40.06\00:11:41.50
they get
involved for a little time
00:11:41.53\00:11:43.30
and then they fade off.
00:11:43.33\00:11:44.67
You know, it was
never a binding relationship
00:11:44.70\00:11:48.34
with the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:11:48.37\00:11:49.87
It was just something
that you would do every Sunday.
00:11:49.90\00:11:51.84
Okay.
00:11:51.87\00:11:53.21
Now talk about your involvement
00:11:53.24\00:11:54.74
in hip-hop music,
secular hip-hop music
00:11:54.78\00:11:57.08
as well as doing shows in
clubs as a underground rapper.
00:11:57.11\00:12:00.35
Talk about that?
00:12:00.38\00:12:01.72
Well, as hip-hop
played a big part of my life.
00:12:01.75\00:12:03.39
Okay, as it did
for mine as well.
00:12:03.42\00:12:04.92
Yeah, yeah, you know how it is.
00:12:04.95\00:12:06.72
We talk
hip-hop, we live hip-hop.
00:12:06.76\00:12:09.52
It becomes a
part of our culture.
00:12:09.56\00:12:11.86
You know, so, most of those guys
00:12:11.89\00:12:14.03
that I was with as
growing up, we love music.
00:12:14.06\00:12:17.63
So we would always do music.
00:12:17.67\00:12:19.33
I would love to write song,
00:12:19.37\00:12:20.70
because that's the closest
I can get to write poetry,
00:12:20.74\00:12:22.97
without my
homeboys calling me self.
00:12:23.00\00:12:25.04
You know, so, we was,
00:12:25.07\00:12:27.41
every week we was in the studio,
00:12:27.44\00:12:29.04
and after we get
out of the studio,
00:12:29.08\00:12:30.61
we would go to the
club to perform the music,
00:12:30.65\00:12:33.08
and to do various things
00:12:33.11\00:12:34.95
like do concerts
and things like that.
00:12:34.98\00:12:38.59
Okay. Okay.
00:12:38.62\00:12:39.95
Now, talk about
that time where you said
00:12:39.99\00:12:42.82
the devil fully
began to enter you.
00:12:42.86\00:12:44.96
Now, it's
interesting that you say that
00:12:44.99\00:12:47.43
because, you
know, all these things
00:12:47.46\00:12:49.13
that you and I were
doing in the streets
00:12:49.16\00:12:51.20
were "devilish."
00:12:51.23\00:12:52.97
But there was a
specific incident
00:12:53.00\00:12:55.07
that you kind of really
felt that the devil entered you.
00:12:55.10\00:12:57.44
Talk about that?
00:12:57.47\00:12:58.81
Well, it was on a Friday. Okay.
00:12:58.84\00:13:02.81
It was on a Friday night,
00:13:02.84\00:13:04.18
I was with the group of friends,
00:13:04.21\00:13:06.21
and we was getting
ready to go to the club.
00:13:06.25\00:13:08.05
Okay.
00:13:08.08\00:13:09.42
Now, prior to getting
ready to go to the club,
00:13:09.45\00:13:11.32
I had told one of
my closest friends
00:13:11.35\00:13:13.62
that I was gonna go to the club.
00:13:13.66\00:13:14.99
I had a right hand man.
00:13:15.02\00:13:16.36
Okay.
00:13:16.39\00:13:17.73
But he told me that
he wasn't gonna be there.
00:13:17.76\00:13:19.66
He was gonna be at a--
00:13:19.69\00:13:21.26
I think he was gonna be at
a basketball game, somewhere
00:13:21.30\00:13:25.63
but he wasn't there.
00:13:25.67\00:13:27.00
So, I end up going to the club
with these group of friends.
00:13:27.04\00:13:29.00
They wasn't San
Castle nor Top 6.
00:13:29.04\00:13:31.34
It was just a group of friends.
00:13:31.37\00:13:33.11
So, we end up
going to the concert.
00:13:33.14\00:13:34.78
At that
concert, Top 6 was there.
00:13:34.81\00:13:37.61
They was performing.
00:13:37.65\00:13:39.21
So when they
got done performing,
00:13:39.25\00:13:43.18
I remember like
it was yesterday.
00:13:43.22\00:13:44.59
I was standing on stage,
standing in front of the stage.
00:13:44.62\00:13:48.72
And once they
got done performing,
00:13:48.76\00:13:50.09
they jumped off the stage
00:13:50.13\00:13:51.73
and another group
came on to perform.
00:13:51.76\00:13:56.06
As that other
group was performing,
00:13:56.10\00:13:57.47
I was talking to
a girl on my right.
00:13:57.50\00:14:02.17
And as I was talking to her,
00:14:02.20\00:14:03.84
I overheard the guy
that was performing.
00:14:03.87\00:14:06.61
After he got done, he said
00:14:06.64\00:14:07.98
"If anyone
wants to see about me,
00:14:08.01\00:14:10.51
meet me outside."
00:14:10.55\00:14:11.88
You know, I
knew what that means,
00:14:11.91\00:14:14.65
you know, I have been putting
these predicaments before.
00:14:14.68\00:14:16.82
So, I already knew
those was fighting words,
00:14:16.85\00:14:19.09
or possibly killing words.
00:14:19.12\00:14:20.66
So, it was like a
threat. Yeah, it's a threat.
00:14:20.69\00:14:22.39
You know, first
ones to the trunk wins.
00:14:22.42\00:14:24.49
You know,
'cause be the first one
00:14:24.53\00:14:25.89
to grab your gun, you win,
00:14:25.93\00:14:27.26
because
everything else is history.
00:14:27.30\00:14:30.47
Okay. So, I
knew what that meant.
00:14:30.50\00:14:32.37
So as I'm talking to
this girl on my right,
00:14:32.40\00:14:35.90
as I'm trying to wrap up
the conversation with her,
00:14:35.94\00:14:38.67
the guy jumps off stage.
00:14:38.71\00:14:40.28
So as soon as
he jumps off stage,
00:14:40.31\00:14:42.01
I'm thinking, "Okay,
what is this guy gonna do?"
00:14:42.04\00:14:44.68
So I have one eye on him
and another eye on the girl,
00:14:44.71\00:14:47.52
'cause I'm
trying to finish doing
00:14:47.55\00:14:48.88
what I have to do with her,
00:14:48.92\00:14:50.25
so I can attend
to this situation.
00:14:50.29\00:14:52.92
So, I looked at him, just like
I'm looking at you right now.
00:14:52.95\00:14:56.12
So he saw me.
00:14:56.16\00:14:57.99
I don't know if
he recognized me,
00:14:58.03\00:14:59.46
but he started--
00:14:59.49\00:15:00.83
Now, he was
walking towards the crowd,
00:15:00.86\00:15:02.20
he started walking towards me.
00:15:02.23\00:15:03.63
So, as he is walking towards me,
00:15:03.67\00:15:06.30
he picks up a bottle.
00:15:06.33\00:15:07.67
Okay.
00:15:07.70\00:15:09.04
So when he picks up the bottle,
00:15:09.07\00:15:10.47
the girl grabs
my attention again.
00:15:10.51\00:15:12.07
So, I turned
back to look at her.
00:15:12.11\00:15:14.64
And as soon as I
turned back to look at her,
00:15:14.68\00:15:16.64
I tried to turn back
to see where he was at.
00:15:16.68\00:15:19.08
And he hits me
right over the face
00:15:19.11\00:15:21.08
with the bottle.
00:15:21.12\00:15:23.12
So when he hits me over
the face with the bottle,
00:15:23.15\00:15:25.52
I turn around and I
catch him with the hard right.
00:15:25.55\00:15:27.49
So, he falls
back. He falls back.
00:15:27.52\00:15:29.36
So, I jumped on top of him.
00:15:29.39\00:15:31.29
And I just went to,
I just went to work.
00:15:31.33\00:15:33.63
You know, I went to hit him
00:15:33.66\00:15:35.10
and as they are
trying to pull me off of him
00:15:35.13\00:15:37.37
at no success.
00:15:37.40\00:15:38.73
I was gonna beat him
until he just stopped breathing
00:15:38.77\00:15:40.90
because that's just the
way it is in the streets.
00:15:40.94\00:15:42.30
Oh yeah, that's
exactly how it is.
00:15:42.34\00:15:43.67
We don't fight to fight
later, we fight and end it now.
00:15:43.71\00:15:47.48
So, I wasn't coming off of him.
00:15:47.51\00:15:49.04
I was gonna beat
him until he stops.
00:15:49.08\00:15:50.91
So as would stop, as
he begin to stop moving,
00:15:50.95\00:15:54.25
I heard some say,
"Move, move, move, move."
00:15:54.28\00:15:56.48
So someone hits me over
the head with a bar stool.
00:15:56.52\00:15:59.05
So, I roll over,
00:15:59.09\00:16:01.19
after being hit
with a bar stool,
00:16:01.22\00:16:02.92
and I get up and that's
when everything breaks loose.
00:16:02.96\00:16:05.43
Now, everyone's
fighting for their life.
00:16:05.46\00:16:07.73
So as we, as we
fighting, I'm fighting like
00:16:07.76\00:16:10.43
with like six or
seven people on me.
00:16:10.47\00:16:14.14
The group that was
there, they had a lot of people
00:16:14.17\00:16:16.94
that was on their side.
00:16:16.97\00:16:18.37
So, six or seven people
on me, and we are fighting,
00:16:18.41\00:16:21.88
I'm fighting for my life.
00:16:21.91\00:16:23.31
In a fight, I always--
00:16:23.35\00:16:25.25
By being in the street so long,
00:16:25.28\00:16:26.61
I knew that you have to
get your back against the wall.
00:16:26.65\00:16:29.02
Because you don't know,
00:16:29.05\00:16:30.39
you don't want
somebody coming behind you.
00:16:30.42\00:16:32.49
So, I'm trying to find,
00:16:32.52\00:16:33.86
I'm trying to get
my back to the wall.
00:16:33.89\00:16:35.22
So, as I get my
back into the wall,
00:16:35.26\00:16:37.13
we're just fighting, you know,
00:16:37.16\00:16:39.86
it's really,
really getting intense.
00:16:39.89\00:16:41.23
So it's just mayhem
in a club? It's mayhem.
00:16:41.26\00:16:43.00
It's crazy. Wow.
00:16:43.03\00:16:44.37
Chairs are being
throne, bottles are being--
00:16:44.40\00:16:45.97
Everything.
00:16:46.00\00:16:47.34
So, a long time into this fight,
00:16:47.37\00:16:51.17
you know, it's just
more and more people
00:16:51.21\00:16:53.21
are building up on me.
00:16:53.24\00:16:54.88
So, I started to lose energy.
00:16:54.91\00:16:58.28
I started to get exhausted
from all of that fighting,
00:16:58.31\00:17:00.48
all of that fist war.
00:17:00.52\00:17:02.08
So, I was
starting to give up. Okay.
00:17:02.12\00:17:06.12
So, one of my
homeboys from Top 6,
00:17:06.15\00:17:07.92
he jumped in and
he helped me out,
00:17:07.96\00:17:09.66
you know, he got a
couple of 'em off from me.
00:17:09.69\00:17:11.49
So, he basically saved my life.
00:17:11.53\00:17:14.36
He gave me the
opportunity to get away.
00:17:14.40\00:17:16.90
So, I came outside, and
as soon as I came outside,
00:17:16.93\00:17:20.10
more of 'em was
outside than they was inside.
00:17:20.14\00:17:22.50
So, they got back on me again,
00:17:22.54\00:17:24.14
and they just started really,
really starting to work me.
00:17:24.17\00:17:27.68
They started to
really beating me,
00:17:27.71\00:17:29.21
beating the life out of me.
00:17:29.24\00:17:30.58
So, at that time,
I couldn't fight 'em.
00:17:30.61\00:17:32.75
Where I was tired. Okay.
00:17:32.78\00:17:34.12
I had no more
strength left in me.
00:17:34.15\00:17:35.48
Okay, now at that
point, were you on any type
00:17:35.52\00:17:37.15
of narcotic or
alcohol or anything like that?
00:17:37.19\00:17:39.72
Interesting, I've never
drunk, I've never did narcotics
00:17:39.75\00:17:44.56
or drugs and nothing like that.
00:17:44.59\00:17:45.93
Okay, and that
is very interesting
00:17:45.96\00:17:47.30
'cause most people
that have been in streets,
00:17:47.33\00:17:50.07
they get high, they
drink, you know, it's just,
00:17:50.10\00:17:52.00
it's almost like it
comes with the lifestyle,
00:17:52.03\00:17:53.64
the territorial almost.
00:17:53.67\00:17:55.00
Well, yeah, those
people, we were more smart.
00:17:55.04\00:17:59.01
We usually look at those people
as people that didn't really--
00:17:59.04\00:18:01.54
Because you can't
use what you are selling.
00:18:01.58\00:18:03.41
Once you start using
what you are selling,
00:18:03.45\00:18:04.78
you become addicted
00:18:04.81\00:18:06.15
to what you are
selling, and now--
00:18:06.18\00:18:07.52
There is less
profit in your pocket.
00:18:07.55\00:18:08.88
Now, less profit in your pocket.
00:18:08.92\00:18:10.25
So, I wasn't on
narcotics, I was pretty aware.
00:18:10.29\00:18:13.12
That's why I
remember it so good.
00:18:13.15\00:18:14.92
So as I'm
fighting and the girls,
00:18:14.96\00:18:18.16
and I heard this girl saying,
"It's Annex, it's Annex."
00:18:18.19\00:18:21.30
So after that, I'm
pretty much helpless.
00:18:21.33\00:18:24.60
I'm on my knees, defenseless.
And they just working me.
00:18:24.63\00:18:27.70
So, I heard three
shots fire, pop-pop-pop.
00:18:27.74\00:18:30.97
So, that stopped, that stopped.
I won't be hitting no more.
00:18:31.01\00:18:35.34
I don't know if, I
think they helped me out.
00:18:35.38\00:18:38.71
So, I was just lying
there in the puddle of blood
00:18:38.75\00:18:41.75
actually fighting for my life.
00:18:41.78\00:18:43.59
And this girl comes
up to me and she grabs me
00:18:43.62\00:18:45.69
and she says, "You will be okay,
00:18:45.72\00:18:47.06
you will be okay."
00:18:47.09\00:18:48.42
So, I said, "I'm thirsty,
give me something to drink."
00:18:48.46\00:18:50.53
And she says, "Okay".
So she gives me some water.
00:18:50.56\00:18:52.96
Okay.
00:18:52.99\00:18:54.33
So after I get the water,
00:18:54.36\00:18:55.70
I told, "I'm
tired, I feel sleepy."
00:18:55.73\00:18:58.63
So automatically, she says,
00:18:58.67\00:19:00.00
"No, no, no, no, no,
no, don't go to sleep."
00:19:00.04\00:19:01.74
"Don't go to
sleep, don't go to sleep,
00:19:01.77\00:19:03.10
stay awake, stay awake."
00:19:03.14\00:19:04.47
I'm covered in blood.
00:19:04.51\00:19:05.84
We don't know where
the blood is coming from.
00:19:05.87\00:19:07.21
Okay. So, I said, "I couldn't."
00:19:07.24\00:19:09.61
Because at that time, it
was easier to go to sleep
00:19:09.64\00:19:11.78
than it was easier to fight.
00:19:11.81\00:19:13.25
Death seemed a lot more easier
00:19:13.28\00:19:14.88
than to try to
fight to stay alive.
00:19:14.92\00:19:16.58
Yeah, exactly.
So, I went to sleep.
00:19:16.62\00:19:20.29
So, and I remember
waking up in a ambulance.
00:19:20.32\00:19:24.29
And the guy in ambulance
is telling me, "Stay awake,
00:19:24.33\00:19:26.70
stay awake, stay awake.
00:19:26.73\00:19:28.06
What's your name?
What's your name?"
00:19:28.10\00:19:29.56
And I don't
remember if I answered him
00:19:29.60\00:19:31.53
or told him my
name but they were able
00:19:31.57\00:19:33.57
to stabilize me in the hospital.
00:19:33.60\00:19:35.60
I had major head trauma.
00:19:35.64\00:19:37.61
I lost my hearing
in one side of my--
00:19:37.64\00:19:40.94
On this side, I
can't really hear
00:19:40.98\00:19:43.48
that well in this side.
00:19:43.51\00:19:45.15
I came three inches away
from being completely blind.
00:19:45.18\00:19:48.78
From after when he hit me
over the face with the bottle.
00:19:48.82\00:19:50.89
Yeah, okay. So, the
Lord spared my life.
00:19:50.92\00:19:54.22
Praise the Lord.
00:19:54.26\00:19:55.59
But I really didn't
look at it that way.
00:19:55.62\00:19:57.03
I was so corrupt, that
I didn't see it that way.
00:19:57.06\00:20:00.33
The way I looked at it is like,
00:20:00.36\00:20:02.03
"These guys was
going to kill me."
00:20:02.06\00:20:03.67
Okay.
00:20:03.70\00:20:05.03
So now, Aaron, I
lost complete control.
00:20:05.07\00:20:07.47
The devil had
full sway. I would--
00:20:07.50\00:20:10.54
Up until that time, I
had sympathy for people.
00:20:10.57\00:20:13.07
You know, sometimes my
friends would do something,
00:20:13.11\00:20:15.34
"Nah, nah, nah,
just leave that alone."
00:20:15.38\00:20:17.08
You know I would, I
would tell him not to do it,
00:20:17.11\00:20:19.88
because I had
sympathy towards people.
00:20:19.91\00:20:22.18
At that point-- But
after that incident--
00:20:22.22\00:20:23.75
I understand that
these guys was gonna kill me
00:20:23.79\00:20:25.69
if they had the chance.
00:20:25.72\00:20:27.06
Yeah. If they didn't get--
00:20:27.09\00:20:28.92
If those shots wasn't
fired, if they didn't get shot,
00:20:28.96\00:20:31.26
they was gonna literally
make sure that I was dead.
00:20:31.29\00:20:33.19
Yeah, okay.
00:20:33.23\00:20:34.56
So at that point, I, my
life completely turned around.
00:20:34.60\00:20:36.93
I was gonna kill, or
I was gonna be killed.
00:20:36.97\00:20:38.77
Yeah. So, the
devil had full control.
00:20:38.80\00:20:40.90
So, the people that
your beating in the club,
00:20:40.94\00:20:43.00
did you know them or was
it just some kind of random?
00:20:43.04\00:20:45.77
Well, we always knew each other.
00:20:45.81\00:20:47.61
We always knew the group
00:20:47.64\00:20:49.34
that you don't want to
get caught in their territory,
00:20:49.38\00:20:51.75
or they don't want to be
caught in your territory.
00:20:51.78\00:20:53.11
And if you are
caught in their territory,
00:20:53.15\00:20:54.92
you better make
sure you have strap.
00:20:54.95\00:20:57.19
You strap.
00:20:57.22\00:20:58.85
Because when they
come, they come in
00:20:58.89\00:21:01.49
and if you get
caught alone in their place,
00:21:01.52\00:21:05.09
they would take care of you.
00:21:05.13\00:21:06.46
And I mean by taking care of you
00:21:06.49\00:21:07.83
that they would make sure that
you don't make it out alive.
00:21:07.86\00:21:10.03
Because if you
make it out alive,
00:21:10.07\00:21:11.40
you will come back
and you'll make sure that
00:21:11.43\00:21:12.93
they don't make it out alive.
00:21:12.97\00:21:14.30
Now, let me ask you this.
00:21:14.34\00:21:15.67
How much of an influence do
you think that music had on,
00:21:15.70\00:21:18.17
a secular hip-hop music
had on your life at the time?
00:21:18.21\00:21:20.94
Let me tell you something.
I'm gonna tell you a story.
00:21:20.98\00:21:23.41
We couldn't perform
an act without music.
00:21:23.45\00:21:26.82
We couldn't go to
war without music.
00:21:26.85\00:21:30.59
We needed to listen to music.
00:21:30.62\00:21:32.09
We needed to listen to Master P,
00:21:32.12\00:21:33.86
we needed to
listen to Trick Daddy,
00:21:33.89\00:21:35.42
we needed that mental build
up to get us to do something.
00:21:35.46\00:21:39.06
Without the music, we couldn't
really, really do nothing.
00:21:39.09\00:21:41.80
So, when we did
music, we did the music
00:21:41.83\00:21:44.43
pertaining to what we are doing.
00:21:44.47\00:21:46.07
Oh, yeah. How we are living.
00:21:46.10\00:21:47.44
So when we listened to our song,
00:21:47.47\00:21:49.07
we're more ready to attack.
00:21:49.10\00:21:52.01
Yeah, I
understand, I know for myself,
00:21:52.04\00:21:55.14
times when I
become really angry,
00:21:55.18\00:21:56.85
I would listen to
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
00:21:56.88\00:21:59.11
And it was like that
the evil inside of the music
00:21:59.15\00:22:02.68
would just speak to me,
00:22:02.72\00:22:04.05
and make that
aggression even worse.
00:22:04.09\00:22:06.39
So, I can very much
relate with you, Annex,
00:22:06.42\00:22:08.49
in terms of that.
00:22:08.52\00:22:10.19
But you began to make
a transition in your life
00:22:10.23\00:22:12.16
out of the gang.
00:22:12.19\00:22:13.53
You didn't change
your life at that point.
00:22:13.56\00:22:15.43
And start
coming closer to Jesus,
00:22:15.46\00:22:17.43
but you did make a
transition out of the gang.
00:22:17.47\00:22:19.87
How did that inspired?
00:22:19.90\00:22:21.34
Well, as I was in the
streets, I always had a day job.
00:22:21.37\00:22:25.44
I had a day job
during the day time.
00:22:25.47\00:22:27.51
And on that day job, I
used to work at a warehouse.
00:22:27.54\00:22:30.55
And I got my CDO.
00:22:30.58\00:22:32.31
So, I started to drive trucks.
00:22:32.35\00:22:34.35
And driving trucks, I
went to truck driving school.
00:22:34.38\00:22:38.05
And as I was coming back home
from the truck driving school,
00:22:38.09\00:22:40.46
I was at a train station,
waiting to catch a train
00:22:40.49\00:22:42.29
to go back to West Palm.
00:22:42.32\00:22:44.23
And I was sitting
at the train station,
00:22:44.26\00:22:45.96
and that's when
the spirit of God
00:22:45.99\00:22:47.33
started to strive with me.
00:22:47.36\00:22:48.70
You know, I had a little
bit of Mormon background,
00:22:48.73\00:22:50.27
so I had to form of godliness
but denied the power thereof.
00:22:50.30\00:22:53.87
Yes.
00:22:53.90\00:22:55.24
You know, so I knew
00:22:55.27\00:22:57.27
that my past was
covered with blood.
00:22:57.31\00:23:00.98
I had no future.
00:23:01.01\00:23:02.34
So at that point of time, I got
down on my knees and I prayed.
00:23:02.38\00:23:06.82
It was very simple.
00:23:06.85\00:23:08.18
I said, "Lord, Jesus, if
there is a God out there,
00:23:08.22\00:23:12.05
please, I have done
everything that there is to do.
00:23:12.09\00:23:15.32
I have broken all
Your commandments,
00:23:15.36\00:23:17.46
I have done everything
that You said not to do."
00:23:17.49\00:23:20.03
Okay.
00:23:20.06\00:23:21.40
There is two things
that I have not done
00:23:21.43\00:23:23.43
and I promise you.
00:23:23.47\00:23:24.83
If You watch my back,
00:23:24.87\00:23:26.33
I will never do
those two things.
00:23:26.37\00:23:28.07
I will never
drink a day in my life,
00:23:28.10\00:23:29.94
and I will never smoke.
00:23:29.97\00:23:31.31
And that was all
that I haven't done.
00:23:31.34\00:23:32.97
Everything
else, I have done it."
00:23:33.01\00:23:34.61
So I was like, "If You
can just watch my back,
00:23:34.64\00:23:38.31
I will not do these things."
00:23:38.35\00:23:39.68
And before I can finish praying,
00:23:39.71\00:23:41.05
a lady tapped me on my shoulder,
00:23:41.08\00:23:42.42
and she said, "Do
you believe in God?"
00:23:42.45\00:23:43.79
I said, "Yeah,
I believe in God."
00:23:43.82\00:23:45.52
And she gave me a tract
00:23:45.55\00:23:47.26
and she gave me
her phone number,
00:23:47.29\00:23:49.46
she was a Jehovah's Witnesses.
00:23:49.49\00:23:51.13
So, I went back home
00:23:51.16\00:23:52.49
and that's when
the transformation
00:23:52.53\00:23:53.86
started to happen
getting out of streets.
00:23:53.90\00:23:55.33
Okay, but, you
got out of streets,
00:23:55.36\00:23:57.47
but you still
didn't make a change,
00:23:57.50\00:23:59.03
and actually we are
gonna have a part two of you
00:23:59.07\00:24:02.40
and find out what
happened after the gang life.
00:24:02.44\00:24:05.74
But let me ask you this.
00:24:05.77\00:24:07.11
You know most people, they
say they can't leave the gang,
00:24:07.14\00:24:10.05
or if they do,
the only way they will
00:24:10.08\00:24:12.61
is in a body bag pretty much.
00:24:12.65\00:24:14.22
So how were you able
to pull away from the gang
00:24:14.25\00:24:17.15
without the repercussions
of leaving the gang?
00:24:17.19\00:24:19.79
Well, it was
pretty difficult. Okay.
00:24:19.82\00:24:21.62
The street life, you
never get away from it.
00:24:21.66\00:24:22.99
Yeah.
00:24:23.02\00:24:24.36
You know, it's hard
to get away from it.
00:24:24.39\00:24:26.39
You can never get away from it.
00:24:26.43\00:24:27.76
Only Christ can
pull you away from it.
00:24:27.80\00:24:29.76
And the
transition started happening
00:24:29.80\00:24:33.80
as I started to
move towards Atlanta.
00:24:33.84\00:24:36.44
But as I started to
move towards Atlanta,
00:24:36.47\00:24:39.17
the streets kept coming with me.
00:24:39.21\00:24:40.54
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
00:24:40.58\00:24:41.91
You know, the
streets kept coming with me.
00:24:41.94\00:24:43.28
So it was, it was very difficult
00:24:43.31\00:24:45.88
to leave that
type of stuff alone.
00:24:45.91\00:24:48.15
What really helped me out
00:24:48.18\00:24:49.52
was the more and
more violent it got,
00:24:49.55\00:24:53.36
the more and more the friends
00:24:53.39\00:24:54.72
that really know me
starting to die off.
00:24:54.76\00:24:56.83
You know, they
would get murdered,
00:24:56.86\00:24:58.63
they would end up in jail.
00:24:58.66\00:25:00.30
And so other people
would fill in their slot
00:25:00.33\00:25:03.77
that didn't know me that well,
00:25:03.80\00:25:05.53
that really
helped me out as well.
00:25:05.57\00:25:06.94
But it was still a
hard, it was still hard
00:25:06.97\00:25:10.94
to be able to
completely pull yourself away.
00:25:10.97\00:25:12.31
To walk away, yeah.
00:25:12.34\00:25:13.68
Now, the ones
that you walked away,
00:25:13.71\00:25:15.84
they were like
these brothers to you.
00:25:15.88\00:25:18.81
Are you still in
communication with them today?
00:25:18.85\00:25:20.98
Have you tried to reach out
to them or how was that going?
00:25:21.02\00:25:23.99
Well, some of 'em
are on my Facebook page.
00:25:24.02\00:25:29.02
So, yeah, I do try to
reach out to some of them,
00:25:29.06\00:25:31.46
but you have to be
careful with these guys.
00:25:31.49\00:25:33.43
Oh, yeah, yeah.
00:25:33.46\00:25:34.80
Because when you look at it,
00:25:34.83\00:25:37.57
they are still
in the same things
00:25:37.60\00:25:39.93
that they was in before.
00:25:39.97\00:25:41.30
Yeah.
00:25:41.34\00:25:42.67
So, it's very
difficult as the type of wrap
00:25:42.70\00:25:45.31
that I have to
easily try to reach out to.
00:25:45.34\00:25:48.91
But I always
try to be an example
00:25:48.94\00:25:52.58
for the next person.
00:25:52.61\00:25:53.95
You know, if I can make it out,
00:25:53.98\00:25:55.55
it's possible for them
to make it out as well.
00:25:55.58\00:25:56.92
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
00:25:56.95\00:25:58.29
So, your life is pretty much
00:25:58.32\00:26:00.06
what helps other people to
come out of that transition.
00:26:00.09\00:26:03.06
Okay, now, as I stated,
00:26:03.09\00:26:04.63
we are gonna do
a part two, Annex.
00:26:04.66\00:26:06.39
But some people
may not see part two.
00:26:06.43\00:26:08.86
Some young man that
is in your situation
00:26:08.90\00:26:11.67
right now that you
were years ago in gangs.
00:26:11.70\00:26:14.50
What word can you
say to that young person
00:26:14.54\00:26:17.11
to turn him away
from that street life?
00:26:17.14\00:26:19.04
Well, what I can say
is, brothers and sisters,
00:26:19.07\00:26:24.31
Jesus still save.
00:26:24.35\00:26:25.98
Up until this day He still save.
00:26:26.01\00:26:28.35
He brought me
out of the streets,
00:26:28.38\00:26:29.72
so He can bring
anyone else out of streets."
00:26:29.75\00:26:31.99
Like John 3:16 say,
"For God so loved..."
00:26:32.02\00:26:34.86
So loved the
world. You, not the world.
00:26:34.89\00:26:38.03
"For God so loved you
00:26:38.06\00:26:39.59
that He gave His
only begotten Son."
00:26:39.63\00:26:41.56
Jesus is the only way.
00:26:41.60\00:26:43.16
Yes, He is the only way.
00:26:43.20\00:26:44.53
He is the way.
00:26:44.57\00:26:45.90
Everything else
is a counterfeit.
00:26:45.93\00:26:48.04
Nothing else will
save you except for Jesus.
00:26:48.07\00:26:50.84
Because, it's hard,
Aaron, it's very, very hard
00:26:50.87\00:26:54.31
to sit and to
watch your friends die.
00:26:54.34\00:26:56.14
I had the cars,
I had the clothes,
00:26:56.18\00:26:58.01
I had the money.
00:26:58.05\00:26:59.38
I ran the streets.
I lived the fast life.
00:26:59.41\00:27:01.85
All of that is vanity. Yeah.
00:27:01.88\00:27:03.79
There is
nothing in that to gain.
00:27:03.82\00:27:06.32
There is nothing in that
00:27:06.35\00:27:07.69
that you can take
with you to the afterlife.
00:27:07.72\00:27:09.42
Only thing you can take
is that Lord Jesus Christ,
00:27:09.46\00:27:11.59
Lord and Savior.
00:27:11.63\00:27:12.96
So, my appeal would be
to the young people is,
00:27:12.99\00:27:16.70
all of that stuff means nothing.
00:27:16.73\00:27:18.83
Hold on to Jesus,
grab hold on to Jesus,
00:27:18.87\00:27:21.40
and don't let Him go.
00:27:21.44\00:27:22.77
You don't want to go
through what I went through.
00:27:22.80\00:27:25.54
You gonna--
00:27:25.57\00:27:27.21
Someone's mother is gonna
cry at the end of the day.
00:27:27.24\00:27:29.71
Someone's mother is
gonna be in black and white.
00:27:29.74\00:27:32.25
You don't want your mother to be
00:27:32.28\00:27:34.02
coming to see you at
a funeral nor in jail.
00:27:34.05\00:27:37.35
So, you have to really, really
do it for your mother sake.
00:27:37.39\00:27:40.66
If not for your mother
sake, for your God sake.
00:27:40.69\00:27:43.09
And the thing about it is
really, really interesting
00:27:43.12\00:27:45.26
is that I came from this part.
00:27:45.29\00:27:48.43
Annex, I would like to thank you
00:27:48.46\00:27:49.80
for being on the program.
00:27:49.83\00:27:51.17
Please tune in
next week for part two.
00:27:51.20\00:27:54.07