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Yeah, I don't need an introduction.
Speaker A:The name itself, my behavior, identify who I am.
Speaker B:I like it.
Speaker C:Real life.
Speaker B:Real life stars.
Speaker C:It ain't real life.
Speaker C:Real life street stars.
Speaker B:You know what time it is?
Speaker B:Real life street stars, man.
Speaker C:Let's go.
Speaker B:We got a situation right here.
Speaker B:We got some original, original gangster situation going on, man.
Speaker B:We have him in the building, man.
Speaker B:OG Sane.
Speaker B:What's good?
Speaker B:First and foremost, man.
Speaker A:What's going on?
Speaker A:What's up with you?
Speaker B:All right, man.
Speaker B:What's good?
Speaker B:We're gonna be a long way right there because we doing something new right now.
Speaker B:We actually have One of the OGs, one of the old OGs from Trade 57, man.
Speaker B:Charleston, baby.
Speaker B:Cash in Houston.
Speaker B:What's good with you, Charleston, man?
Speaker C:Holding on, man.
Speaker C:Holding on.
Speaker B:It's a blessing, man.
Speaker B:How are your spirits right now?
Speaker B:Let me just ask you that, first and foremost, man.
Speaker C:I'm all the way up, man.
Speaker C:You know, I appreciate this opportunity.
Speaker C:This right here done gave me a spark as well, man.
Speaker C:So I appreciate this opportunity that you allowed me to get on your show.
Speaker C:And I appreciate Charleston White and OG Sane for reaching out to me, man, to bring me back to life, man.
Speaker B:All right, let's do it like this, man.
Speaker B:Saying, if you don't mind, for those who may not know where you're from, where your history, man.
Speaker B:Go ahead and tell them where you from, where you came up out of, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:Early days, man.
Speaker A:I'm from Dallas, Oak Cliff Boys Club, Highland Hills.
Speaker A:But I grew up in.
Speaker A:Put it down in Way Up Chapel.
Speaker B:All right, There you go.
Speaker B:And, Cash, if you don't mind me asking you, where were you originally from, man?
Speaker C:I'm originally from South Dallas, really.
Speaker C:Over there by Point L and Gould.
Speaker C:But I did most of my state, you know, South Dallas, North Dallas, back and forth, you know, so, you know.
Speaker C:But I left my heart in the south, so that's where I met right there, man.
Speaker B:I stay right there because we had a guy by the name of.
Speaker B:What was his name?
Speaker B:OG I forget his name.
Speaker B:He was from South Dallas, where they spoon.
Speaker B:OG Spoon, where he talked about the Jamaicans coming in through South Dallas, taking over back then.
Speaker B:Do you remember the times when the Jamaicans tried to come through and just run the show?
Speaker C:Yeah, the Jamaicans had.
Speaker C:They had implemented something new, man.
Speaker C:So, you know, we weren't ready for that right there, you know, to cutting you up and throwing toasters in the tub, which in putting salt in you in your cuts and all that stuff, man.
Speaker C:So it was something new to us.
Speaker C:But when we caught on to it, we cleaned it up real fast, man.
Speaker B:All right, all right, so let's do it like this, man.
Speaker B:From what the world knows or what's glorified on tv, we see, you know, Stanley Tookie Williams, we see the Crips coming out of California, being originated in California.
Speaker B:We seen kind of, you know, people watch Snowfall and movies like that, and you see kind of how it kind of start coming to the Midwest, starting out there in Arkansas, things like that, and finally get into Texas, you know, coming to Dallas, what was that back in the 80s to where the Crips, the Bloods, the gang culture came to Dallas?
Speaker B:Like how.
Speaker B:What was that right there?
Speaker C:Oh, man, when, when the Game cousin came to Dallas, the first Crimp dude I seen was a six old dude named la.
Speaker C:And you know, his swag were different.
Speaker C:And some of the homeboys of mine, that was older, you know what I'm saying, they understood, you know, his lingo because he had been to prison and some of them had been in prison, and they all connect on a whole different level.
Speaker C:You know, I was really too young to really understand a lot of things that they understood as far as, you know, doing time and all that stuff.
Speaker C:But, you know, the cribbing part of it, what has stuck with me, that's what, you know, pulled me to that life right there.
Speaker C:But LA didn't want to put us down because he said we had to go to California to get on six zero.
Speaker C:So, you know, he told us how they did things and, you know, how they went.
Speaker C:And we started kind of starting our own little old fraction of this thing.
Speaker C:But, you know, it never was, you know, it never had a name to it.
Speaker C:It was just, you know, Crips at the time.
Speaker C:That's before, you know, I got splashed for Trey by itself.
Speaker C:So when Trey 57 came, which was some years later, I was maybe 11, 12, you know, 87, 88, 89 somewhere.
Speaker C:88, 88 by that time.
Speaker C:And a guy out of my neighborhood, you know, named Duddy, bought some dudes from Pomona down there.
Speaker C:But at the time we just, you know, thought everything was la.
Speaker C:You know, LA was so hot.
Speaker C:Everything was jump with the gang culture from la.
Speaker C:So we, you know, took it as being la.
Speaker C:And one of the dudes that I remember, you know, even though I was young, was named Shotgun.
Speaker C:He ended up being the one original homies from Pomona, Sin Town.
Speaker C:And, you know, they came down and they put it down with us in Dixon at The time that's where I was living.
Speaker C:And the way they put it down, you know, we were basically selling dope, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:You know, beating up intruders, you know, the people that didn't live over there.
Speaker C:Because if you didn't live over there, you couldn't come over there, you know?
Speaker C:And like I said, I had some homeboys that was older than, you know, me at the time.
Speaker C:You know, way older.
Speaker C:I was 12.
Speaker C:They were maybe 19, 20 years old.
Speaker C:You know, this is a crowd of people that I, you know, I ran with, you know, old dudes, and I knew they had been putting it down and you know, really implementing this gangster life.
Speaker C:So when they couldn't come to Dixon, they kind of offended me and them, you know?
Speaker C:And at the time, the apartments that we were living in was called the Meadows, which had a graveyard, you know, in the back of them.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So we kind of broke off and did our own little Tray five seven thing from there, man.
Speaker C:And, you know, instead of putting Dixon on the wall, you know, we just put Gangster Crips, which was a set that I had the gangster crib part where I seen Playboy gangsta Crips spray painted on the wall.
Speaker C:I took the gangster crib off of them and put it on us, not even knowing that, you know, Trey by itself was really sentinel Gangster Crips, you know, because at the time, I still didn't know that, you know, where Tray by seven had came from.
Speaker C:So I ended up getting a little aggravated robbery case and going to state school.
Speaker C:And when I went to state school, the summer that I was out, before I went to state school, I met this chick, which was from California, Pomona.
Speaker C:And while I was in state school, I wrote her, and she was.
Speaker C:I was.
Speaker C:You know, I used to hit up on paper Trade five seven, you know, this, that, and other.
Speaker C:And she was telling me, yeah, my brother, trade five seven two, east end gangster crib.
Speaker C:You know, what part of Trade five seven you from?
Speaker C:You know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:So, you know, I'm just Tray five seven gangster crib.
Speaker C:And that's how I learned what Tray five seven came from, you know, and it just took off from there, man.
Speaker B:So let me ask you.
Speaker B:I'm gonna ask you first.
Speaker B:I'm gonna ask, saying for you personally, you being that young, what drew you to gang culture?
Speaker B:Like, what was lacking in you?
Speaker B:Or what were you seeking to be part of a gang or be part of something?
Speaker B:Like, what the.
Speaker B:What trade 57 was like?
Speaker C:For me, man, it was the camaraderie, man, everybody had a clear understanding of what a homeboy was, you know, I mean, we.
Speaker C:We dipped everywhere together.
Speaker C:We done everything together, you know, we shared everything together.
Speaker C:It was like a brotherhood, a mom's, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:The kids in the ghettos, man.
Speaker C:And, you know, being that I didn't have a bigger brother that was around me, you know, my uncle and all the rest of the homies that was from that area, they was.
Speaker C:They was my family.
Speaker C:And that's what it was about, you know, being family back then, man.
Speaker C:You know, everybody had somebody that they can depend on and trust for the things that, you know, we all left at home, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:So they gave us the feeling of feeling whole, you know, this.
Speaker C:Which is different from now, because if, you know, one of us did something, all of us did it then, you know.
Speaker C:Now, you know, you got people that want to be different.
Speaker C:So it's a little different now than it was at that time.
Speaker B:Definitely.
Speaker B:Definitely.
Speaker B:And would you say, you said there was some older cats that, you know, was already part of it?
Speaker B:Were you subjected to peer pressure back then, or were you just more so, like, man, I'm.
Speaker B:I'm.
Speaker B:I'm already hopping off the couch.
Speaker B:Was the mom and dad in your life trying to get you right, or.
Speaker C:No, my mom and dad, man.
Speaker C:My dad and my mom, they.
Speaker C:They live together.
Speaker C:You know, they had their little breakups where he'll leave a month or two.
Speaker C:But my.
Speaker C:My.
Speaker C:My.
Speaker C:My father and my mother, has.
Speaker C:I always been present in my life, you know, so it wasn't that, you know, my father was disabled, man, and I think this really what gave me a drive.
Speaker C:I just took it in a negative way, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:You know, like you say, like, you know, I was.
Speaker C:I was young, man, so my mind.
Speaker C:My mind really wasn't developed enough to really understand things as a.
Speaker C:As an adult, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:I mean, I was.
Speaker C:I was.
Speaker C:I was a kid, and seeing what my old man lacked, it made me angry because, you know, people used to make fun of him and stuff like this.
Speaker C:So it made me fight instead of having to understand that, hey, they just don't know no better.
Speaker C:You know, my mom was thinking, hey, they ain't gonna make fun of my daddy.
Speaker C:You know, no matter how big or how small you was.
Speaker C:If you said something about my daddy, you know, it was on with you, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:So I think that really gave me my Edge.
Speaker C:I just took it in a bad way, man.
Speaker C:And, you know, and that kind of, you know, made me a little more competitive in a world that.
Speaker C:When I should have been a little more understanding, you know?
Speaker B:Definitely.
Speaker B:And say, you might as well.
Speaker B:You mind if we focus on cash.
Speaker C:For a second most?
Speaker A:No, let's do it.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah, I want.
Speaker B:Because I know he's on, you know.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Nah, man.
Speaker B:We here to focus and mind you.
Speaker B:Why are you talking?
Speaker B:I want to.
Speaker B:Where are you at right now?
Speaker B:Just for those who are wondering, where you calling from?
Speaker C:I'm incarcerated right now, man.
Speaker C:And I'm on coal field unit.
Speaker C:And, you know, they allowed us to make phone calls.
Speaker C:So I was just using my time to try to get out and get a message across to the youth, man.
Speaker B:Definitely.
Speaker B:So what I want to ask is, for you, when you ended in trade, 5, 7.
Speaker B:Cause now, you know, these kids outside the day, they claim they gang.
Speaker B:Gang.
Speaker B:And it's a lot of gang activity going on, what they call gang activity for you.
Speaker B:What was the rules that, you know, you as a member back then going into?
Speaker B:Like, what was rules that you had to abide by, rules you couldn't break, man.
Speaker C:You know, at the time, it really wasn't no.
Speaker C:No set rules as far as, you know, don't go over here, don't go over there.
Speaker C:Because, you know, when Trayvon came, it wasn't no blues around like that, you know, it was nobody.
Speaker C:The enemy was whoever went down with us.
Speaker C:That's.
Speaker C:That's who the enemy was, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:So.
Speaker C:But, you know, some of the things that stuck with me always was, hey, man, no snitching, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:You know, and, you know, the home.
Speaker C:The big home button.
Speaker C:Have to tell you to respect them.
Speaker C:They were gonna make you respect them.
Speaker C:So it was understood.
Speaker C:Respect the big homies, because they gonna.
Speaker C:They gonna knuckle you up and you lying to get treated real bad and embarrassed.
Speaker C:So if you do something against the gets one of them, you already know.
Speaker C:You understand me?
Speaker C:It's coming.
Speaker C:But, you know, never back down and just always stay, you know, solid amongst the monster set, man.
Speaker C:You know, it really wasn't a whole lot of set standards until later on, until we really just got the full understanding of what cribbing was about, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:You know, a lot of people didn't even know how to flag or a lot of people didn't know how to, you know, do a lot of things hit up or none of that.
Speaker C:So, you know, when that part of it started coming, then a lot of rules and regulations started coming with it because, you know, we had.
Speaker C:Everybody pretty much had got a better understanding of what we was doing as Crips, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And let me ask, because this is a new era, and we talking to a bunch of young kids now, back then, what was the consequences for snitching?
Speaker B:Back then, like, when it.
Speaker B:When it comes to the streets, like, what was the consequences for.
Speaker B:For folks.
Speaker C:Oh, you, You.
Speaker C:You were snitching, man, you learned to get your mama shot up, your daddy shot up, your house all shot up, your brother or somebody.
Speaker C:You learned to come up missing, man.
Speaker C:I mean, you know, you got to understand, we had grabbed what the Jamaicans did to us and started doing it to each other, you know, and other people, man.
Speaker C:You know, so the.
Speaker C:The punishment was extreme because we understood that that's the only thing, you know, people from my era would don't understand extreme punishment.
Speaker C:So, you know, that was implemented by all cults, man, because that's.
Speaker C:That's something that we knew was gonna get the misses across.
Speaker C:So if you broke one of them codes, man, you know, you had it coming in the worst way, you know, I mean, whichever way was available, it was coming.
Speaker C:You sure believe that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Now, setting.
Speaker B:Set an example.
Speaker C:You had to set an example.
Speaker B:Let me ask you, what years were you active, like, before you was incarcerated?
Speaker B:Like, what.
Speaker B:What years was this?
Speaker B:Was it late 80s?
Speaker C:Yeah, it was.
Speaker C:It was the late 80s, man.
Speaker C:I'm.
Speaker C:I.
Speaker C:I'm gonna go back because the year that mark, everything that I really remember, and that was a profound year in my life, was 88, man.
Speaker C:I was 12 years old.
Speaker C:And time, you know, and I remember a lot of things.
Speaker C:The 8A, the first time I went to juvenile, you know, the first time that, you know, being.
Speaker C:Not the first time I had sex, but the first time I really just thought manhood was pouring from me, it was in 8A, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:I mean, you know, a lot of things I could remember, that's.
Speaker C:That's the point in my life that.
Speaker C:That stuck with me the most, that.
Speaker C:That year right there.
Speaker C:Because that's when I really can say that everything in my life started to form and shape, to be the person that, you know, I was before, you know, I got her and the person I was before, you know, I didn't decide to change myself for the better, you know?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:You know, Reagan was pushing the war on Drugs, you wasn't afraid to get out there.
Speaker B:I mean, was it like by any means necessary gonna make money or what were you doing to make money back.
Speaker C:Then, man, I'm gonna tell you like this joke, man.
Speaker C:You know, it was like this right here, you know, when I was growing up, you know, money wasn't the motive, man, for, for me, you know, honoring my home boys, being loyal to them and just being around the clique and being able to be on call when they say, go do this and go handle that, that was, that meant everything to me, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:You know, I didn't even really enjoy smoking weed, but just because my home was them did, you know, I used to take my little old money and go buy weed just so I can, you know, participate, you know, put something on the table with them.
Speaker C:That's what they did.
Speaker C:It ain't what I did, you know, and I lied to be out there all night because at the time, you know, silly dope, I didn't make no hell of a money, man.
Speaker C:I didn't really understand what money was.
Speaker C:Money didn't have no value to me at that time.
Speaker C:And I was getting $10 off a hundred, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:So I had to steal a hundred dollar worth of dope to get $10, man, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:You know, and once I learned how to do a little bit this and that, man, turn eight dope into mine, you know, I started having a little more money to give me some shoes and the little stuff that, you know, stealing dope footage of gold chains and, you know, four finger and three finger rings and all this.
Speaker C:So, you know, that, that didn't really mean nothing to me.
Speaker C:I, I didn't have no fear of the police because I really, I feared letting my homeboy down more than I did the police, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:That's just how distorted my thoughts was as a, as a kid, you know.
Speaker B:What I'm saying Now facts.
Speaker B:And I have to ask, was it more reputation you cared about in the money?
Speaker B:Like, was it?
Speaker B:Was reputation important to you?
Speaker C:Yeah, the reputation was everything, man.
Speaker C:You know, earning the name for yourself meant everything in the world.
Speaker B:Okay?
Speaker B:So outside in these streets, man, you know, the Crips don't get a lot of representation, man.
Speaker B:A lot of bloods come through these YouTube streets where we see like cats like Melvin Farmer, a Tolamarv who, you know, the original Piruz was there.
Speaker B:Did you go through the.
Speaker B:At your age, did you go through the Crips and Blood war at that time.
Speaker C:Well, man, you know, it was.
Speaker C:A few bloods had started coming right before I got locked up, man, but they wasn't, you know, they didn't stand out like that right there, man.
Speaker C:And, you know, at the time, you know, when.
Speaker C:When it was no enemy to bang on, we made people enemies, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:You know, like a lot of these blood neighborhoods now, you know, they was all crypt at first, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:I mean, each neighborhood, I can go name them off.
Speaker C:And, you know, it was one of them dudes with either tray 5, 7, 6, 0 or something like that, man, because there was two major sister had, you know, just jumped up, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:But now, man, it wasn't.
Speaker C:It wasn't no enemies to whereabout, you know, as far as just another click of dudes or some old people trying to get some money to rob you.
Speaker C:Because during the time 89, I say all the way to about 94, man, that was the killer area in Dallas, man.
Speaker C:You had to be a real gangster to really just participate in anything and hold it, because if, you know, if you weren't man enough to hold it, somebody was gonna take it from you, man.
Speaker C:And during that time right there, that's when a lot of real gangster dudes were really tested and tried and certified at that time, as far as being street certified, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker B:Definitely not in this time.
Speaker B:This is all.
Speaker B:You're still in Dixon Circle, or where you at now?
Speaker B:You moving around?
Speaker C:Well, yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:I had moved to, you know, like I say, some of my home, but when allowed over there, unless they had a pass.
Speaker C:So we took our show to the Meadows, which was Meadow Grove at the time, and that's where the cemetery.
Speaker C:Well, I got the graveyard from.
Speaker C:All right.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:Speaking of the graveyard, man, let's speak on your convictions, man.
Speaker B:You're 16 years old.
Speaker B:What was it that actually got you sentenced?
Speaker B:Or what was the situation, if you don't mind speaking on it, that led up to your.
Speaker B:To let.
Speaker B:Up to not only your conviction, but your arrest?
Speaker C:All right, I just want to say this, you know, I'm not glorifying anything, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:And I'm not trying to, you know, make nobody, you know, understand that what I've done to be anything good, it ain't nothing good about this here, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:I mean, I'm just running it down from the past to the prison because I want people to see that it wasn't nothing prettier by my past, man, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:And there's nothing pretty about my prison other than me changing and trying to be a better person.
Speaker C:But I was convicted, man, for three murders and one attempt to capitalize.
Speaker C:And me and me and a couple of my friends were recognized the dope house in our neighborhood.
Speaker C:And being that, you know, we was trying to be territorial, whatever, you know what I'm saying, we weren't robbed.
Speaker C:You know, it left one person dead, one paralyzed.
Speaker C:And then, you know, I got some more murder cases where, you know, what we had in Dallas called the point system and getting points, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:I mean, that's where the other two murder cases came in at, you know.
Speaker C:And that right there was something that, you know, a lot of young dudes right now really, you know, didn't understand where they got a lot of, you know, the lingo and the understanding about being on the streets from, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:But them cases right there, the cases that, you know, sent me to prison, they got ME certified at 16 years old as a kid.
Speaker C:And I had been to jail two times under alias name, One for aggravated kidnapping and one for evading arrest with a pistol.
Speaker C:And it didn't really hit me until I got caught with the murder weapons.
Speaker C:That and it was something serious, man, you know, I still didn't think it as serious serious, but I did, you know, try to stay away from some of the things that some of the places that I used to hang in.
Speaker C:Because, man, you know, when I was in the county jail on the, on the evading arrest with the picture case, I seen one of my own boys and he kind of, you know, relate to me.
Speaker C:I'll be like, hey man, I just left the streets and the police got posters posted up.
Speaker C:You, man, I'm like, what?
Speaker C:He like, yeah, say little homie, you know, when you get up out of here, you need to go out of town and try to get away.
Speaker C:And I was trying to get away, man, but I was so scared to leave the partners of mine until I didn't, I didn't.
Speaker C:I stayed in Dallas, man, and ended up getting caught up on some trying to run from the police and steal a car.
Speaker C:So, you know, man, I mean, that right there is what took me down and got me sentenced to 450 years citizens and two 10 year sentences ran concurrent with just one 50 year sentence.
Speaker C:And I was up under the 1 4th law.
Speaker C:I'm up under the 1 4th law, meaning I have to do a fourth of my time before I was eligible for parole.
Speaker C: arted coming up for parole in: Speaker C:And at the time when I came up for parole, I was in ASC for beating this dude with a, with a crutch.
Speaker C:And that kind of took me out.
Speaker C:So parole gave me a five year set off after I came up after five years set off.
Speaker C:I had had another fight with another dude and beat him up and he had a seizure on me.
Speaker C:They had to take him to the hospital.
Speaker C:So that kind of looked bad on my end because I was already, you know, I'm already in here for murder, you know.
Speaker C:So with that, man, you know, I didn't have a little primo, little old run ins with the officers and stuff like that, man.
Speaker C:And you know, that right there then kind of clipped me too from coming home.
Speaker C:But for the most part, the violent part of that of me, you know, I left that go.
Speaker C:I let that go over 10 years ago, man, 15 years ago, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:I mean, I'm just bouncing back from that, just trying to be somebody different because I know, you know, when people see that I keep on committing violent acts and all that, man, it's not, you know, it's not good for me when I go up, you know, in front of the parole board.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:You went in when you were 16.
Speaker B:How old are you now?
Speaker C:I'm 48 years old, man.
Speaker B:Man, so 32 years.
Speaker B:32 for the, you know, more than longer than your natural life you've been in there.
Speaker B:Can I ask, you, going in at 16 into the penitentiary system, how was that for you?
Speaker B:Were you already affiliated with other gang members?
Speaker B:Were you like already protected or as a 16 year old, you have to just prove yourself.
Speaker B:The moment you walked in by yourself.
Speaker C:Man, it's just like starting back over from the streets, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:I, I didn't have no fear, you know, as far as, as far as, as being real, man, you know, because I really didn't know what fear was, man.
Speaker C:You know, when we stepped up in the penitentiary, we were some kind of like the first little old pimp dude that really had just put on down here like this, you know.
Speaker C:So when I step down here, I step down here with that on my mind, like, hey, you know, I'm gonna make these recognize me and see me, you know, you know, the dude that I am type of, you know, And I came down here with the wrong understanding.
Speaker C:Because I didn't really understand, you know, what doing time was about, you know, when I got here, man, it was a lot of things going on that didn't have nothing to do with creeping but, you know, me being my own entity as far as that era right there, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:I wanted them to see this, what this what it was.
Speaker C:So, you know, I didn't really have no furrow and, you know, it wasn't nobody that was protecting you at that time, man.
Speaker C:It was like, you know, the blacks were doing their thing, you know, the Michigans had their thing, and the few whites that was able to survive, you know, they had they thing, you know, and everybody had to make their own as far as blacks.
Speaker C:If you went from Dallas to Houston, because that's the beef that was going on at the time.
Speaker C:When I got to prison, Dallas, you know, we're beefing with Houston.
Speaker C:So, you know, with me being one of the dudes that was, you know, from.
Speaker C:From Dallas, you know, a part of something that, you know, I brought from the streets with me, you know, the Dallas and Houston beef.
Speaker C:I'm a crib, what a blood there, you know, so I can show y'all how we ride on them, type of.
Speaker C:But now, man, they weren't protecting you.
Speaker C:You had to, you know, you had to make your own mark in here, man, or, you know, you had to eat or get ate, man.
Speaker C:That's how, you know, prison was when I got here in the 90s, man.
Speaker B:And for.
Speaker B:For this time, like, how do you spend most of your time now?
Speaker B:Is it work related?
Speaker B:Are you reading?
Speaker B:How are you.
Speaker B:How are you spending your time?
Speaker B:Like, throughout, just.
Speaker C:Oh, man, at the beginning, I started out, you know, my daily thing was trying to find some trouble every day, man, because I hit Ferguson unit in end of 92.
Speaker C:And that's what it was about, trouble, man.
Speaker C:You know, you had to keep making your mark until it was understood that you was one of the, you know, one of the.
Speaker C:One of the dudes, man.
Speaker C:And, you know, once I made my mark, you know, I feel like it didn't stop there because it still was a lot of people, you know, ahead of me that, you know, made deals and they was talked about throughout.
Speaker C:But when I got the understanding on how to do time, man, you know, I jumped back in school because I love, you know, education.
Speaker C:I think education is very important for the youth, man.
Speaker C:And I jumped back in school, got my ged, man, and started taking up some trades and other little classes.
Speaker C:And stuff, trying to, you know, stick to the things that I knew because, you know, I never been a dumb dude.
Speaker C:I just was just a loyal and dedicated dude.
Speaker C:Something that I really didn't fully understand.
Speaker C:So with me getting back in school and all that, man, that's been something that I've been doing, you know, during my time getting in school, you know, doing stuff like that.
Speaker C:I started writing books and all that.
Speaker C:So I just not really had a chance to get a fast break on it a couple years ago, about four years ago to start putting out my books.
Speaker C:But I'm in college as we speak right now, so, you know, I love school, man.
Speaker B:Blessing, how many books you've authored so far?
Speaker C:I got.
Speaker C:I have 10 books out right now, man.
Speaker C:I have six urban novels and I have a gang prevention book and a parental guide book.
Speaker C:They go together for the parents, one for the parents and one for the teenagers.
Speaker C:And I have a ABC book and a color and shape book that I wrote for my granddaughter and my grandson.
Speaker C:You know, the urban novels, just entertainment, you know, for these kids to give them something, a little something to grab onto, to talk about, you know what I'm saying, in the meantime.
Speaker C:But, you know, I found my passion right there in writing and trying to express myself through words, man.
Speaker B:Definitely.
Speaker B:And then for those that may want to grab one or two of the books, can you give some names?
Speaker B:Maybe one or three.
Speaker B:One, two or three of them.
Speaker B:Just for people to go gravitate towards.
Speaker C:The books that I'm most proud about, man, is my gang prevention book.
Speaker C:It's Gang Prevention.
Speaker C:The name of the book is I'm not with It.
Speaker C:It's on Barnes and Noble up under Charleston, Houston.
Speaker C:Also, my parental guide for the parents, Parental guide for guiding youth is also on Barnes and Noble up under Charleston, Houston.
Speaker C:My Emory's Alphabet Extravaganza book for the little kids to teach them about their alphabets and stuff like that.
Speaker C:It's on Barnes and Noble.
Speaker C:It's Emory Alphabet Extravaganza.
Speaker C:And the other book is a color and shape book teaching kids colors and shapes.
Speaker C:It's called Cairo C, A, I, R, O.
Speaker C:Apostrophe is colorful and shapely Expedition.
Speaker C:My urban novels are also.
Speaker C:Some of those are on Barnes and Noble and some are up on the Baby Cash Houston on Amazon.
Speaker C:But I got some nice books, man.
Speaker B:There you go.
Speaker B:And you know, most people haven't seen the inside of a penitentiary, let alone the inside of a cell for those that young.
Speaker B:For the young men that might be watching and listening, how does one like yourself or how does one stay out of trouble and how does one get into trouble?
Speaker B:Like the moment you touch down.
Speaker C:Now let me, let me forget the past part of me, because I want everybody to know that that's who I used to be.
Speaker C:This is who I am right now.
Speaker C:This is what I feel like, you know, God brought me here for, to really serve my purpose for the youth, man.
Speaker C:You know, I think keeping the youth out of trouble, you know, I think you gotta open the world up to them, you know, you got to let them see what life is about, man, because.
Speaker C:Because they can't see what life is about just in the neighborhood, you know, you gotta be able to walk them through life.
Speaker C:I'm talking about, you know, literally walk them through life, man.
Speaker C:Because a lot of parents these days are stuck on social media and they don't take the time out to really teach their kids what they need to know, you know, either that or they put a game in front of them and let them, you know, get stuck in the game world and not see what reality is about.
Speaker C:You know, I think young kids need to have some kind of responsibility is to teach them, you know, principles and morals and standards, man.
Speaker C:Because, you know, at the time when we was 13, 14, 15 years old, you know, some people, they wasn't hiring us to work and to have jobs at that age, man.
Speaker C:And that really took away from other causes, you know, having a little money in our pocket to do little things, disparage or whatever, to get the stuff that we wanted, you know, drove us to do other things.
Speaker C:You know, now the little kids, they can work, they could go to, you know, summer jobs and have little part time job at school.
Speaker C:So I think children need challenges and opportunities, man, and you know what I mean by chance they need to be, you know, able to be open and open their mind to the world and experience different people, places and events, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:That can inspire them, man, because, you know, you never know what a person know until they get in front of it, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker B:No facts.
Speaker B:And I have to ask, when it comes to the young man that, you know, maybe he's being raised by his mama, don't have a father figure in his life, and he does look to a gang to have that, you know, that brotherhood that he doesn't probably have at home with his mama, how should he go about it?
Speaker B:Cause sometimes you can't keep a young dude away from a gang, you know, if that's what he's seeking.
Speaker B:But how should he go about it, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker B:As far as if to stay his own man and stay out of, you know, kind of stay.
Speaker B:Stay on the right side of things, man.
Speaker C:You know, I would tell the youth right now, man, the gang life ain't life, man.
Speaker C:You know, Here it is, man.
Speaker C:You know, I'm a solid dude, you know, from the streets, real, man, you know, and most of this time I've been doing it without my own boys, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:You know, and none of them has really, you know, stepped up to the.
Speaker C:To the plate like.
Speaker C:Like a homeboy should or was supposed to, because, you know, that homeboy and them and just you have limits.
Speaker C:And in the game life, man, you gonna cut yourself short and never be able to grow to your full potential, man, because you gonna always be somebody else's person.
Speaker C:You gonna always be, you know, what they want you to be.
Speaker C:And you'll never get a chance to be your own, you know, you don't have to be in no game to be somebody.
Speaker C:You don't have to be in no game to be respected, you know, you just gotta find a way for yourself and be able to know that, you know, being yourself is the most important thing in the world.
Speaker C:When you lose who you are as a person, you lose yourself totally, man.
Speaker C:You don't never want to become no puppet to nobody, man, you know.
Speaker C:So joining the gang ain't the thing, you know, to do for the young dudes, man.
Speaker C:If you need somebody to talk to, it's people that, you know, you can.
Speaker C:You can get to mentor you.
Speaker C:Churches, preachers, principals.
Speaker C:There's a lot of people that would love to mentor the young, you know, the young teens, man, you know, for joining the gang.
Speaker C:Gang and thing, you know, it ain't nothing bad that I can say bad about the gang life, you know, or down it, because, you know, I was once a part of that.
Speaker C:And I feel like my gang life was everything in the world to me because them all the people that I had.
Speaker C:But, man, I was totally wrong about that, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:Because there's a lot of people that want to see us do better as a whole, as people, as men, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:The young women, you know, and being a part of the gang is not something that, you know you can do better from, you know, so joining the gang, gang, the thing that you would do, man, if you need some mentors, there's a lot of ways to reach out to find Somebody to talk to you, you know, you can write me, I talk to you, man, and keep you straight if I have to, you know, call, you know, if you get your phone real.
Speaker C:So I don't mind helping the youth, man.
Speaker C:I just don't want them to go down the same path that I went down, man, because this took a lot for me and it brought a lot of embarrassment to my family, man, you know, And I don't never want nobody to go through that, man, you know, and if y'all got just one parent in the house, take care of that parent, love that parent, man.
Speaker C:And make sure you do the thing that you need to do to keep your parent upstanding.
Speaker C:Because it's hard out there and they having a hard time to make sure you have the things you need, man.
Speaker C:So appreciate that and appreciate that by not getting in trouble and joining no.
Speaker B:Games, man, definitely not to ask you because you've been in there a while.
Speaker B:How has segregation changed in prison?
Speaker B:You know, is it.
Speaker B:Is it still like, you know, gang related or is it still like blacks versus the Aryans versus the Mexicans?
Speaker B:Like, is it.
Speaker B:Has it segregated?
Speaker B:I know you said Dallas vs.
Speaker B:Houston at one time.
Speaker B:Has it.
Speaker B:How has it changed from.
Speaker B:How was it back then and how has it changed now?
Speaker C:Man, it's changed because a lot of black gangs, a lot of little old black clicks that came in prison and, you know, everybody opened up to different things, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:I mean, it's not as segregated.
Speaker C:It's not segregated at all as far as like, just like it used to be, you know, the Mexicans used to be with anything.
Speaker C:The white was the one that survived.
Speaker C:They did they thing in the black.
Speaker C:They did they thing.
Speaker C:You know, the only time you pretty much was talking to a Michigan, if you were getting a tattoo or getting some draw, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:You know, the white boys, you know, it was always some friction with them because, you know, they was always being challenged or whatever.
Speaker C:But now you got, you know, black dudes and Mexican games, you got Michigans and black gangs.
Speaker C:You got all different kind of things.
Speaker C:So it's pretty much, you know, mingle in, man, because everybody really, you know, on a whole nother tip these days.
Speaker C:So the game like really good.
Speaker C:It's really non existent like it used to be, man, because nobody don't really trip over the things that they used to trip over.
Speaker C:Now they.
Speaker C:They still do their thing in this, you know, it'll still get jumping if the wrong move made or Whatever, whatever.
Speaker C:But it's not no tension like it used to be.
Speaker C:You know, when I first came to.
Speaker B:Prison, man, now I had to ask, you know, most people are scared to go to prison.
Speaker B:You know, men, they hear about, you know, men getting violated and things of that nature, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker B:They manhood getting taken.
Speaker B:How commonplace is that for somebody brand new coming into prison, having to go through an ordeal like that?
Speaker B:Or if it's you stay to yourself, ain't nobody messing with you, man.
Speaker C:You know, it's all how you carry yourself, man.
Speaker C:You know, don't get me wrong, even though no prison didn't change a whole lot, it's still some raw acts go on in this place that I'd rather not say to the public.
Speaker C:But what I will say is, you know, people need to be scared about coming to prison, man.
Speaker C:You know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:They need to be scared about coming to prison because, you know, prison strip more than that from you, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:I mean, and when they come in here, these little kids, you know, man, they.
Speaker C:They don't have that drive, that spunk like, like, like, like a lot of people did when I came to prison.
Speaker C:You know, we came in this more chest out, pushing full speed ahead, you know, like we, you know, ready to do some taking over, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:These little dud skirt, they don't wait number £110, man.
Speaker C:You know, they mama been putting them on them drugs all them years, man, trying to get them chicks from them, man, and they don't have no direction.
Speaker C:And I see myself in a lot of them dudes, man, and the ones that I can grab to kind of, you know, teach them how to handle themselves.
Speaker C:I do it, man, because, you know, at one time I left direction even after, you know, for my third and in here, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:And there was, dude, that, that took the time with me to pull me over to kind of school me and coach me on how I need to conduct myself and handle myself, man.
Speaker C:So, yeah, they need to be scared, man, because they still violate dudes.
Speaker C:They still, you know, healing them, they still making them pay, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:But for the most part, man, you know, almost anybody can make it if they just know how to conduct themselves.
Speaker C:Right?
Speaker C:You know what I'm saying?
Speaker B:And speaking of, you know, we're gonna speak your release into existence, but I definitely want to get have you give game to those who.
Speaker B:To those who are probably Watching this.
Speaker B:Maybe they've been watching from the inside, but then they're going through the appeal process.
Speaker B:They're up for their first appeal.
Speaker B:How should they.
Speaker B:Like, how should they act?
Speaker B:You know, weeks, months leading up to their appeal, and how should they go through talking through their appeal for the ones who've never been through the appeal.
Speaker C:Process, man, you know, coming to pillar, man, this is what I'm gonna tell you, you know, it's best not to really get too clingy and click up with nobody, man.
Speaker C:I mean, you might have some kids that, you know, from the world.
Speaker C:Always stick to the people that, you know, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:But if they own some, get away from it, man, because, you know, a lot of people can get out of prison and get stuck in there, and that's the worst thing that could ever happen to a person.
Speaker C:Come down here for five years and end up doing 15, man.
Speaker C:You know, But I would tell them to get it when they.
Speaker C:When they come to prison, man, to get in school, man, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:You know, get your education, right, because without the education, you can't do nothing in this world right here, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:Stay away from the drugs, man, because you get caught up in the drug life, you're gonna put a whole bunch of pressure on yourself.
Speaker C:You're gonna put a whole bunch of pressure on your family trying to get money and everything, and that's gonna make the dudes run down on you and start trying to victimize your man, you know, for not having their money and doing all kind of crazy to you.
Speaker C:So stay away from the drugs, man, because that's not what's happening.
Speaker C:And make sure you get your education, man, and just mind your business, man, you know, don't argue with the laws and try to keep yourself away from that bullshit as much as you can, you know, read.
Speaker C:And try to see, you know, where your potential lies within yourself.
Speaker C:Because everybody got a good thing about them.
Speaker C:They just gotta find it and bring it out of there, man.
Speaker B:That's real.
Speaker B:You had mentioned, of course, you know, years ago, decade ago, you know, you had to beat a man with a crutch.
Speaker B:How many scenarios you come.
Speaker B:You came into whereas you were.
Speaker B:It's either you or him, and you got to do what you got to do.
Speaker B:How many scenarios like, man, it's so.
Speaker C:Many, I lost count, man.
Speaker C:It's, you know, when I.
Speaker C:When I.
Speaker C:When I.
Speaker C:I want to go back for a minute.
Speaker C:When I first came to prison, this is Something that stuck with me, man.
Speaker C:This was over 30 something years ago.
Speaker C:It was a.
Speaker C:They moved us.
Speaker C:I was on Ferguson, and they opened up an intake block for us, man.
Speaker C:And, you know, we were filling it up.
Speaker C:And it wasn't that many Mexicans, you know, at the time.
Speaker C:It was one Mexican that stood out above the prison.
Speaker C:And, you know, we.
Speaker C:You know, on Ferguson, you had Mexico, you had Africa, and a white sit in the bench, or you sit them over there by the pistol, you know what I'm saying, or whatever.
Speaker C:And we were watching some stuff over on the black tv.
Speaker C:You know what I later learned was Africa that I didn't like, man.
Speaker C:And I went over there and sit over there in Mexico, and the Mexican tell me, say, look out, man.
Speaker C:Say, excuse me, man.
Speaker C:You can't sit over here.
Speaker C:He didn't say it disrespectfully or nothing.
Speaker C:You know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:I said, what?
Speaker C:He said, you can't sit over here, man.
Speaker C:So I said, man, you got me up, man.
Speaker C:You know, I'm finna go on, sir.
Speaker C:You, man.
Speaker C:I'm finna knock your ass out.
Speaker C:So while me and him are talking, I'm trying to make my way around the storm.
Speaker C:They called, you know, child, which is, you know, to go eat.
Speaker C:So I said, soon we come back from child and knock your ass out.
Speaker C:I can sit anywhere I want to sit.
Speaker C:But my uncle was already in prison at the time.
Speaker C:So my uncle had, you know, got a name for himself as well.
Speaker C:So I talked to my uncle.
Speaker C:The Mexican knew my uncle.
Speaker C:He seen me talking to my uncle, and he pulled my uncle, but I pulled off.
Speaker C:He like, say, you know, whatever.
Speaker C:He said to my uncle, Marco came to my table.
Speaker C:He like, man, what's up with you?
Speaker C:I said, man, this Mexican telling me I can't sit at the table over there on that side over there, man.
Speaker C:He got me up.
Speaker C:He said, what side was it?
Speaker C:I said, over the.
Speaker C:You know, by the day or by the.
Speaker C:By the run?
Speaker C:He's like, no, man, look, this how this go.
Speaker C:I'm like, nah, man, nobody can't tell me why I can sit, man, why I can and can't sit.
Speaker C:They got me up, man.
Speaker C:I got all this time.
Speaker C:I'm gonna do it.
Speaker C:Like, I won't do it.
Speaker C:He said, say, man, look, man, listen to me.
Speaker C:You, Thomas, sitting over there in New Mexico.
Speaker C:That's Mexico, Africa, whatever.
Speaker C:Y'all be sitting there, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:If go down to the Red Click, everybody sitting where they sitting.
Speaker C:You can't sit over there, even though it ain't number one Mexican over there.
Speaker C:That's Mexico.
Speaker C:That's how I go in the penitentiary, man.
Speaker C:You can't come down here.
Speaker C:Think you're gonna change that.
Speaker C:You know, long story short, you know, he talked my language.
Speaker C:So when I went back, I'm kind of mad and a about not being able to sit over there in Mexico.
Speaker C:So after a while, the mission, you know, called me over there, like, hey, man, baby Cash, man.
Speaker C:Hey, let me have a word with you, man.
Speaker C:You know, he respectful the whole time, you know.
Speaker C:So I go over there.
Speaker C:He said, man, you can sit down, man.
Speaker C:I need to talk to you.
Speaker C:He said, man, you know, you was in state school.
Speaker C:You know, I was in state school, man.
Speaker C:And you know, I know how I go, man.
Speaker C:I've been down here such.
Speaker C:I just got out of sig, man.
Speaker C:He didn't tell me what he got out of SIG for at that time.
Speaker C:And he like, man, yeah, you know, they just put me back in rotation, man.
Speaker C:You know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:So we started kicking it.
Speaker C:You know, they got a copy look drink they make called Pretty Coffee, Kool Aid and Mystics.
Speaker C:They're like, man, you want a pretty?
Speaker C:I'm like, nah, man, I got some cocoa right here.
Speaker C:Because I wasn't drinking coffee, so I drunk some cocoa, man.
Speaker C:Boo Boo, we talking, me and him, this door right now.
Speaker C:So my homeboy, them like, say, look, I care you gonna play dominoes or what?
Speaker C:I'm like, yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:I say, man, I'm gonna go over and play with.
Speaker C:Play some dominoes.
Speaker C:I holler at you.
Speaker C:He said, say, man, let me.
Speaker B:Let me.
Speaker C:Let me school you right quick before you go, man.
Speaker C:He said, say, man, I really don't do this, man, because, you know, this is really just, you know, what?
Speaker C:We believe in the Mexicans down here, man.
Speaker C:He said, but, man, you a cool dude.
Speaker C:You gonna make it, man.
Speaker C:He said, but let me tell you something.
Speaker C:He said, say, man, I always remember, man, never go to war unless you ready.
Speaker C:And the man raised his shirt up.
Speaker C:He had a big old shank in his side that I never even knew, man.
Speaker C:My life was gone at that time right there.
Speaker C:If I would have made the wrong move.
Speaker C:You hear me?
Speaker C:So he said, me.
Speaker C:I said, man, let me see that.
Speaker C:I'm still not scared, though, man.
Speaker C:My mind ain't even computing my life with just a.
Speaker C:Just a flash away, man.
Speaker C:I said, man, let me see that, man.
Speaker C:He said, no, no, no.
Speaker C:And another thing to remember, never let Another man see your gun, man.
Speaker C:And that stupid me, man.
Speaker C: igan told me this in December: Speaker C:But when I started understanding how dangerous prison was, my mind reflected back to that moment right there, man, that I could have been gone.
Speaker C:So, yeah, I done had a lot of instances in this place, man.
Speaker C:Why?
Speaker C:It was either me or them.
Speaker C:And I had to make the decision, man.
Speaker C:And here I go right here, you.
Speaker B:Know, and you still here, man.
Speaker B:And you mentioned.
Speaker B:You mentioned Ferguson Unit.
Speaker B:And as you know, we have a lot of people that came through, even sat on the couch that of course, been through Ferguson Unit.
Speaker B:We spoke to Dewberry, we spoke to, let's say, OG Percy, a few others, man.
Speaker B:Can you name some people that maybe even, you know, I know you probably got somehow hearing about what's going on in these YouTube streets, some of the people that you might have done time with that the world may have heard of, man.
Speaker C:Sway.
Speaker C:Sway was the big homie to us, man, in the prison, man.
Speaker C:You know, man, it was.
Speaker C:It was so many big Scott Peele, Bulldog.
Speaker C:You had some real monsters, Mike D's.
Speaker C:All the Mike D's were all poochy.
Speaker C:Say, man.
Speaker C:Machine Gun.
Speaker C:My boy Paul.
Speaker C:My boy Funky Mac, man, you had.
Speaker C:Say, man.
Speaker C:Bula bula.
Speaker C:Man, you had some real monsters, man.
Speaker C:And prison was based on courage, man.
Speaker C:It was based on strength, but it was based on education, man.
Speaker C:Because them dudes, if they seen a petition in you or spark a potential in you, they tried to enhance it in a good way.
Speaker C:You know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:I mean, you know, it's.
Speaker C:You know, it's a lot of bad in here, man.
Speaker C:But you had some dudes that really, if they saw that in you, they would try to give it to you in the best way.
Speaker C:Look, I love, man, you know, you come over you, you know, let me.
Speaker C:Let me see.
Speaker C:Everybody has to know how to fight.
Speaker C:So Suede was the one that was teaching us how to fight, you know, teaching us how to really just, you know, fight with some coordination, with some skill, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:You know, because he had already been in prison and he was older than us, you know, I was 16.
Speaker C:Suede was already, like, you know, 24, 23, 24, 25.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So my little click of homies saying he was.
Speaker C:He.
Speaker C:He was.
Speaker C:He was still in the county at the time.
Speaker C:But Tago the Wanky, man, it was.
Speaker C:It was a lot of those young cats that came through at the time, but Suede was the One that was really schooling us on how to, you know, hold on down here, man.
Speaker C:So I give a lot of props to Suede for being the big homie, like the big brother to us, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:And getting us right and ready for what we needed to face down the line, you know.
Speaker B:Now biggest facts.
Speaker B:So let me ask for you.
Speaker B:Everyone comes in and say that, you know, they.
Speaker B:They 100 0.
Speaker B:They never lost one.
Speaker B:Like, have you.
Speaker B:Have you lost one?
Speaker C:Yeah, man, I, I didn't had a couple of tough ones, man.
Speaker C:I had.
Speaker C:I didn't had a couple of tough ones, man.
Speaker C:I won't say I lost this one, but big dude, man, by about 6.
Speaker C:5, 6.
Speaker C:6.
Speaker C:Young dude and me.
Speaker C:And it was talking and, and I was telling him that, you know, I ain't, you know, I, I, you know, I went on, no, because we, we had made a little transaction.
Speaker C:He was like, yo, man, I got your money.
Speaker C:And while I was talking to him, I was telling him, I said, save my.
Speaker C:My gonna have to kill me or be ready to die with me trying to take something like og I'm ready.
Speaker C:And I just hit the.
Speaker C:And when I hit him, I really didn't mean to hit him.
Speaker C:My instincts hit him.
Speaker C:But the reason this fight stay with me so much, you know, he didn't.
Speaker C:He didn't.
Speaker C:We exchanged punches this big old about 286, 5, 6.
Speaker C:What made me mad, man, he scratched my eye.
Speaker C:You know, ain't no.
Speaker C:Never cut my eye down here.
Speaker C:Might bust my lip or something.
Speaker C:You hear me?
Speaker C:Cut my eye.
Speaker C:So Nick kind of cut my eye a little bit.
Speaker C:And that kind of goddamn, you know, stuck with me a little bit.
Speaker C:I feel like got the best of me, even though he didn't.
Speaker C:But to me, man, you ain't even supposed to get that close up on me.
Speaker C:Cause you're a big old sloppy body.
Speaker C:You can't with me.
Speaker C:But yeah, man, you know, that's.
Speaker C:Y'all done had some ruffles, man.
Speaker C:Yeah, but ain't no losing.
Speaker C:It ain't.
Speaker C:It ain't no losing like that.
Speaker B:And that's some real spill right there.
Speaker B:That's some real spill.
Speaker C:Ain't no losing, man.
Speaker B:Let me ask you what.
Speaker B:What traits have you learned or picked up in prison for the better, for the worse.
Speaker C:Oh, man, the trace that I've picked up, man, I.
Speaker C:I don't hold on to the, to the bad stuff, man, because you know, it come and go, man.
Speaker C:You know, the game change every day, man.
Speaker C:But I learned how to you know, I learned how to wheel, I learned how to cut her.
Speaker C:I know how to build houses, you know, I learned how to wax and buff floors, man.
Speaker C:I, I didn't learn so much stuff, man.
Speaker C:I'm in college right now for business computer information system.
Speaker C:Information system.
Speaker C:So I'm learning about the computers and stuff now.
Speaker C:How to set up web pages, how to do all kind of little charts and sheets and you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:So I'm, I'm.
Speaker C:I'm.
Speaker C:I didn't learn a lot, man.
Speaker C:Just so much.
Speaker C:I didn't.
Speaker C:I got a degree in psychology, social work, business management, all kind of stuff, man.
Speaker C:You know, creative writing.
Speaker C:I didn't took a lot of trades since I.
Speaker C:And I've been doing a lot of different things to build up myself, you know, just been stuff that I've been doing on my own, you know.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:Yeah, man, that says a lot, man, because again, I want, you know, for those who need to know, you went in at 16, man.
Speaker B:You know, we had Charleston White on the couch to where, you know, a murder happened.
Speaker B:And he was I think 14 at the time, went to a boys home and he actually went home at 18 versus going upstate.
Speaker B:But you actually been in there since 16, so you be.
Speaker B:You basically became a man incarcerated.
Speaker B:Yeah, I did.
Speaker B:Like what was, like what was your mindset back then at 16 going in versus 48 now.
Speaker B:As far as knowing the difference between a boy and a man.
Speaker C:Back then, I didn't have direction, man.
Speaker C:I didn't have the spirit to do things with honor and respect as far as the life that I knew, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:I mean, as far as this, I was, I was raised up to be respectful and stuff like that.
Speaker C:That ain't what I'm saying.
Speaker C:What I'm saying is, you know, I let direction.
Speaker C:My mind really wasn't developed enough to really understand the difference, you know, between life and.
Speaker C:And how to live life, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:You know, so what I would say is I've learned how to live life and appreciate life, man, and those life.
Speaker C:And you know, I give so much, I.
Speaker C:Remorse, you know, I, I got so much remote for the things I've done to others, man, to hurt them, to take away, you know what I'm saying, the life they had because, you know, they didn't deserve it, man.
Speaker C:You know, they just, you know, was misfortune.
Speaker C:Misfortune.
Speaker C:Just to run into somebody that was really lost, man, you know, as a, as a person, as a kid, you Know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:I was 16 years old.
Speaker C:I didn't have no stylish decision making skills, man.
Speaker C:You know, I didn't really understand a lot.
Speaker C:Even though I understood, I didn't really understand.
Speaker C:I couldn't see this far, man.
Speaker C:Cause if somebody would have said, man, you could spend this amount of years in, in prison, why, if you don't stop or change up or do something different, I would have listened a little bit, man.
Speaker C:I don't know how much it would have changed, but I'm pretty sure it would have had some kind of effect on my life and the things that I was doing.
Speaker C:But now I find direction, man, and I realize what I've done, you know, was the wrong thing to do.
Speaker C:Do you know.
Speaker C:And, you know, I still, you know, struggle with some things as a person because I had to, you know, grow up in prison.
Speaker C:And I haven't had a chance to really do a lot of things.
Speaker C:Hands on as far as being, you know, to take care of a lot of different things.
Speaker C:Although I've taken care of a lot of things, but it's nothing like being there and doing it, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:So, you know, I got a direction now and I know, you know, who I am, as you know.
Speaker C:And then at that time, I, you know, I didn't know who I was, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:I was what they wanted me to be.
Speaker C:I was what they thought I should be.
Speaker C:That was what, you know, I feel like the streets will respect me as being.
Speaker C:And that right there, you know, was a handicap all in myself, into myself because, you know, I wasn't living me.
Speaker C:I didn't know who I was as a person.
Speaker C:So, you know, now I know who I am, man.
Speaker C:And I know, you know, what purpose is in life.
Speaker C:And that's coming from a little lost little boy, you know what I'm saying, to a found man, you know?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Let me, let me ask you a personal question.
Speaker B:As far as, you know, the experience of what you're going through, have you.
Speaker B:Did you.
Speaker B:Did you find God while in prison or did you lose faith in God while incarcerated?
Speaker C:And I always head on to God, man.
Speaker C:I think this.
Speaker C:I noticed I made it this far, right, girl.
Speaker C:You know, God has been with me since, you know, kid, man, and I never, you know, gave up on him or nothing like that, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:I mean, I might not have prayed as much as I should or done the things that I should as a Christian dude, but I never gave Up God.
Speaker C:And during the time, you know, that I made it from there to here, man, only God can help a person make it that far, man, you know, so that's been the biggest piece of me, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:Holding on to God has been the thing that's been keeping me strong and then, you know, keeping me upstanding, man, you know, so I've always held on to God.
Speaker C:I ain't never gave up on.
Speaker C:It's been times I've been mad at him.
Speaker C:I'm pretty sure a lot of people have, but I never gave up on them.
Speaker B:Definitely, man.
Speaker B:Thank you for that, man.
Speaker B:Again, you know, from the books you wrote to, of course, you know, you still going through the pill process.
Speaker B:We only trying to stay blessed up for the ongoing, you know, the ongoing process you getting out.
Speaker B:But with the traits you learn, with everything with the knowledge you have now.
Speaker B:Do you feel like you paid your debt to society and what can you add to society once you get out and out here in the free world?
Speaker C:Man?
Speaker C:I can, yeah, I feel like I paid my debt to society, man, because you know, sometimes you can over kill, you can overdo something and defeat the purpose of rehabilitating a person, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:But I feel like I paid my debt to society, man, because I've learned and I've grown, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:I was a kid, man.
Speaker C:Look at the average 16 year old man.
Speaker C:And I was that kid right there.
Speaker C:Just being a little grown for my age, but I was that kid.
Speaker C:You know, you got some little kids that do things that amazing, like they grown, but they, they not grown.
Speaker C:They don't really understand.
Speaker C:Their mind is not, it's not developed enough to really go that far yet, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:And you know, I feel that, you know, my help to society could be to inspire others to stay away from this place and find their potential and to be somebody better in the world.
Speaker C:You know, I feel like I can give, you know, the world and the troubled teams, not just troubled teams, a lot of grown up men, you know, an outlet, man, other than, you know, doing the wrong thing to find who they are as people, man, because I've had a chance to do that and some people need this situation to help them do that, man, you know, and I'm gonna say, you know, yeah, I needed this, man, you know, not this long, but I, I needed this to slow me down, to give me, give me time to be able to gather myself, man, you know, and, you know, to keep me locked up, you know, longer and longer, really defeat the purpose because, you know, rehabilitation is not in here anymore.
Speaker C:It's all within itself.
Speaker C:You know, you have to rehabilitate yourself for dj.
Speaker C:So if you don't change yourself, ain't nothing gonna change you, man.
Speaker C:And I.
Speaker C:I've changed completely from the person that I was to the.
Speaker C:From the little boy that I was to the man that I am now, man.
Speaker B:That's real, man.
Speaker B:Now, Cash, would you be surprised if I told you that South Dallas has been gentrified?
Speaker B:They have tore down the projects and built some nice houses and some nice little homes for white people to come move on in.
Speaker B:Would you be surprised about that?
Speaker C:No, man.
Speaker C:You know, they've been telling me, man, and I'm really, you know, happy that, you know, people got a better living condition, man, because, you know, that's the ghetto, man.
Speaker C:And the kids need to see something better than that, man.
Speaker C:You know, they need to see something better than that.
Speaker C:So them cleaning it up, you know, was a good thing, man, for the people in the city.
Speaker B:Man.
Speaker B:This is a blessing right here, man.
Speaker B:I really would like, since you have access to us now, to have, like, really ongoing conversations, man, to, like, really give the young and the youth game about how they need to move forward.
Speaker B:I know we had to, you know, kind of push this one together quickly, but I do respect and thank you for being able to sit and talk with us and.
Speaker B:And, you know, tell us your experience and also give us game as far as how we should be moving out here and how these young kids should be processing their lives and, you know, put, you know, moving the buck forward and, of course, saying, you know, thank you.
Speaker B:Thank you for, you know, making sure this happened.
Speaker B:I want to make sure they follow you and, you know, if people want to write you words of encouragement, you write back.
Speaker B:Therefore, you know, you can start the process of communicating with the outside world through our platform.
Speaker B:How can they get at you?
Speaker B:How can they write you?
Speaker B:How can they.
Speaker B:And we go put it in the.
Speaker B:We go put on YouTube in the description.
Speaker B:But how can they get at you, if you don't mind?
Speaker C:Oh, man.
Speaker C:You can contact me through JPEG or you have to download the app, but it's real simple and easy.
Speaker C:It's like an email.
Speaker C:You have to contact me through char by downloading the JPEG thing and put in my name.
Speaker C:Charlton, C, H A, R L T O, N Houston.
Speaker C: And My number is: Speaker C:Charlton, Houston.
Speaker C:00628459.
Speaker C:And I'll write them back, man, and give them the best of me always.
Speaker B:Definitely, definitely the last question I want to ask.
Speaker B:And we normally ask people, you know, who's done shorter time, but for you, who is still in touch, who is still in contact with you from before you went in, like, who was still.
Speaker C:Man, I still got, man, I still got a lot of friends from my, from my kid a third grade friends, man.
Speaker C:I still got a lot of people that give me support, man.
Speaker C:And I think support is the biggest thing for those that's here.
Speaker C:They want to do right and, you know, and live a life without, you know, losing their mind or losing the best part of themselves.
Speaker C:So, you know, I've been fortunate enough, thank God, man, to still have the people from my youth that, you know, responded or corresponded with me in a positive way that register their phones, man.
Speaker C:I appreciate them for doing that.
Speaker C:You know, when I want to give remorse to the people I'm, you know, just people that I victimized, man, just to tell you I'm sorry for, you know, the wrong things I've done to y'all and y'all families, man.
Speaker C:You know, I was young and I was a little boy, man.
Speaker C:I was a lost little boy.
Speaker C:And I just want everyone to know that I'm sorry for the things I've done, you know, and if I had a chance to do it over, I never would have done it, man.
Speaker C:I would have done it a whole different way and went about life in a whole positive way, man.
Speaker B:Thank you for saying that, man.
Speaker B:You know, that's the sound of a man redeemed and a man who takes ownership in his actions.
Speaker B:And thank you for speaking to, you know, the victims families because again, I know those are the ones who kind of, you know, you go on appeal and they're the ones who they reach out to and say, hey, you know, should this man be releasing.
Speaker B:Thank you for speaking to them because they need to hear that message right there.
Speaker B:So I appreciate it.
Speaker C:Yeah, man, it's no problem.
Speaker C:I just, you know, I don't know him personally, but, you know, I always want to tell everybody I'm sorry because I didn't lost no family and it don't feel good, man, you know, and I know it couldn't have felt good, man.
Speaker C:So I just, I always want to say that to, you know, everybody, you know, that I ever did wrong to, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:You know, I'm sorry, man.
Speaker C:I ain't, you know, I'm.
Speaker C:Man, Enough to, you know, apologize, because, you know, it's all part of being a man, you know, Had I been a young dude, man, you wouldn't have got no apology from me, because I feel like I was in my right mind.
Speaker C:But now I know that's wrong, and I want to apologize, you know?
Speaker B:Nah, definitely, man.
Speaker B:I definitely appreciate you, man.
Speaker B:Once again, let's make this an ongoing conversation.
Speaker B:Anytime you want to talk to us, man, when we up here, man, we could definitely tap in with you.
Speaker B:I'm gonna make sure.
Speaker B:Saying make sure he give you our number as well, so in case you need to just call us and say, hey, let's do one.
Speaker B:I say we do one, and we go from there.
Speaker B:But I definitely appreciate you, man.
Speaker B:We're gonna definitely holler back at you, but definitely keep your head up, man.
Speaker B:You on the right path, and again, we just appreciate it.
Speaker C:All right, man.
Speaker C:Thank you for having me, man.
Speaker C:I really appreciate, you know, giving me this opportunity to open up like this right here.
Speaker C:And I appreciate Charleston White and OG Sam for, you know, reaching out to me, man, and pulling the grave, you know, to doing something brave, man, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker C:I want to, you know, just get my message across and help the youth, man.
Speaker C:I don't want them, you know, making the same mistakes I made, you know, because this ain't, you know, the life that a person should live, man.
Speaker C:You know, being caged up, you know, ain't for nobody, man.
Speaker C:I understand people do wrong, but, you know, sometimes, you know, overdoing it can defeat the purpose of correcting somebody, you know?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Nah, man, listen.
Speaker B:What you're doing right now is you're adding to a legacy, not only with writing the books, but speaking to us, man.
Speaker B:So hopefully your voice is heard by thousands and thousands of fans.
Speaker B:Hopefully, they're taking your message and, you know, hopefully this right here can make your time a little easier, because again, I know you in there.
Speaker B:You can't really just, you know, go and do what you want to do.
Speaker B:But if you have the ability to touch the masses with your voice, we want to be able to help you do that.
Speaker B:So I want you to be able to look forward to multiple conversations with us going forward.
Speaker B:So with that being said, Cash, we gotta say it, man, you know, for the realest of the real, you are a real life street star.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Let's go, man.
Speaker B:Appreciate it.
Speaker B:For real, man.
Speaker C:All right.
Speaker C:Thank you, man.
Speaker C:He ain't.
Speaker A:He not doing a appeal.
Speaker A:He trying to make parole.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, he trying.
Speaker B:We gonna correct that parole is what we trying to make.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker B:Yeah, he's already did the one for.
Speaker B:Yeah, he's already did the.
Speaker A:And really, man, a lot of times making parol.
Speaker A:What you need is you need a support system, especially when you have certain types of crimes.
Speaker A:You need a group of people that's going to show that they believe in you and they willing to do what it takes to see you get a second chance.
Speaker A:And under these type of conditions, if he don't get that, it's going to be extremely hard for him to get out.
Speaker A:So that's what kind of pushed all of this anyway, you know, because him and people like him need people like us who really understand to come together and make it happen, you know?
Speaker A:Cause for the most part, I think most people believe that everybody deserve a second chance in life.
Speaker A:So this kind of like a cry to the parole board from us as concerned family, friends, and loved ones saying, hey, man, y'all give him a second chance.
Speaker B:The fact that he was only, again, 16 years old, I.
Speaker B:Look, I have a son who, you know, he just.
Speaker B:You know, he's over.
Speaker B:He's only 16.
Speaker B:But I only imagine if he would have made a mistake or did something at 16, I know he ain't in his right mind at that moment to have it even make sense 10, 20, 30 years later.
Speaker B:So, yeah, nah, it's a definition of a second chance.
Speaker B:The definition of reform, man.
Speaker B:You know, we here for it.
Speaker B:We here for him, man.
Speaker A:So basically, this still going.
Speaker B:It's still going.
Speaker A:Basically, man, what we need is we need the real to do some real.
Speaker A:Cause this a real situation.
Speaker A:He can't overcome it without us coming together.
Speaker A:And that's just straight up.
Speaker A:He needs some help.
Speaker A:You know the cliche say real, do real things.
Speaker A:So all the real niggas, we sending out a call.
Speaker A:Yeah, we need y'all help.
Speaker A:Let's see if we can't put something together and make it happen, man.
Speaker A:We think.
Speaker A:We think Charleston deserve a second chance, and we willing to do a little work that we can do to help bring that about.
Speaker A:So, yeah, we got to coordinate this here, man, and come with a collective effort to where we have a little persuasiveness, a little power into the situation, and then we got some other people that's gonna.
Speaker A:That's gonna step forward and be willing to help.
Speaker A:They haven't said it.
Speaker A:I'm just believing it.
Speaker B:There you go.
Speaker B:Is there certain groups or certain things that people could do to help push the situation forward?
Speaker B:Any letters that can be written to.
Speaker A:Anybody, of course, you know, you can always first just show fine, you know, find out what went on, what's really going on, showing concern or then, you know, yeah, of course, filing support letters.
Speaker A:But most, the most importantly is proven and producing supportive actions, you know, because, hey man, it's hard to endure this type of suffering, especially, especially in your natural state.
Speaker A:You know, most people have to go under the influence of all kind of psychotic drugs to endure these type of sentences.
Speaker A:And then some people just don't make it.
Speaker A:So a lot of times what determines whether they make it or not is how we champion for them.
Speaker A:Because I done seen a whole lot of dudes go off the deep end and be engaged in homosexuality because they didn't feel supported, they didn't know how to survive.
Speaker A:They people wasn't sending them nothing.
Speaker A:So, you know, prison is totally different when you have people supporting you, opposed to when you don't have support.
Speaker A:It's two totally different worlds.
Speaker A:So he needs support beyond average.
Speaker A:Because, you know, this is a extremely judgmental condition, a situation.
Speaker A:We talking about a kid in murder cases and in the mind of the average person, they feel like you commit murder, you don't you get what you deserve.
Speaker A:It's no compassion for a murderer nowhere but in the Bible.
Speaker A:But in real life, people don't display or don't desire to display passion compassion towards murderers.
Speaker A:We have a preconceived position that we going to take irregardless of what we think about them simply because of what they done.
Speaker A:So oftentimes we get in a situation where we stuck being judged for who we was, opposed to who we are.
Speaker A:But it's impossible to.
Speaker A:You at 50 years old is the same person with the same value systems of you at 14.
Speaker A:So yeah, man, we got to come together and, you know, I'm just trying to do my part in making sure that we can come together and make this a reality.
Speaker A:Because it's a whole lot of our people that's been left in that prison, man.
Speaker A:If we champion them for them, we can, you know, we can kind of get some stuff moving on their behalf.
Speaker B:Oh, man, I believe that, man.
Speaker B:Very well spoken though.
Speaker B:Definitely, you know, call to action.
Speaker B:Let's make sure we do what we can because again, it could be you, it could be your brother, it could be your father, it could be your son in the same scenario, your cousin, your friend, you know, and we should be the same thing that we would do for them, that we do for this situation right here with cash.
Speaker B:So nah, we gotta pay it Forward.
Speaker A:And let me say this.
Speaker A:It should be some kind of rewards to being a real.
Speaker B:Come on.
Speaker A:I mean, everybody run around talking this real talk.
Speaker A:It ought to be some kind of rewards to the real.
Speaker A:I mean, so here it is.
Speaker A:We got a real dealing with some real conditions and ain't getting no real support.
Speaker A:I mean, he done went through the fire.
Speaker A:Everything that you go to to substantiate yourself as being a real.
Speaker A:He doesn't check the box.
Speaker A:Now what a real reward said.
Speaker C:Yeah, we.
Speaker A:We need some real rewards.
Speaker A:If this real is all that in a bag of chips.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Cause, man, here go a real with a real situation.
Speaker A:Now.
Speaker A:Come on and let's see who gonna produce some real results.
Speaker A:Who gonna put some real actions together for a real.
Speaker A:Since they say real do real things.
Speaker B:I dare you go saying that's some, you know, real need to be rewarded.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:What a reward at for being.
Speaker A:What's the benefits of being a real.
Speaker A:Because in my life, man, straight up, all the real suffering, you know, man a go through some trying to be a real, only to find out that it's nothing but a spoken reward.
Speaker A:He a real.
Speaker A:All right, now I'm a real nigga.
Speaker A:What am I entitled to?
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, man.
Speaker A:I honored all of this shit.
Speaker A:So where's the reward for it?
Speaker A:I mean, this the type of stuff that the kids need to be aware of because, man, we got young dudes that's willing to kill you and willing to die to have that label of a real nigger and can't nobody show me or produce the benefits of being a real nigga other than just being called a real nigger.
Speaker A:So, I mean, what's so important about being a real nigga?
Speaker A:Let's see, man.
Speaker C:Prove it.
Speaker B:Let's see.
Speaker B:Let's prove it.
Speaker B:Well, hey, we gotta say it once again, man.
Speaker B:OG Saint and Baby Cash, man.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:We gonna have a further conversation, you know, we gonna have you back on the couch saying that.
Speaker B:That most definitely.
Speaker B:I appreciate it, but, man, God bless, man.
Speaker B:Godspeed, Cash.
Speaker B:Keep your head up saying, you know, we gotta run it back, but let's do it once again, man.
Speaker B:OG Sang Baby Cash, man.
Speaker B:Y'all some real life street stars, man.
Speaker B:Let's salute it.
Speaker B:Appreciate it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Appreciate you, homie.
Speaker B:Yeah, appreciate it.
Speaker A:Shout out reality street stars.
Speaker B:Hey.