In case you didn't realize it yet, I'm from Baltimore. Yes, B-more or Charm City not Dundalk, Towson, Parkville or Rosedale for those of you who front all of the time. Be proud of your suburban lineage-lol! That's a post in itself that my man Du and I could rant about in a little bit.
In mid 90's everyone had to make their city's image tough by giving it a crime related alias. Charm City just wasn't hard enough for the youngsters I guess? So the hoppaz (young street rats) came with Harm City, Bodymore, Murdamore and then state became extra gully with Murderland. Why? Is it cool to embrace our horrific murder rate?
To put this in context for you in a personal light that is. In 99 I lost 19 friends and family to senseless violence and I was not bragging one bit. What was bad the Sun newspaper ran a huge article about the insane 300+ murders that year and that's how I counted the people I knew. I knew the number but actually seeing their names is really what solidified it for me. You really think I wanted to brag about that? Heck No!
Growing up Baltimore had two known gangs that could be remotely related to anything the Bloods, Crips, Folk, Vice Lords or Black Gangsta Disciples were doing. We had the Old York Boys and Cator Ave Boys as our distant relatives of the Bloods and Crips. Unlike most gangs they didn't have a huge following or sets around the city. They were confined a very small area of East Baltimore. Their claim to fame was Tupac mentioned the streets on "My Block".
You could wear whatever color you wanted in Baltimore until around 2003-2004. That's when I heard the typical country wide gangs had found a new city to move on. I started seeing the grafitti and seeing the young dudes with flags. They still seemed very fake to me. This was because I had traveled to some places and met people who were or are still active in the that lifestyle. They were laughing at these Mid-Atlantic wannabees as they called them. A close friend of mine always quipped "Too many BET videos have been watched-lol!" Jokingly and perceptively he was right.
Our "gangs" if you will, were just cats who sold drugs on a particular corner. You could go anywhere in the city wearing red, blue or black and gold and no one would look at you funny besides joking that you matched a bit too much or clown you about being a fake Mack 10 or Snoop Dog. Colors and organized gangs were a joke to us-just some West Coast insanity. Not now! I saw some little guys with purple bandanas hanging out of their back pockets in NE Baltimore. I wondered what "set" they were claiming, Raven Mob, Barney Bangaz or the Syrup Sippaz? I guess I'm getting old and find gangs as nothing more than a criminal hodge podge of youngsters looking for a tough identity to fill a family void?
In that note. I never sought the "love" as they call from large groups of males. I have two large families and loved pretty well by them all. Heck, my job could be compared to a gang with me being a "set king" if you will. We wear uniforms, we stress loyalty, comraderie and we have a hierarchy that's copied by street idiots who really don't understand it at all. None positive ever comes out gang mentality or action. Usually there's some older "boss" manipulating young males or females for their own benefit. The youngster want to prove their worth and earn street cred so they succumb to idiotic initiation rights that either severely harm them or others.
In closing parents love your kids and make time for them because their are "groups" who claim they can show the "love" that you may lead you to closing a casket or bars closing in on them.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment