Part 9 (2/2)
”Who?”
”The police, that's who!”
”Fo' what? I ain't done nothin'”
”Boy, you done broke out of jail!”
”Naw, Mom, I beat my case They let me out”
Moet me, like always But I was not in juvenile hall anyo
”Boy, are you sure?” she asked accusingly ”'Cause I can't take theI work too hard for that shi+t, you hear me?”
”Yeah, yeah, I hear you, Moth of the hallway feeling like ”daed, I see” ”You been to see Shaun?” I asked, trying to get her off ave him thirty-six years and life My poor baby”
Uh-oh, I thought, here it comes ”Mom, I' that Goddamn weed,” she hollered after me as I walked down the hall
I closedshe wouldn't co I knew she ht I wanted to be loved, to be ry I changed into e In a bag under the old chest of drawers, I had a 45 autootten from A C Rabbit, our Korean homeboy, before my capture The 45 had only two shells in the clip I went across to Welow's and he gave ot on Li'l Monster's new ten-speed and rode quickly toward Briard formine for hers
Fro to shoot so the corner on Sixty-second and Denker I encountered what looked to be two couples sitting on the back of a car playing oldies, hugging, being lovers I slowedstare I could come up with All four turned their heads and, I'ht circle in the street to see if any one of the at me, but none were
I peddled on toward Halldale When I found no one there I doubled back Noticing that the couples had vanished, I peddled on up Sixty-second to the other side of Bri halfway up the block, I noticed a furtiveabruptly in the direction of the rabbed for my weapon Before I could draw, the movement shot out of the shadows like fluid ”damn,” I said tojust as I had been doing not et from point A to point B in one piece I watched the cat momentarily before I continued ht on Harvard Boulevard, I sao Chicanos leaning against a brown Greuessed, were from FI3 We had no beef with thee leaning against a van, talking and drinking beer Bingo-enemies I rode to within a house distance, approximately twenty to twenty-five feet, and made a circle to
DOOM! DOOM! DOOM!
”Ah, Blood, I'm hit!”
”Run!” screa'!”
One Blood lay motionless in the street The other tere pinned behind a tree The van took the majority of my rounds
DOOM! DOOM!
The 45 had the low, slow baritone of a big bass
When I heard no other noise, I took off, retaining one round Peddling as quickly as possible straight down Harvard, across Gage Avenue, and into the peripheral interior of my 'hood, I felt like a Native A the enemy I made a left on Sixty-seventh Street and relaxed a bit On Denker I turned right and e and entered the house I went to my room and fell asleep I slept very well
”You , but the ht,” Alear up She kneere up to no good
Dressed heavily and in dark gear, Diamond, Tray Stone, and I sat on the couch, oblivious to anything Al ained the initiative in the conflict with the Sixties We knee had to keep up the pressure Tonight would be but another offensive strike in a series ofin the Sixties 'hood to wear down their resistance We had made so antly began calling ourselves the Demolition Squad We had been seen so often by sowaves and head nods We siely because we had logistical help frohts in a roe had been getting helpful hints from ”our friends” in blue-as they liked to refer to themselves ”But,” they'd quickly add, ”we are froet along with the Rollin' Sixties”
Ignorant, very eager, and filled with a burning hatred for the ”enemy,” we ate that shi+t up We never realized that the Seventy-seventh Street gang didn't get along with anybody in the New Afrikan coeant said, ”I tell you, theht”
”Oh yeah, who?”
”Peddie, Scoop, Kiki, and a few others If I were you I'd keep hty serious”
”Yeah, well fuck the Sixties They knohere I'ht now?”
”Naw, you?”
Then, calling me to the car in a secretive manner he said, ”They on Fifty-ninth Street and Third Avenue All the ones I justmy partner here that if you were there they'd be scared shi+tless If you get your crew and go now, I'll ot that?” he added with a wink and a click of the tongue
”Yeah, I got it But how I know you ain't settin' me up?”
”If I wanted to put you in jail, Monster, I'd arrest you now for that gun in your waistband”
Surprised, I said, ”Righteous,” and stepped away from the car
We mounted up and went over to Fifty-ninth and Third Avenue Sure enough, there they were And just as he had said, we encountered no police
This was our fifth night out in collaboration with ”our friends” in blue We had a 22hollow points But first ent in search of a car to use on the unpoint for a vehicle with the 22 Once the vehicle was secured, we'd go and get more heavy weaponry for the mission
It had been teeks since I was released China was coh time with her, that all I did was think about the Sixties Since Li'l GC's capture for murder, she seemed to have lost some of her ability to be confrontational with the enester, but since one on onein much work Now she wanted to be loved in a way that I could not approach seriously I loved her, for sure, but I was far fro that perhaps I'd like itSo I shi+ed away from it
So much had happened since the start of the conflict Before the e-as a set-werePicnics, collective awareness, unity, and individual freedom abounded Sure we struck out at foes, but it was all in keeping with traditional Red and Blue rivalries Business, strictly business We had one dead, one wounded
Now, in 1981, we had three dead at the hands of the Sixties and numerous-too numerous to note-wounded As soon as the war started, freak accidents seelary atteedly killed by one of our own Dirty Butch was run over by a car DB was stabbed to death by a wino Some Bounty Hunters kicked in Joe Joe's door and shot his mother and brother
Also, iven fifteen years to life Big Spike, Du from four years to twenty-five to life Madbone had been captured forhad also been captured forshot up three nights a week, and the sued miserably under so one fro a happy extended fa many of the needs of those driven to the street, for whatever reason, to an exclusive military machine By June 1981 those who had stuck it out ell-seasoned veterans who could be coe Reconnaissance Patrol Soldiers in Vietna else for us but war, total war
After no success whatsoever in finding a vehicle to commandeer, Crazy De, Tray Stone, Diamond, and myself found ourselves clear up in the Rollin' Nineties-not one of our hbors-before we decided to double back toward the 'hood Diamond was in control of the strap We walked down the adjacent alley off Western Avenue in twos, ever on alert When we got to Eighty-ninth Street, we crossed Western hoping to catch a victi lot There were none