Part 12 (1/2)
Then out of the night came a terror-stricken cry of ”Sixties!!” followed by the rat-a-tat-tat of a rifle
In an instant we both were belly down, looking at each other She saw the anger in o, let sootta go”
”fuck you!!” she screamed, but I was on my way I heard her faint sobs as I mounted my bike and peddled off
No one was hit, but the response would have been the same in any case We mounted up and rode back with swiftness After that, to beat the heat, I went to Compton to kick it with some homies from Santana Block
A week later, as out that the police were looking for me and Crazy De for robbery Which robbery, I wondered? shi+t, we had done so ure out which one anted for With the police out for us, I'd wake up early, get dressed, and be out of the house before 6:00 AM, because that's their usual raiding tiravitate around homies' houses until their parents went to work, and then we'd kick it until the rest of the 'hood started stirring Then I'd try to lose myself in the sameness of the community I ran, ducked, and hid every ti capture that htening thing about being hunted as a banger is that you never really knohat it is they are hunting you for The banger's position is far from static, so one day you could be a robber and the next day youday to spray paint a wall Controlled freedo was all that
De and I were both eventually captured and hauled off to jail De was eighteen, so he went to the county jail I was still sixteen, pushi+ng seventeen, so I went to juvenile hall At my first court appearance I was remanded to the custody of the sheriff's department and sent back to the juvenile tank
Upon arrival I quickly saw that things had changed Bennose and Levi were gone Both had been sent to Youth Authority Taco was still there, and so were about fourteen other Grape Street Watts Crips, all tight allies of Eight Tray The difference was that Tangle-Eye was parading around there like a stalwartof urine and set juained his position as lord of the fiefdo to him like a bunch of oppressed serfs And to top it all off there was an N-hood living on Charlie row!
The N-hood was Lucky from One-Eleven He had two ho Taco and the others I i a weapon to stab Lucky with I wanted to onna be dealt with swiftly and harshly After I had secured soed point-I told Taco of my intent and otta stab cuz If you say ht,” Taco said
”fuck that,” I told Taco ”This will send out aI stepped to hiht him asleep I crept up, climbed on the stool and then the desk, raised an my doard motion His movement ift and sharp He rolled to one side of the bed and balled up My downstroke pierced his blanket and !” on the steel bed frame
”Monster Kody, wait!” Anyone who knows ers refer to onna kill yo' punk ass,” I said,the terror in his eyes ”You outta bounds, N-hood, this is Grape and Gangsta 'hood, fool” I eneral direction
”Cuz,” he pleaded, hands held high like I was telling him to stick 'em up, ”I didn't know Taco said it was cool if I live up here Ask hian breathing hard, looking around like a lunatic I went into sta time to roll yo' shi+t up, bitch! You here ed like a crack addict's
”Yeah, Monster Kody, I hear you”
”MOVE THEN!!” I yelled, waking everybody up
”What's up?” somebody said from down the tier
”EIGHT TRAY GANGSTAS!!” I yelled, and soain”
Lucky moved down on Able row and I consolidated Charlie row, resuone to the penitentiary after taking a twenty-five-to-life deal In San Quentin, the United Blood Nation murdered hiht years, respectively, and were in Folsouilty and sentenced to twenty-five years to life Chico was given fifteen years to life, Moman was sentenced to twenty-five years to life, and Old Man was given fifteen years to life A lot of new people were there, and a few of the old ones still reed with a robbery that neither of us committed The LAPD knew this, without a doubt Apparently, a hty-fourth and Western Avenue, his money and shoes taken, and he had picked De andbook as the robbers But we knew that it was a bogus charge After putting out our feelers and finding out who had really robbed the man, we knew beyond a doubt that it was a setup The actual robbers-two older homies-didn't resemble us whatsoever It was impossible for that man to have been robbed by the other two homies and then have turned around and picked De and I But it just so happened that De and I were the two hardest working bangers in the culture, cohborhood's worst nights that all this was a gaet-us-off-the-street Well, it worked I received four years and De received five Since I was a minor, I went to Youth Authority; De was sent to state prison
While I was in the juvenile tank, ht Ball was murdered-blown up in a ride-by ambush He died on IIIth Street and New Ha Devil from 107 Hoover on the handlebars of a ten-speed He had not been out of Youth Authority akilled Because of who he ith, and the neighborhood they were in when the ambush occurred, it was easy to ascertain where the shooters were frohborhood Blocks-the Hoovers' worst enemy The next day I snuck into the dayrooht Ball's death I beat hi after that I was transferred to Youth Authority, going first to the Southern Reception Center Clinic (SRCC) in Norwalk The day after my arrival I was suot there a big, dark New Afrikan e desks, both cluttered with papers and books The New Afrikan man eyed me suspiciously, while the A to look at me when I entered the roo over the rilasses
”Yeah,” I replied
”Monster Kody Scott?” he asked again, to be sure
A bit hesitant now, I finally answered, ”Yeah”
”Well,” the officer began, sighing, pushi+ng his glasses up on his nose and sitting back in his chair all in one fluid motion, ”we don't want you here That is, in our institution”
”What you talkin' 'bout,in preparation for a h ”Kody, you don't mind if I call you Monster, do you? It kinda keepsa playful atte his junky desk
”Naw, it's cool”
”Good, good,” he said, as if he were instructing so ”I ined” And then, as if to hiined” He went on, ”Well, Mr Monsterha, ha, haMr Monstersounds funny, huh?”
I didn't sto say about you
”Is that right?” I said, more bored than flattered
”Oh, yeah, you betcha And so fro others, I've come to know that you have killed many people”
”That's a lie, I ain't kilt nobody!”
”Hold on now, Monster, don't get riled up now-”
”Naw, man, people be lyin' 'n' stuff, I-”
”Well, we just think it's best if you are sent directly to Youth Training School to complete your introduction up there, where there are more kids of your caliber around Besides, the security is hter there You'll like it”
”Like it?!” I shouted ”What hter security? You muthafuckas be trippin'-”