Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Prison journalism: Never underestimate the underdog

26/06/2023

Prison journalism: Never underestimate the underdogA story shared by a poet who was raised in Compton in Los Angeles. That is currently incarcerated in California.

by Prison Journalism Project

26-06-2023 17:57

in Prison Journalism

Prison cell. Image: Pixabay

Prison Journalism Project trains incarcerated writers to become journalists and publishes their stories. Subscribe to Inside Story to receive exclusive behind-the-scene looks at our best stories, as well as author profiles and other insights.

--

A true underdog is the person that nobody has faith in and everyone thinks is a loser. I know this because I have been one since birth.

I was destined to be an underdog from the moment my father got my mother pregnant in 1986. Before I was even born, he was in jail for murder. I've never met him, and to my knowledge he is still in prison. I don't even think of him as my father, I consider him to be the sperm donor.

My mother gave birth to me through a C-section and had to stay in the hospital even after I was sent home. Instead of bonding with her, I bonded with my auntie, who was the first person to hold me, give me a kiss, hug and love me. Neither my mother nor my father was ready to be parents. As soon as my mother got out of the hospital and healed up, she was fighting with other women in the streets instead of being at home with her newborn.

--

ALSO READ: Prison journalism: My Mother, My guide

My great grandma and aunt were the highlights of my toddler life. At four years old, my grandma taught me a lesson that I still rely on today. After she caught me drinking leftover beer out of her husband's beer can, she made me walk with her to the corner store and buy a brand new can of beer.

She popped it open for me and told me to drink it. Even though she told me I wouldn't get in trouble, I told her I didn't want to have any more because it was nasty. She told me to never drink something without knowing what it was. To this day, I don't drink. The few times I had a little made me drunk and sick.

--

By the time I was five years old, I had already heard gunshots in my neighborhood, but this was when bullets were coming in my direction for the first time.

While driving home from school with my mother's boyfriend, he told me to duck and pushed me under the dashboard on the passenger side of the car. Five to six loud shots rang out, breaking the windows of my mother's brand new car. I was scared, but I didn't move an inch from under that dashboard.

ALSO READ: Prison journalism: I am a total jigsaw puzzle

I remember getting out of the car at home with shards of glass falling out of my hair. I can still hear my mom going crazy screaming. When I got older, I found out that the gunshots came from a .44 Magnum because my mom found a slug in the headrest of my passenger seat. Since then, she kept that slug in her top dresser drawer. If I had been taller or older, my head would have been gone.

Around this time, I became aware of being a Crip. My brother and sister's father and his family taught me how to throw up gang signs. They taught me how to fight and gave me my nickname, Lil EE. I guess they thought it was harmless because I was only in the first grade.

They were unaware that I liked it. For most of my life, it has stuck with me. I loved the nice cars, jewellery, cool clothes and shoes, the hairstyles, and the money that funded that lifestyle. As I got older, I found out that what I like was called gangbanging and drug dealing. The lifestyle I loved also came with violence, guns and fast women.

At the time, I didn't understand that jail, life in prison and death also came with it. Backstabbing, hating homies that dragged your name through the mud for their own personal reasons came along with it too as did dirty neighborhoods and prison politics. I also didn't understand that the women we love would set us up, put us in a twist or snitch on us. These were the typical things that gang-banging had to offer.

ALSO READ: Prison Journalism: My first two days in Pollsmoor Prison

I used to listen to my mother gossip on the phone when I was a kid. Through her, I knew who died and who was in jail. I knew who got money, who was cheating on whom and where the party was that weekend.

The underdog was already going through his basic training. While the average kid was playing with toys and watching cartoons at the age of six or seven, my life took a tragic turn. I lost my grandma and great grandma a year apart. This, of course, meant that my mother simultaneously lost her mother and grandma as well.

This is when my mother's abuse, torture, neglect and belittling of me really became a problem. Now that I've gotten older, I realize my mother was taking out her anger and frustration over losing her mom and grandmother on me and my siblings.

We ended up bouncing from place to place because she couldn't pay the rent or because of overcrowded living conditions. I was getting beatings every week, sometimes for no reason at all. We were exposed to different men coming out of her bedroom and to the moans and groans that accompanied their visits. We witnessed the bruises on her face and were told it was an accident.

ALSO READ: Prison journalism: I am a total jigsaw puzzle

She gave her boyfriends and her female friends all of her attention and loyalty, while her kids yearned for a love that they would never receive.

My fellow underdog, have you ever been beaten while naked with an extension cord and then forced to get into a hot tub with peroxide bubbling in it at 9 years old? Did you ever have to put your hand over the flame on a hot stove?

Did you wash dishes and vacuum the floor before your mom gets home, so you wouldn't get in trouble? Those chores and the threat of punishment has made me the clean and nea
LINK: https://www.thesouthafrican.com/culture/prison-journalism/prison-journ...
See more stories from thesouthafrican

Most recent headlines

13/03/2025

FCC Chairman Carr Launches Massive Deregulation Initiative

WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...

13/03/2025

SDVI Integrates Rally With Spectra Vail

SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...

13/03/2025

FCC Approves Gray's Acquisition of KXLT

ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...

13/03/2025

NAB Show 2025 Exhibitor Insight: Blackmagic Design

TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...

13/03/2025

Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice

Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions. ...

12/03/2025

Como o Impacto Cultural e Financeiro da Indstria Musical Define Seu Sucesso em 2025

O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...

12/03/2025

Cmo el impacto cultural y financiero de la industria musical define su xito en 2025

Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...

12/03/2025

Nourish Mind, Body, and Soul This Ramadan With Spotify

Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...

12/03/2025

How the Music Industry's Cultural and Financial Impact Define Its Success in 2025

Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...

12/03/2025

FAST now transcends back catalog content

More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...

12/03/2025

Viamedia Adopts ShowSeeker Pilot To Streamline Ad Workflows

GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...

12/03/2025

Mediagenix Appoints Wael Yasin as Sales Director Central Europe

BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....

12/03/2025

Omdia: Global Online Consumer Expenditure to Hit $6.6 Trillion by 2029

LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...

12/03/2025

Comcast Technology Solutions Upgrades to Interra Systems BATON Version 9

CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....

12/03/2025

Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering

Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering Brie Clayton March 12, 2025 0 Comments High-capacity switch enhances existi...

12/03/2025

DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol

DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol Brie Clayton March 12, 2025 0 Comments Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...

12/03/2025

SVT Leverages Ateliere Live to Pioneer 100% Software-Defined Production at Rally Sweden 2025

SVT Leverages Ateliere Live to Pioneer 100% Software-Defined Production at Rally...

12/03/2025

Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant to Four Organizations

Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant to Four Organizations A total of $17,000 will be distributed among the Boston-based nonprofits. By Madd...

12/03/2025

Offering a broad umbrella for IP standards

TVBEuropes Jenny Priestley sits down with new SMPTE president Richard Welsh to discuss his aims for the organisation going forward, its efforts to attract a you...

12/03/2025

Warner Bros Belgium takes a new approach to its post production workflows

The new process has significantly enhanced operational efficiencies, with automation freeing up creators to concentrate on higher value tasks By Matthew Corrig...

12/03/2025

Another VFX company suspends operations

Jellyfish Pictures, which has offices in London and Sheffield, said it has been battling hard in the face of strong headwinds over the last 12 months By Jenny ...

12/03/2025

Bitcentral to Showcase AI-Powered Innovations for Smarter...

Visit Booth #W2213 to Experience the Latest in AI-Driven Content Discovery and Workflow Automation Bitcentral, a leader in media workflow solutions, is set to ...

12/03/2025

Jeff Lilly Named WGN-TV Director Of Technology

CHICAGO Jeff Lilly has been named WGN-TV director of technology effective March 17, 2025, according to Ric Harris, WGN-TV vice president and general manager....

12/03/2025

Survey: Consumers Want More Shoppable TV Experiences

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. A new study from LG Ad Solutions indicates that consumers want more features that would allow them to shop for products on the connected T...

12/03/2025

IP Showcase To Focus On IP, Broadcast Tech Convergence at 2025 NAB Show

BOTHELL, Wash. The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the Video Services Forum (VSF) will once again present...

12/03/2025

Comcast Boosts Internet Speeds for More Than 20 Million Customers

PHILADELPHIA Comcast announced that it has upgraded Xfinity Internet speeds for more than 20 million customers for no additional cost....

12/03/2025

Create with Maxon: Cinema 4D Fundamentals Workshop - March 12-14

Create with Maxon: Cinema 4D Fundamentals Workshop - March 12-14 Brie Clayton March 11, 2025 0 Comments Makin' Waffles with Elly Wade During Marc...

12/03/2025

Ross Video Strengthens Cloud Leadership with Appointment of Aaron Tunnell

Ottawa, Canada - March 12, 2025 - Ross Video is pleased to announce the appointment of Aaron Tunnell as Business Development Director, Cloud Solutions, reinforc...

12/03/2025

VEON to release 4Q 2024 trading update on 20 March 2025

12 Mar 2025 VEON to release 4Q 2024 trading update on 20 March 2025 Dubai, 12 March 2025 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital operator, today confirms ...

12/03/2025

Getting Set for the Winter Olympics: Inside SVT's Ongoing Software-Based Production Evolution

Getting set for the Winter Olympics: Inside SVT's ongoing software-based pro...

12/03/2025

Seamless SMPTE 2110: A Discussion on Making the Move to IP Less Painful

Seamless SMPTE 2110: A Discussion on Making the Move to IP Less Painful Leaders from Netflix, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, LinkedI, and Megapixel address ...

12/03/2025

Opening Doors of Perception: Meta's Ajit Ninan on Rethinking AR/MR Perceptual Displays

Opening Doors of Perception: Meta's Ajit Ninan on Rethinking AR/MR Perceptua...

12/03/2025

Sky Sports Unveils Exciting Plans for 2025 Formula 1 Coverage

With the 2025 Formula 1 season set to begin in Melbourne on March 16, Sky Sports is gearing up to deliver its most comprehensive F1 coverage yet. Following a th...

12/03/2025

Unicanal and Trece TV revolutionize Digital TV in Paraguay with Rohde & Schwarz transmission solutions

Unicanal and Trece TV revolutionize Digital TV in Paraguay with Rohde & Schwarz ...

12/03/2025

Honoring Service, Celebrating Sport: Rohde & Schwarz UK Sponsors NavyFit Rugby Double-Header

Honoring Service, Celebrating Sport: Rohde & Schwarz UK Sponsors NavyFit Rugby D...

12/03/2025

FOR-A America Introduces Top of the Line HANABI Series Switcher at NAB 2025 Exhibition

New HVS-Q12 Represents a Quantum Leap in Switcher Design...

12/03/2025

Telespazio and ABS Expand Partnership to Deliver Tailored C-Band Connectivity Solutions for the Brazilian Market

Telespazio and ABS Expand Partnership to Deliver Tailored C-Band Connectivity So...

12/03/2025

Congratulations to all our clients who have achieved TAG certification through our independent validation

ABC conducts independent audits across the TAG programs. In the March 2025 TAG s...

12/03/2025

Moonlight: Thales Alenia Space to develop the space segment of the navigation system orbiting around the Moon

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Moonlight: ESA program to create a satellite con...

12/03/2025

Thales among the world's top 100 most innovative companies for the 12th year, according to Clarivate

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn In 2025, Thales ranks among the top 0.01% of the...

12/03/2025

CCPC sponsored TV series The Complaints Bureau returns to RT One

Consumer show back following hugely successful first series 10 March 2025 Following a hugely successful first series, The Complaints Bureau returns to RT ...

11/03/2025

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Amel Guellaty, the Writer-Director of Where the Wind Comes From

By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...

11/03/2025

Salsa's Rhythmic Revival: A New Generation Discovers the Genre's Timeless Appeal

Salsa is making a comeback, captivating new listeners with its infectious energy...

11/03/2025

Canada's Own Rupi Kaur Curates the Latest Edition of Local Spot, Revealing the Songs and Artists That Shaped Her

For many people, music can serve as a reflection of their roots and upbringing. ...

11/03/2025

ST Engineering iDirect's Public Safety Solution Wins MSUA Satellite Mobile Innovation Award 2025

The solution delivers reliable, scalable and secure connectivity for critical pu...

11/03/2025

Weigel Broadcasting Taps Harmonic for Cloud-Based Playout-to-Delivery

SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced that Weigel Broadcasting has deployed Harmonics VOS Media Software, which offers playout-to-delivery capabilities, inclu...

11/03/2025

Wheatstone To Unveil Linux Audio Driver At 2025 NAB Show

NEW BERN, N.C. Wheatstone will introduce a Linux audio driver for its WheatNet IP audio network during the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, at the Las Vegas Convention...

11/03/2025

Study: Women's Sports Are a Big Win for Advertisers

NEW YORK A new study finds that as TV viewership for women's sports surged by 131% in 2024, the programming also saw a 56% year-over-year increase in ad im...

11/03/2025

Al Sharqiya prepares for Ultra HD with FOR-A

Powerful switcher for news studio FOR-A, a cutting-edge video broadcast technology company backed by more than 50 years experience, has installed its HVS-1200 ...