
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
Most recent headlines
13/03/2025
Every time airborne law enforcement (ALE) teams fly, they expect their equipment to perform. Whether airborne units are conducting support for ground teams, bor...
13/03/2025
Sunday February 9 saw the annual return of the US' biggest television event, the Super Bowl LIX. Jamie McCombs, Fox Sports Audio Consultant / Sr. Audio capt...
13/03/2025
On Sunday March 2, stars across the film industry gathered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 97th Academy Awards. Production Sound Mixer Paul Sandweis...
13/03/2025
WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications will feature its new StageLink family of smart edge devices, Smart Audio and Mixing Engine (SAME) and Virtual Smart Pan...
13/03/2025
TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhanced Real-Time Monitoring ...
13/03/2025
DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Features in Managed Storage P...
13/03/2025
FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...
13/03/2025
CTIA, the wireless industry association, has named former FCC Chairman Aji Pai as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1. He replaces Mere...
13/03/2025
he National Association of Broadcasters is urging the FCC to end its investigation of that controversial CBS interview with Kamala Harris stating there is no ...
13/03/2025
MIAMI CBS News & Stations continues to expand its use of augmented and virtual reality technologies with the planned launch of an augmented reality/virtual real...
13/03/2025
Srividhya Srinivasan, co-founder and chief customer success & innovation Officer at Amagi, tells TVBEurope how staying ahead of the latest trends is essential f...
13/03/2025
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
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
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
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 The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
13/03/2025
We asked the questions, analysed the answers and now we're excited to share the results of the fifth edition of the ICG Marketing Survey.
Our 2025 survey p...
13/03/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 13, 2025 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced a breakthrough in video streaming innovation with the launch of new origin capabilitie...
13/03/2025
Haivision Showcases Mission-Critical Video Solutions at SOF Week 2025
Haivision's video wall systems, ISR technology, and DoDIN APL-certified video distri...
13/03/2025
Company Leads the Way with New Software-Based Production Platform, 12G Switcher,...
13/03/2025
A new Apple Immersive concert experience, Metallica, is coming to Apple Vision Pro this Friday, March 14. Filmed in Mexico City during the sold-out second-year ...
13/03/2025
Here is your host, Patrick Kielty!
Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...
13/03/2025
This St. Patrick's weekend, RT invites you to celebrate all things Irish, showcasing the very best of Irish sport, entertainment and live coverage from the...
13/03/2025
What's next in AI is at GTC 2025. Not only the technology, but the people and ideas that are pushing AI forward - creating new opportunities, novel solution...
13/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...
13/03/2025
Bundle up - GeForce NOW is bringing a flurry of Blizzard titles to its ever-expanding library.
Prepare to weather epic gameplay in the cloud, tackling the genr...
13/03/2025
AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...
13/03/2025
PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
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
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
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
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
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
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
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
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
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...
12/03/2025
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Brie Clayton March 11, 2025
0 Comments
Makin' Waffles with Elly Wade
During Marc...