EDISON HIGH SCHOOL

Narratives and drawings by the students of Edison High School.  Click an image for larger view.

JayJay, age 17

I remember when my cousin was in a gang. He used to do bad things. He did robberies, he was involved with violence, he was disrespectful, he used drugs, and more. He had a police record and served time for robbery, grand theft auto.

I felt sad for my cousin because his life was in danger. I spoke with him. He heard, but he didn't listen. Two days later he was part of a gang that attempted to rob a store. The owner pulled a gun and shot him in the head. My cousin's death helped me to decide not to be part of the gang and the violence.

Money, age 18

Many things in life affect me and my family. I want the violence to stop. The killings, rapes and robberies are destroying my community. People I know are dying and suffering. We are killing our own people, taking our own blood.

When we are victims of violence we lose trust. We are scared and have nowhere to go. I want the violence to stop.
Money, age 18

Ms. Rell, age16

I knew this boy who was in a gang. He got into trouble with his own gang members. We were close. I knew him since I was six years old. Every time I saw him he would call me his baby sister and tell me how much he cared about me. I would tell him to try stay out of trouble. I loved him (like a brother of course). No matter what was happening to him he would always make time to see if I was alright.

On December 10, 2006, he lost his life due to gang violence. It happened only a block away from my house. He’s gone and there is nothing I can say or do to bring him back. The worst thing is that he died five days after my birthday.

How did the gang violence affect me? I’ve lost too many loved ones to people who thought they were too powerful and proud to show others respect. Most people don’t understand where I am coming from when I say, “My friend lost his life due to gang violence.”

He wasn’t only a friend he was a brother to me and when he left me my whole world fell apart. I felt like he left me alone in this cold, cold world. I was depressed because a brother of mine was gone. My friend lost his life due to something that could have been resolved in a different, non-violent way.

Re-Re, age 18

Violence is destroying my community because of the fights, robberies and the shootings. I witnessed and was part of that violence.

It all started when I was about six or seven years old. I was walking from the store with my cousin and a black Thunderbird pulled the corner and started shooting. That day changed my life completely. I started to commit robberies, stealing things that weren't even important.

Then all of a sudden something told me to stop what I was doing, but I didn't listen. I paid the consequences. I got caught stealing and I went to jail for twenty-one days. When I got out I realized that I had to change my life around.

C.J., age 18

The community that I live in (Little Haiti) has always carried a violent and gang polluted reputation. Although it continues to carry this reputation, it isn't as bad as they make it seem. Incidents have occurred in this area that I've heard about, but they're fairly rare and often only whispered about.

I am a full time student, day and night school, and a part time employee. For these reasons, I have a full time schedule to uphold. Thus, I'm too occupied to relate or even interact with anything related to violence and gangs, but that doesn't change the fact that gangs exist all around.

I feel that I'm doing a good job of staying away from the gangs and the violence, but I also feel that I have to watch my back if I walk out on the streets, day or night, and even in school. It's not something I think I should be doing. I shouldn't be uncomfortable in my own neighborhood. So it may be safe to say that although I'm not directly involved with gangs and violence, I'm still affected by it.

Young Gangs, age 16

Gangs are all around. In my neighborhood alone there are five of them. By them I mean a group of men and women doing drugs, shooting dice and selling drugs. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does influence younger kids. There are also some young gang members being brought into the gang at a young age because he or she has a family member in the gang. That's what nearly happened to me. My brother was a big time gang member hanging in the street all times of night, not going to school and selling drugs. He asked me if I wanted some money and said there was an easy way to get it. After a long day of watching him stand or walk back and forth serving those people what they wanted I thought this was not an easy way and I never went back.

The gangs out today are not how they were. There used to be a gang on every corner that would fight each other because of the color they chose to wear. They would shoot each other because the other gang came into their territory. Gang members now are groups of people who chill every day at the same spot and terrorize people.

The thing that truly motivated me not to be like my brother was that he nearly beat the brakes off someone because that person came up a dollar short. Then, after my brother was done beating him, this person's friends started to beat up my brother because they knew who my brother's gang was.

James C, age 16

Gang members are the same as regular humans even though some people think they are animals out there to kill. It's the same story every day on the News; a gang member doing something to harm an innocent person who is just going about his life.

People need to know the true story. I heard about a boy who had a problem with some boys in a gang over money and the gang members killed him. What isn't talked about as part of the problem is that it isn't just gangs that are doing the crime. Another part of the problem is the regular bad people who are dealing with the gang members.

The good people need to keep away from gang members for their own safety.

Menace, age 17

Gangs are destroying the community. My best friend PeeWee was in a gang. One time I went to a party. PeeWee was there too. While everyone at the party was having fun, more and more people came. At the end of the night, these groups of other boys who were in an enemy gang brutally beat up PeeWee. After the fight the party host called the police and the police officer had the whole scene under control.

I felt so sorry for PeeWee I decided to change my personal conditions. Sympathy, madness, and sadness were driving me crazy. I believe that if the world does not fight the gangs then the gangs will fight the innocent citizens and destroy the heart and soul of the community. If the people in the community worked together to protest the gangs, then we could contribute to a safer environment with less gang violence.

Polly Co., age 16

I have never been involved in a gang. But yes, I have seen groups of teenage kids with a gang mentality doing things that they shouldn't have been doing. For example, they pick on someone who is not popular. In my school there are tables at lunch. The #1 table is for the kids that are cool. Everybody in the school knows them. The #2 table is for the uncool kids. The cool kids always pick on the uncool kids.

I am one of the cool kids. Along with my friends I picked on the uncool kids. One day I looked at how the uncool kids were looking and feeling and I said to myself that this has to stop. I would not like someone doing that to me.

Gemini Lover, age 16

Gang violence is never the way to go. Being bullied, getting into fights, drugs; they all fall into the same category. It's such a shame how one can easily get into such a problem. This reminds me of a young man named AB. AB is a sixteen year old boy who loves football. He was a C average student (which wasn't so bad) and he tried hard on everything he did. One day something terrible happened to AB, so terrible that it changed his whole image. His mom and dad got into a huge argument and ended up getting divorced. His dad was his role model and he abandoned his son. That tore up AB.

AB started smoking, skipping school, then later on got into the most violent gang in the county. I felt really bad and was very appalled when I heard about it. The sad part about it is AB was one of my close friends and I never noticed that he had a problem. Everything was such a fiasco! He was throwing his life away little by little; which made me fall apart little by little also. Everyone tried talking to AB, telling him that something was wrong. AB was in denial. Gladly, it took the right voice to help him ease down. ME! When I talked to AB about himself, there was a great sensation rising up from under me that made me want to break down and cry. Looking at AB's facial expression I'm pretty sure he felt the same way. AB finally figured out that he had a problem and went to get some help. AB signed up in a big brother/big sister program, got back into school, was on a daily progress report, stopped smoking and kept his grades up. In a couple of months he'll be graduating and I will be right there to cheer my friend on. I'm so proud of the dramatic changes AB has made.

Will, age 18

One day me and three of my friends were walking in back of a building just listening our MP3 player when a group of men calling themselves some name came up to us saying they wanted our MP3. I looked up and said no and put on side "B". "I'll beat you down if you don't give it up" one of them said. They all started ganging up on us. They started hitting my friend and we all jumped in and started fighting back. But they were too many and too big for us to handle. They ran off when the Police came. The Police told us to go home.

Afterwards my friend called me to say he was mad. Both of us were mad but he was madder. He wanted to find the men who beat him and kill them. I tried to stop him but he would not listen to reason. He got a gun and set out to find them. When he did, he got killed. I think if I went with him that day it would be me six feet under.

Sumkid, age 16

Four years ago I was in a gang. There was never a lot of violence associated with us. We mainly stole things from people and sold them to others to get money. Since it was so many of us it was kind of easy to steal. If we saw something valuable, one kid would take it and run, then pass it around so nobody could find out who had it. We stole everything from Game Boys to shoes to bikes. However, if worse came to worse, there would be some violence involved. When we did have to fight we were like any other gang. One kid even got a broken arm because of us.

Looking back at it now I'm not happy for what we did, but I'm not disappointed either. We were younger and dumber, but we were like one little family. All of us were alike. We wanted money in our pockets and school wasn't really fun, so we opted to make quick easy money.

Smiley, age 18

People get bullied, raped and killed all over the world. Everyone either gets bullied or bullies someone at least once in their life. I am constantly a victim of violence. I get bullied based on my height, friendliness and shyness. People seem to take advantage of people like me.

The choices I have are to stand up for myself, tell someone about it or just let it happen. Most of the times when I stand up for myself, I end up being more victimized. When I tell someone they sometimes push me to do the right thing, which in some cases are a bad idea. Sometimes they want me to go to the Police or someone who will speak to the bully, but that could make the bully more upset towards me and take action because I was a snitch. Lastly, I can let myself get violent until I have nothing left. Being bullied can make me feel negative about myself. Some people who are bullied commit suicide. To prevent that from happening we need to talk to the bullies about their behavior and how they are hurting people and try to get them to stop their violence.

Ju-Ju age, 18

Deep inside my heart I know violence is not a good thing that should be happening in our communities. We are all human and we have the same feelings. None of us are better than others. I feel pain when I hear somebody got killed or shot. I see violence, I hear of it and I've been around violence. I survived. That's the reason why I'm still in school. It's because of what I experienced when I used to be with gang members.

Last year, May 18, 2006, on Haitian Flag Day, I was chilling with my boyz at the bus stop. Another gang came by and started shooting at us. We were lucky. None of us got shot, but I learned a lesson. I could have gotten shot to death that day because we weren't ready for it. That's how I feel. That violence is like a game. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. The key word is to stay focused on the way we live and make a better living. Don't listen to what other people say. Follow your heart and your destiny.

Head of the Block, age 16

I think some gangs get into trouble when it is only one member that causes the trouble in the community.

I know a boy who was raised in a community with burglary, rape and people getting murdered. He turned out to be one of the good people. He grew up and followed his dream. He became a police officer so that he could stop the killing and drugs in his community. What I'm saying is that you could be raised in a bad community but that doesn't mean you are bad or that you have to do bad things.

JR, age 18

JR belonged to a gang because that was the only way he could make money and settle all his violence problems. Being in a gang was all good to JR until one of his fellow gang members was shot dead in front of him.

JR wanted out of the gang but the others guys told him, “JR we love you, BUT if you want out it’s not going to be easy.” JR finally got out of the gang because all the gang members he chilled with were killed. That was when JR turned his life around. JR quit the gang and went back to school. Now he is a B student and he is playing football. He goes to church. He feels like he has his whole life ahead of him. I feel good that JR left the gang because if he didn't he would have been dead like the "rest" of them.

RIP JR Gang

CeCe, age 17

Gangs are the number one problem in my community. Gangs are all about stealing, fighting and killing. One of my best friends died from gang violence.

She was a good girl, a straight A student and never got into trouble. One day she decided to fix up with some other girls. They were her friends and always hung out together after school. One night one of these friends called and invited her to go to a party. They were drinking and taking drugs and having a good time until another group of girls showed up and began beating up on people. They had guns and started shooting up the party. MY FRIEND WAS KILLED. Later that evening I got a call from my friend’s mother who was worried that she was still out. I went to look for her and as I reached the party I saw her being wheeled out on a stretcher. Seeing her body made me feel sick and sad because that could have been me. What went through my mind later was that it was too late. I should have stopped her and showed her that I cared and would always be there for her.

I wish they could stop the gangs before they kill more of my friends. It kills me to see people putting their lives on the line and don’t feel like they have a choice.

I chose the right friends and I am not part of that scene. My motto is to always know your true friends and always care about them.

C.H., age 17

HOW DO I FEEL ABOUT GANGS?

I have many feelings about gangs: Gangs are bad for the community. Gangs are the reason why all those young boys and girls are dying. Every day I wake and hear about someone who was either wounded or killed in a gun fight. Like the time I slept at my sister’s house and she told me how her friend was shot and killed. He was in a gang called, “ABM”. She was with the boys in the gang when some boys from uptown passed by and looked at them the “wrong way.” Shooting broke out and my sister’s friend got hit.

When I heard the news that he got shot the first thing that came to my mind was that he was in a gang. When I asked my sister she said yes, he was in a gang called "All 'Bout Money" and that they wore black bandanas.

Kemy, age 17

I grew up in the “Cayne”. This is an area of the city where you see everything, prostitution, drug dealing and even much worse. There are a lot of gang activities in this area. I could have become either a prostitute or gang member but I chose neither because in my heart I knew that life was not for me.

I had friends from elementary school who became part of that lifestyle. One of my friends, Tasha, was always left alone by her mom and had to take care of herself. She grew up too quick and by age 12 she was already having sex with a drug dealer who promised to give her the world. He lied. Tony had many girls and because Tasha was so young, Tony took advantage of her. Tony got her pregnant and gave her a STD. Tony was arrested and is still in jail. Tasha was stuck alone with these problems and she needed money. She made it the only way she knew how, that was laying on her back.

It hurt my heart to see what my friend was going through. As a result I refused to become a victim to the street life and any type of violence.

A. Bien, age 17

Growing up in Little Haiti was difficult. I didn’t really see much gang violence, but I sure could hear it. Many things happened in my neighborhood. Every couple of months there were new gang members moving into the house across the street. Every day it was something new. One day I heard screaming, arguing, fighting and gun shots. This made me feel unsafe and scared. One day the police and a swat team busted into that house. They evacuated everyone inside and arrested most of the residents. This was one of the scariest experiences I ever had. I felt like my neighborhood was dangerous and bad. I wanted to move somewhere else where it was safe and quiet; also with protection.

I hope I never have another experience like that again. The house across the street was closed down and I began to feel a little safer. This was one of the affects of gang violence.

Don’t Care, Don’t Want To Care, age 16

I don’t know anything about gangs, violence and why they do what they do. To me it is not my concern. I don’t care about the violence that happens in the street. To me it is nothing. If it ain’t my business, I don’t put myself in it. Putting myself in it can cause me nothing except being part of it. That’s why I just mind my own business. If I see something in the street, such as a fight or a crime being committed, I keep my mouth closed and go about my business. I don’t hear or see anything.

If a crime happened to one of my family members, I would get involved because it's now … my business. Other than that, gang violence and other crimes don’t concern me. So I pretty don’t much care!!! IF IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME (just like other people in the community)…. I SHUT UP!!!