This is going to be long. But I wanted to get it out.
Let me tell you a story about A. I've known A for about 5 years. He's not a friend or family but somewhere in between.
When I first met him he had just been sentenced to some community service for getting in a fight (which was a violation of his probation). He was 16 and a wannabe gangsta. He tries to pretend he's mexican and not indian by shaving his head and growing one of those quasi-moustaches. He was janother upper middle class boy trying to be what he thought a man should be. He was without purpose and unable to control his anger.
The judge said that if he continued along this path he would be dead in 5 years.
His parents would buy him alcohol just so that they would know where he was when he was drinking. They tried to control him. But honestly he was just a selfish prick. He couldn't see that he was hurting those around him.
If he did, it didn't bother him too much.
About 3 years ago, A was arrested for participating in a drive-by shooting. For reasons unknown to me, he decided that that day was going to be a good day for driving up to a group of 4 guys, pull out a .32 and fire 3 rounds in their general direction. He did this alone. He didn't hit anyone. He didn't even hit the wall behind them.
He's not a murderer. Just a confused kid. (At least, I want to believe that he is.)
When they picked him up in his car, the wedding ring on his finger was 6 hours old. He was now a husband, a father (his wife had a kid with someone else at 16) and a felon all at 18.
No need to worry about being prosecuted as a minor. Two months too late.
When they asked him where he was from. He responded with his gang affiliation.
Idiot. You do not want to know how sadistic California gang enhancement laws are.
Bail was set at $2,000,000. One more 0 then his family could manage with a bond.
He sat in the la county jail for 16 months awaiting trial. His family hired private detectives and lawyers and worked so hard to get him off. He was facing 4 counts of attempted murder, possession of unlawful firearm and violating probation all combined with a gang enhancement. He could've died in prison.
I visited him once. Since he wasn't actually convicted of anything yet he didn't have access to those cushy things you get in a maximum security prison. Like exercise periods or a library. He was allowed visitors for 15 minutes 5 days a week. It took two hours of waiting to see him. His parents came every day.
He hadn't seen the sun in so long he was white. I had never seen an indian with skin as pale as a ghost.
I cried for him.
The search was illegal. Charges dropped due to lack of evidence. It's amazing what $100,000 in lawyer and private detective fees will get you. The cost of justice in los angeles.
A said he was done with the gang business. He had found religion. He was getting his gang tatoos removed. He was getting involved with his son who had aged so much while he was in jail.
I had seen him since. I played with his son and watched him with his wife. She wants a divorce. He doesn't. She'll get deported if they separate.
Here is where we come to the point of this story.
12:30 am sat morning (technically) A walks out of a 7-eleven in las vegas. he was out there with a couple of his friends. They were out looking for a good time. Presumably buying beer and phillies for a night with his friends in the city.
A car pulls up. Shots are fired. So many shots. A bullet sank deep into A's thigh lodging itself near his femur. Another hits him in the chest, piercing his lung before leaving through his back. Another bullet just misses his collar bone and leaves him pierced straight through, just inches away from his throat.
He was the only one that was hit.
He lost over 5 pints of blood. Again he had become this pale indian ghost. But now covered in his own blood struggling to breath with a pierced chest cavity. Unable to make his lungs expand and contract.
He was in surgery for over 2 hours. He went into cardiac arrest 3 times during the procedure.
He still lives. He's listed as critical condition and the doctors are wary of saying that he will pull through since he can go into cardiac arrest at any time. But as of Sunday his heart is beating on its own. And as of yesterday he is breathing on his own. He can talk a little and he can move his toes. But his stomach his filling with fluid and the doctor's don't want to mess with it because of his fragile state.
His wife and his family are there with him.
His wife is pregnant. I think about her and her, soon to be, two children often now.
I think about him lying there, machines beeping, bloody gauze wrapped around his neck and two things keep running through my mind:
I hope that that judge was wrong.
How many second chances does a man get?
Let me tell you a story about A. I've known A for about 5 years. He's not a friend or family but somewhere in between.
When I first met him he had just been sentenced to some community service for getting in a fight (which was a violation of his probation). He was 16 and a wannabe gangsta. He tries to pretend he's mexican and not indian by shaving his head and growing one of those quasi-moustaches. He was janother upper middle class boy trying to be what he thought a man should be. He was without purpose and unable to control his anger.
The judge said that if he continued along this path he would be dead in 5 years.
His parents would buy him alcohol just so that they would know where he was when he was drinking. They tried to control him. But honestly he was just a selfish prick. He couldn't see that he was hurting those around him.
If he did, it didn't bother him too much.
About 3 years ago, A was arrested for participating in a drive-by shooting. For reasons unknown to me, he decided that that day was going to be a good day for driving up to a group of 4 guys, pull out a .32 and fire 3 rounds in their general direction. He did this alone. He didn't hit anyone. He didn't even hit the wall behind them.
He's not a murderer. Just a confused kid. (At least, I want to believe that he is.)
When they picked him up in his car, the wedding ring on his finger was 6 hours old. He was now a husband, a father (his wife had a kid with someone else at 16) and a felon all at 18.
No need to worry about being prosecuted as a minor. Two months too late.
When they asked him where he was from. He responded with his gang affiliation.
Idiot. You do not want to know how sadistic California gang enhancement laws are.
Bail was set at $2,000,000. One more 0 then his family could manage with a bond.
He sat in the la county jail for 16 months awaiting trial. His family hired private detectives and lawyers and worked so hard to get him off. He was facing 4 counts of attempted murder, possession of unlawful firearm and violating probation all combined with a gang enhancement. He could've died in prison.
I visited him once. Since he wasn't actually convicted of anything yet he didn't have access to those cushy things you get in a maximum security prison. Like exercise periods or a library. He was allowed visitors for 15 minutes 5 days a week. It took two hours of waiting to see him. His parents came every day.
He hadn't seen the sun in so long he was white. I had never seen an indian with skin as pale as a ghost.
I cried for him.
The search was illegal. Charges dropped due to lack of evidence. It's amazing what $100,000 in lawyer and private detective fees will get you. The cost of justice in los angeles.
A said he was done with the gang business. He had found religion. He was getting his gang tatoos removed. He was getting involved with his son who had aged so much while he was in jail.
I had seen him since. I played with his son and watched him with his wife. She wants a divorce. He doesn't. She'll get deported if they separate.
Here is where we come to the point of this story.
12:30 am sat morning (technically) A walks out of a 7-eleven in las vegas. he was out there with a couple of his friends. They were out looking for a good time. Presumably buying beer and phillies for a night with his friends in the city.
A car pulls up. Shots are fired. So many shots. A bullet sank deep into A's thigh lodging itself near his femur. Another hits him in the chest, piercing his lung before leaving through his back. Another bullet just misses his collar bone and leaves him pierced straight through, just inches away from his throat.
He was the only one that was hit.
He lost over 5 pints of blood. Again he had become this pale indian ghost. But now covered in his own blood struggling to breath with a pierced chest cavity. Unable to make his lungs expand and contract.
He was in surgery for over 2 hours. He went into cardiac arrest 3 times during the procedure.
He still lives. He's listed as critical condition and the doctors are wary of saying that he will pull through since he can go into cardiac arrest at any time. But as of Sunday his heart is beating on its own. And as of yesterday he is breathing on his own. He can talk a little and he can move his toes. But his stomach his filling with fluid and the doctor's don't want to mess with it because of his fragile state.
His wife and his family are there with him.
His wife is pregnant. I think about her and her, soon to be, two children often now.
I think about him lying there, machines beeping, bloody gauze wrapped around his neck and two things keep running through my mind:
I hope that that judge was wrong.
How many second chances does a man get?
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We're definitely in for Friday. I hope to see you there.
Hope you're holding in there.