Here's an archive of our old Live and Learn Articles.

Real Gang Stories

a life of pain, a life of anger... a life of lernin'?
this is out 2 all u ppl that have suffered a great deal. i am 13, i'v been into gangs sin¢e i was 8, but just resintly i been hangin around wid this Brim nigga, he not a bad guy or nuthin, he not tea¢hin me wutz wrong or nuthin he just helpin me. continued

Tell me who youre friends are and ill tell you who you really are
u know that saying "Tell me who youre friends are and ill tell you who you really are" well gang life is similar to that theres diffrent ways you start getting in gangs or krews continued

This is not a way of life
I came from a very close knit family.I am an only child,so it was always just me, my mom and my dad. continued

They Ask Why We Cry
I am a 14teen year old Gangster Disciple from New Orleans, and I feel like I am ready to die. continued

It takes no courage at all to follow the crowd in whatever they are doing. ...NONE. Courage lies in taking control of your life and responsibility for the decisions made by you." Girlnextdoor

Inside This Facade
This prison is my life-even death can’t set me free, from within the entanglements of this community continued

My Old Life
In All respect, im leavin this game, continued

Reflection
ive been doin so much thinking today. tryin to make justice for the things i used to do. make it look right, like it wasnt so bad. but, now it finally hit me. what shouldve been so clear. i am who i am, my past i should hold dear. God knows im far from perfect. yet, i am accepted in his eyes. so why do i try so hard to cover up my life with lies? continued

LA Gang Documentary
The overall message is to show Gang Banging as a self destructive activity that has devistated and is destroying generations of mostly young ethnic males. And to highlight the fact that it is not something that teenagers just decide to do one day.

The DVD is avilable from http://www.whywebang.com continued

my tales from the hood
my name is rah rah, and i've seen some sh** that i wouldn't wish upon anybody. it seems like everybody wants to be a gangsta these dayzcontinued

Learning young...
Yesterday morning my daughter comes into my room, I was lying on the bed feeding my son. Her dad had been playing with her in the living room downstairs, I could hear them laughing and having a good time. He's sooo good with her, she's his little woman. It's adorable. The doorbell had rang, and I assumed it was one of the homeboys, so made no thought of it. He yells up the stairs, I'll be right back. continued

Many Youngstaz
many youngstaz feel pressure to join gangs because they feel like there is nothing in their lives that make them feel like its worth living,some might feel like they'e already failed themselves so they feel,what's the use? continued

Life Without Parole at 17
Four years have passed since my last breath of air as a free man. I was 17 at the time, confused at who I was and not knowing the consequences of what I wanted to be. continued

A Way Out
for those who may know me, I receive prayer requests on the site. I am not the only one, but i noticed I get the same request from a lot of ppl. They wanna get out of the gang. continued

Latin Kings
KIDS THINKING LATIN KING IS A GAME IAM 22 YEARS OLD I BEEN A LATIN KING SINCE 1995. SEE WHEN YOU FIRST BECOME A MEMBER TO A GANG YOU WANT TO PROVE SOMINGTHING TO EVERYONE IN YOUR NATION ,ORGANAZATION ,SET WHATEVER THAT YOU BANG OR THAT YOU BUST YOUR GUNS YOU WANT NIGGERS TO RESPECT YOU. BUT WHAT ALOT OF YOUNG TEEN GANG MEMBERS DONT KNOW IS THAT THIER IS CONCIEQUENCE FOR EVERY YOU DO OUT HERE EVEN THE GOOD THINGS YOU DO. continued

Lights, Camera, Justice!
Ever watch the TV series 'Survivor'? Well, it doesn't live up to it's name like the forth coming PBS's 'Frontline'. They will air jury deliberations in a capitol murder trial in Harris County, Texas, the place known for condemning more people to death that just about anywhere on this planet. continued

How Lucky
I DONT THINK YALL Y.G'S KNOW HOW LUcKY YALL ARE. continued

A letter from Inside
Basically i'm still alive i've changed a lot on the real, i feel like i've grown locked up, i've been tought a lot, locked up, i laugh at the shit i did before but hey you live and learn right. continued

AFFECTS IN MY LIFE BEHIND PRISON WALLS Pts 1
MY LIFE AS AN INMATE HAS HAD A GREAT AFFECT ON MY LIFE. I HAVE BEEN INCARCERATED SINCE 8/14/98 SENTENCED TO THE CALIFORNIA YOUTH AUTHORITY. continued

AFFECTS IN MY LIFE BEHIND THE REALITY OF PRISON LIFE
PRISON HAS GIVEN ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN WHAT REALITY IS. THAT LIFE ISN'T JUST ONE BIG GAME. AFTER SEEING MANY PEOPLE SERVING LIFE IN PRISON I REALIZED, DO I WANT TO SPEND MY LIFE WAKING UP IN A CELL EATING FOOD THAT'S NO SATISFYING, ASKING MYSELF, WHY SPEND YEAR'S IN PRISON SUFFERING, WHEN I CAN SPEND YEAR'S IN A COLLEGE, MAKING MYSELF PROUDER AND HAPPIER. continued

Only 16 Years Old
Well i'm from northern califas. Ever since i was little i was always pressured to join gangs. I had family that were surenos and others that were nortenos. continued

Double O.G.
My name is Bah-Bah and I am a Blood from Lincoln Park Piru in Southeast San Diego, 65 miles south of Los Angeles. I have been a Blood since I was 15 years old; now I am 37. continued

You wanna be in gang imma tell u whats about..
Yo this go out them youngsta that wanna be in gang.... Befor you even thinnk about being in think about the things you gotta b down 4 drive by'z,rival bangins,fightz 24/7,ect.... continued

John Boy
john boy was a 17 year old kid that i was going to get clic in to the latin kings he was the most sweetest thing but when he had to get down he did so this is for his memorie and to teach u bad ass's. continued

O' Wanna knOw about gangs do yOu??
Leme tall you something ALL MY LIFE i have lived in neighborhoOds were gangs where connected to 87% of the crimes in my hoOd!! continued

my life as a 21 HOOVER LOCOS CRIMINAL
MY NAME IS OG CYCO AND I HAVE CEEN IN A GANG FOR 24 YEARS. I WAS INTRODUCED TO THIS LIFE LIVING IN CALIFORNIA WITH MY MOTHER. I WAS JUMPED IN AT THE AGE OF 9. continued

for the parents of kids who want to join gangs
People often wonder why kids join a gang They feel it brings alot of pain and shame The pain is that noone cares continued

Black on Black
Hello my people. I just wanted to express my thoughts on all this gang activity that is trying to take over my neighborhood. I am a 26 year old sista, who grew up in North Newark NJ, and I would love to raise my children here also. continued

Mi Vida Loca
My life is crazy this I know. I am just gonna sit back and tell yall a little bit about it. continued

Hard Times Bro
This letter is being shared at a time when my younger son has started to make the wrong decisions, which are similar to the one's my middle son has experienced first hand in the Penitentiary.continued

Lessons Learned
This is a letter that was sent to my youngest son Samuel, from his brother Carlos, that is now doing time in Salinas Valley State Prison. .continued

I need help for my closest loved ones
My name is Swizz and I have live in Los Angeles and NYC. I now live in Maine. I was Beat into a gang when I was 13 years old in Miami.continued

have they got your back?
im only 18 i started as a gang mamber at the age of 12, i had always wanted to be in one i thought that they were your only familia but that was all a lie. continued

38 years of pain
Today I picked up a copy of the Los Angeles Times and quickly turned to the local news. there I read "Inglewood: Bullet Riddled Body Found In Drivers Seat". continued

This is how it is...
Yo i know what you soon to be gang members want. You want to be one of da big dogs. Well let me tell you how it is. continued

In Memory
I writing you tonight because I'm tired. Tired of losing friends too young, tired of kids killing kids. A young g that I've been working with, trying to get him out of the hood got gunned down the other night 'cuz he wanted out. Frankie C wanted out enough that he went and got his tattoo's removed, ready to start his new life. Killed in the streets because he wanted out. He was 17, lucky that he'd lived that long, and dyin' when he finally had a chance. Sometimes it scares me to think I used to understand the logic that went into this shit. Now, at 36 it makes me feel 106. R.I.P Frankie C. Lito

Words from an "OG"
I want to speak out to the youngsters who are reading this right now. I am 44 years old and I grew up in the gang capitol (South Central) Los Angeles in the 1970's. Let me tell you whats going on today is nothing like it was when I was up in it. continued

Growin Up In Red Hook
it was hard growin up where im from. i grew up in the projects in red hook, brooklyn. i was seein little kids about 6 years old dying cuz they was in gangs. i saw my daddy killed shot in the face right in front of me when i was 11 and my mamma hasnt been right ever sience. continued

Stay Out, Stay Safe
think ive seen as much as the worst out there. ive seen my boy grow from little boy to full grown bad asses. continued

Gotta Change
stop livin lies,live in tha truth,,less do it for ourselves,and do it for tha youth continued

Life and Death
to all you wannabe gang thug fool it aint easy on the streets.were i live at is a little town but the gang activity is big.so heres a little about me i live in electra,tx and im a CRIP and this is to get some of you young fools out of the life i live. continued

To Bang
Sup All! i was checking out that post about everyones ages and i noticed that little arguement about one person being younger than the other! That was funny and at the same time childish! not clowning but it was. Age aint nothing but a number and a gangmember doesnt have no age! I know of gangmembers that range from 5 to 50 yrs old and if you ask me i think thats fucked up..continued

Make The Change
I'm sayin yea, we all had some fucked up lives but why cant we be the ones to change this cycle?? Why do we have to make things worse and just go along with it? We know in our hearts and minds that this shyt is tired. We are sick of the pain, the heartache, the tears, the funerals, the whole fucking point of banging.continued

Reality Check
First let me start by saying I respect and feel the pain of each and every person on the message boards on this site. My name, well my old "street" name used to be T.I.G. so I'm going to rep that right now. No I never banged in L.A. or N.Y.C. but as a kid growing up in the "hood" near Chicago I done my share of Gangbangin. I was a member of the Organization Gangsta Disciple Nation, ie. FOLKS....I went from city to city. Town to Town, me and my crew fighting every rival we could. I've seen men/woman die and some of my homies also. But I look back on that and say "what for" It was so fucking stupid. continued

Reality Check 2
Now for the youngsters okay lets keep it real I have no problem with that... by all means ladies and gentleman it is really depressing to read all the stories from all of you and I realize alot of your hurt but what is keeping you involved in this lifestyle... why is it that you must continue your fight for something that is so ignorant...continued

Raw2Def I'm from Newark, NJ.  I'm sure that the first thing people think about when they hear Newark aka Bricc City is stolen cars.  That aint all.  It's a lot of things that come out of here, Redman, Outlaws, Outz, so on and so on.  Now everything is Bs and Cs.  On top of the police that like to kill niggaz out here but thats a different subject.  continued

Responding Hello. My name is Marki. No, I'm not a gang memeber. No, I have never been. But my heart goes out. See, I'm 24 years old, and I am from the South-Side of Chicago. And anyone form the Chi can feel me. continued

Older But Wiser.... My name is EDWARDO I AM FROM SOUTH CENTRAL L A I GREW UP IN THE HOOD RAN BY THE ROLLING 60 CRIP GANG 65TH AND 4TH AVE TO BE EXACT I HAVE A LOT OF MEMORIES OF VIOLENCE AND CRIME CRACC HEADS AND JUST BADD SHIT IT WAS CRAZY BACK THEN... continued

OLD SMOKE's REALITY
I'M A TELL U A REAL LIFE STORY AbOUT 3 NIGGAZ I GREW UP WIT.1 NIGGA IS LOGIC,2 NIGGA IS JUGMENT,MY FAVORTIE NIGGA IS B.D.C. THIS NIGGAZ WERE SOME CRAZY NIGGAZ TO bE WIT WE SMOKE WEED AND PARTIED TOGETHER.continued

The Lifestyle’s Not Worth It…I truly believe that the glorification of the "gangster" lifestyle has directly contributed to the explosion of gang activity all across the U.S. It all started with 'gangsta rap' and the world was never the same again. There IS a fine line between 'telling it like it is' in a LEGITIMATE and RESPONSIBLE manner and holding up 40's, guns, and bragging about murdering people in rap videos. Why do you think that suburban white kids are now dressing up 'hood' style and talking in 'G' slang? continued