I grew up in tacoma and as a kid there was nothing more common than seeing gangs and to a certain extent they where the protection in the area...

At my bus stop it wasn't uncommon to see parts of the sidewalk chalked off so that nobody could walk on certain spots.i saw my first person get shot when i was in second grade and from there it was like the hunger games.The walls tagged up over the doors of the nearby apartment complexes and the stop signs littered with what looked like hieroglyphics to outsiders would signal people what belonged to whom. I was a tall kid stocky because of my genetics (samoan+asian and black) and it attracted attention kids where constantly bullying me but in my house it was (if you get beat up don't come home) and that made it worse.

one day i was walking home and for the first time in a long time i didn't have any friends and these guys pulled up to me and said "you bang?" i shook my head and said no sir. he told me to call him T. and he would give me a ride home. at that point i had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach and got in. i had heard about how some of these gangs made you kill your mom or your siblings and felt like i was going to cry. or shit myself both where viable options but i didn't cry much. he lit a blunt and and passed it back to me. i had never smoked before but i did it and felt like i was going to lose a lung. they entire car laughed and before i knew it the ride was over they dropped me off and some of the guys who lived across the street by my bus stop saw me. and gave me the head nod. (FUCK) the next day i was at the bus stop my little brother in first grade stood by my side. Sergio,Gabriel and his cousins (you can tell how traumatizing the next part was because i still remember these fuckers names) started pounding the shit out of me. and then they went for my little brother and i started throwing haymakers. choking and lifting everything and everyone i could while i got pounded on. my little brother took off like a rocket amid my cries of (Go home, GO HOME) i must have started to do too much or had finally become worth the notice of Sergio's older brother Mario who was 17 about 280 pounds fresh out of Juvenile detention because before i knew it i was getting stomped and beaten, punched and kicked from every angle white lights popping into my eyes and this faint then incredibly loud Screech of wheels. and i saw Mario get lifted. sergio, gabriel and the rest each on the ground or taking off in the opposite direction as T looked at me and told me to get in the car. i saw my mom running towards the bus stop with my little brother in tow. she stopped in front of T's car and i looked towards the sky thinking God no. and my mom said she didn't want me involved in any shit. and T played it off so easily. he said "he goes to school with one of my little brothers, you know how dangerous this area gets I'm just trying to do right by the little homie" i saw my mom relax a little and offer my brother up in the back seat with me. please get them to school on time. just this once. no bullshit" and he took us to school. i got there and thanked him sending my little brother off for the attendance role call. he stopped me and said "this ain't even nigga we're gonna make this right feel me?" (i didn't want to make it right, i wanted to shrink into my shell and never come out.)

Later that day i got out of school and T was waiting for me. i normally went to the Boys and girls club after school which for all intents and purposes was just an urban crucible at that point. and Gabriel and mario went there too. i knew that evidently so did T.

i remember him telling me to handle business. and saying you don't want to owe a man anything in this world. so make it right and square it up. i grabbed an aluminum ken griffey baseball bat. and my friend blake taunted gabriel with the help of my little brother. and both of them took off gabriel chasing them around the corner when my bat connected with his mouth and took what i later found out where most of his adult teeth out tearing the part above his lip in such a massive way that it looked like he had a cleft palate and while he was writhing in pain T was nodding and looked at mario now running towards me. took off gabriels belt and smacked mario in the face with it completely abandoning the bat i ran and heard T screaming STOP RUNNING STOP RUNNING. but my fear of him was irrational so i stopped and did the first thing that came to mind. I threw a kick. and it landed.. whooping noises from the car and this massive rage coupled with fear of the unknown made me an animal. smacking him with the belt until i got tired and my brother ran inside the boys and girls club. i had stopped and one of the workers had ran out. police where called but in that amount of time T and the car had told all of the people what had happened while they desperately tried to get ahold of my mom who was in college and my dad on the military base. they ultimately took gabriel and mario away banning them from the boys and girls club based on that event..

so much more happened but i don't want to bore reddit