"Dear Mama"
by Franklin Makle
by Franklin Makle
2pac’s song “Dear Mama” is a good example of how bad circumstances when you are younger can lead to getting in trouble later in life. This is his true story about how he has made bad choices, but his mother was always by his side. Growing up with no father is a sad case, but even sadder that is how it is everywhere. This is more common in African American communities. This song also talks about poverty. It is proven that the poorer you are, the more likely you are to end up in jail. This is true because if you don’t get enough money legally or can’t find a job then you have to get it another way. This can be from selling drugs, prostituting, or robbery. This relates to DC youth for juvenile justice because 2pac died as a young age and committed most of these crimes as a youth and was tried as a juvenile. I chose this video because during his time, 2pac was the best. He was an influential figure for youth from all generations. He knew how to grab attention, and that is the first step to informing today’s youth.
Dear Mama is a representation of topics: love of his mother and nostalgic way of how he and his sister grew up. It is tribute to her. He is saying that he got in trouble, but his mother was always there for him and his little sister. He said “When things went wrong, we'd blame mama. I reminisce on the stress I caused, it was hell. Huggin on my mama from a jail cell.” This reveals his mothers true love for him by visiting him in jail. Most mothers can’t handle seeing their only son behind bars. She stayed strong and stayed by his side. The reason he ended up in the jail is because he needed money. This is a universal issue called poverty. He even says “I love payin rent when the rent's due.” This means that he is doing this to provide for his family. When people are desperate they are willing to do what needs be necessary. That may even involve illegal actions which will eventually land you in jail.
He grew up with only a mother. That is heard so often now days, it is truly sad. In one of his lines it says “No love from my daddy cause the coward wasn't there. He passed away and I didn't cry, cause my anger wouldn't let me feel for a stranger.” His father was never around so he had to find another father figure. He turned to the older boys out in the street. When that is all you have to look up to, that is what you are going to end up like. I can relate to this because I don’t really have a good relationship with my father. When he calls he every once in a while I just say “What does he need.” I feel like he only calls when he needs something. Sadly that is normally the case.
I know that I’m not the only person who can relate to these topics. Everyone is not that open about it, but that is completely understandable. Poverty and growing up with a positive male figure are sad issues that strike up a lot of emotions. The good thing that there are people out there trying to help. Organizations like Brother-to-brother, World vision, and Guidestar are just a few that are willing to help.
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Seeing the Future
by Reniya Dinkins
With every mistake comes a consequence, but the consequence is not always obvious. In Columbia, South Carolina, there is a program in which at-risk teen girls get a glimpse of prison life. Many teens may think that jail is nothing but sitting around all day, which may not sound bad to some people. However, there is much more to it. The clip that I am reviewing shows a news special of a program called “Scared Straight” in Columbia. It can help our group to see a teen undergoing a prison experience, showing us how bad jail really is. We can better understand the consequences of breaking the law, resulting in us having a stronger drive in wanting to help at-risk youth and the juvenile justice system as a whole. I chose this clip because I think that it provides an excellent idea. Seeing the consequence before the mistake can make a large impact on many at-risk teens due to the fact that many teens seem to act before they think about the future. I think we should add the idea to our objectives.
by Reniya Dinkins
With every mistake comes a consequence, but the consequence is not always obvious. In Columbia, South Carolina, there is a program in which at-risk teen girls get a glimpse of prison life. Many teens may think that jail is nothing but sitting around all day, which may not sound bad to some people. However, there is much more to it. The clip that I am reviewing shows a news special of a program called “Scared Straight” in Columbia. It can help our group to see a teen undergoing a prison experience, showing us how bad jail really is. We can better understand the consequences of breaking the law, resulting in us having a stronger drive in wanting to help at-risk youth and the juvenile justice system as a whole. I chose this clip because I think that it provides an excellent idea. Seeing the consequence before the mistake can make a large impact on many at-risk teens due to the fact that many teens seem to act before they think about the future. I think we should add the idea to our objectives.
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=14986313
Before this clip, I did not know that prisoners in a juvenile detention center are required to do drills. The environment is extremely harsh, but only because the goal is not just to lock delinquents up and make them think, but to change their behavior and teach them respect. Deputy Kelvin Griffin told WISTV, "I love each and every one of 'em, and that's why I decide to do this."
Not only does the program provide an inside experience, but it also allows the teenagers to learn from the experience of others. Speakers such as Kayron Rogers tell the teens about their personal life experiences with the juvenile justice system. Rogers is the mother of a juvenile delinquent who is paying the price for his actions in jail. Hearing from her may have helped the teenagers to better understand their parents’ side of view.
The second video that I reviewed was about a boy named Rodrick who is seventeen years old and in a juvenile detention center. I wanted to write about this clip because it helped me to better understand what is going on inside of the mind of a prisoner and the affect that jail has had on his life. Seeing things from Roderick’s side of view can help DCYJJ make a bigger impact in the juvenile justice system. The better we understand the system as well as the teens going into the system, the more we can help. We can use Rodrick’s learning experience and use it for other teens. The only difference would be that they learn the lesson of obeying the law before they go into prison.
Not only does the program provide an inside experience, but it also allows the teenagers to learn from the experience of others. Speakers such as Kayron Rogers tell the teens about their personal life experiences with the juvenile justice system. Rogers is the mother of a juvenile delinquent who is paying the price for his actions in jail. Hearing from her may have helped the teenagers to better understand their parents’ side of view.
The second video that I reviewed was about a boy named Rodrick who is seventeen years old and in a juvenile detention center. I wanted to write about this clip because it helped me to better understand what is going on inside of the mind of a prisoner and the affect that jail has had on his life. Seeing things from Roderick’s side of view can help DCYJJ make a bigger impact in the juvenile justice system. The better we understand the system as well as the teens going into the system, the more we can help. We can use Rodrick’s learning experience and use it for other teens. The only difference would be that they learn the lesson of obeying the law before they go into prison.
In the clip, Roderick shared one of the things that he thinks about quite frequently while being locked up: his family and friends. Not only does he miss being with them, but he also flashes back to when he was fourteen and fifteen years old when they told him that the decisions that he was making at the time would land him either in prison or dead by the time he turned eighteen. He hates the fact that he lived up to their low expectation of him. I think that this is one of the biggest lessons that a person can only learn after making the mistake of breaking the law. The feeling of disappointment in yourself can be what hurts the most. DCYJJ can help youth to identify the mistakes that they are making now and turn them around before they have to experience such disappointment. I believe that allowing teenagers to learn from the mistakes of others and see a devastating future for themselves in the present can help them to turn their life around for the better, which, in the end, is the main goal.
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by Ricky Peacock
As a part of the DC Youth for Juvenile Justice group, I have decided to speak about how young African -Americans are mistreated. It is frustrating to see how young black men are stereotyped and looked upon in society. Young black men are seen as drug users or hustlers who can be abusive. When it comes to how black men are seen in relationships with women, we are seen as threats, especially to white women. During the Jim Crow days, black men weren’t even allowed to talk to white women or else they would be lynched.
A great historical event that is an example of this is the story of Emmit Til. Emmit Til had his life taking away for whistling at a young lady that wasn't of his race. This video clip will explain more about the story of Emmit Til.
Situations similar to Emmit Til’s still take place to juveniles today but sometimes they are not as serious. Juveniles, especially of the African American Ethnicity, are mistreated. Young black teens in Washington DC are constantly looked down upon as having no successful future. A hustler, inmate, or another dead body is usually what is expected.
Young people in DC have no choice but to get in trouble. Society already determines their future and puts them in a certain category. How can a person perform well if society doesn't allow them? In modern society, teens are seen as trouble makers so they are treated a certain way. If it is repeatedly stressed a group of people act a certain way, then a person in this group may believe that this characteristic or description that is being put on them is really in them when it is not.
I believe the color of your skin doesn't determine if your better than someone. It should most definitely not cost a person his or her life. My take on the Emmit Til story is that it is completely unacceptable that society looks down on a group of people as if they are different or less of value. This shouldn't be the case. For a certain group to be treated better than another is completely unfair. However that's how society is. It's not right but “it just be like that sometimes.”
I quoted the previous words because when I asked some of the young juveniles I know who have been stereotyped and mistreated by our society this was a common answer. Most of the teens in my neighborhood believe they are supposed to be looked down upon and not treated the same as everyone else they believe that “it just be like that sometimes”. When the next friend of theirs is locked up or killed over something he wasn't supposed to be doing, they get over it quickly and keep doing wrong. The death or incarceration doesn't fully impact them enough to know that they need to stop doing what they are doing because they’re just falling into a cycle. As a member of the Juvenile Justice group, we will try to break this cycle as much as we can. As we stated in our vision statement, we will create plans to help teenagers make better choices and ultimately have a better future than becoming either a hustler, inmate, or dead body. Instead there could be more high school graduates, college students, and even lawyers and doctors that look just like me.
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by Stevan Austin
