Plea to Get Children Off on Right Foot
A lot of people out there think that gang members are all the same. But I don’t want children to live and see the life I have. I never had a childhood. I never got to be a kid.
My dad died when I was 4. My mom married when I was 7. That’s when things started changing. Hard times came in, no more attention for me. Then I found life and love in a gang when I was 12. The anger from my family problems would pour out in violence. I started doing drugs, and they would take me out of the real world, the world I didn’t want to be in, or see.
On April 14, 1986, I was 14 years old. I was arrested for a gang-related murder. It’s now 1991, and I’m still incarcerated with five more years to go. Almost a 20-year old, I’m trying to get my life back together. Recently my stepfather was incarcerated for hitting my mom with a hammer. My mom goes to visit him, but doesn’t visit me.
So I would like to urge all mothers to listen to your children. Most of the time they know what they are talking about. Give them attention and a lot of love. Let them be kids. Let them see parts of life you probably even haven’t seen. The mountains, rivers, etc. Explore the beautifulness of life. Don’t let them live or see the kind of life I have.
JOSE LAM 48921
Ventura School
California Youth Authority
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