Shvag Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 James, known to his friends as Puppet, was initiated into the Tongan Crip gang when he was 13 years old. For initiation, James was beaten up by his fellow gang members but, he said, afterward, "everybody gives you a hug and welcomes you to the family." "You got to take a beat down by your homies just to show them you're tough," he said. "And either you're in or you're not. That's it." James grew up with his older brother and sister and his mother. He said he "didn't have a father really," and his mother was always working. He chose to join the gang because all of his friends who he went to school with and played sports with in the neighborhood were getting involved. James's mother tried to get him involved with camps instead but, he said, he would always make his way back to his gang. Sometimes, when he was afraid to walk home from a friend's house, his mother would pick him up and bring him home. James's role model is his 31-year-old brother, Liam, who he has looked up to his whole life. After the first time James was shot, he said Liam stopped talking to him because he disapproved of his gang lifestyle. "I was sad because I figured that you should love me no matter what," he said. A few years ago, James called Liam and told him how hurt he was. They have since rekindled their relationship. Today, James lives with his mother and sister but, he said, the gang is as much a part of his family as they are. "I thought about leaving the gang before but I really can't because this is a part of my family, too," he said. "Even though I have a good, loving family at home, this is one of my families that I'm with all the time, too. I spent Christmas with them, Thanksgivings with them. This is my family, too. I'm not going to leave on my family." James will soon have a son of his own. His ex-girlfriend, who now lives away, is pregnant and due on Valentine's Day, so he is saving money so he can be a part of his child's life. If James gets custody, he said it will change his life. If his son chooses to join a gang one day, he said, he will be mad but will love his son no matter what. James aspires to be a paramedic because he enjoys helping people. He also has a love of cooking, especially steak and chicken. One thing that James likes about being in a gang is that it has introduced him to other people in his neighborhood. He also likes the fighting, seeing his friends every day and the rush it brings, which he plans to have for years to come. "I enjoy the risk of being out here. I enjoy seeing all my friends every day. I enjoy drinking with them. I enjoy seeing different girls all the time," he said. "I enjoy making bonds with my friends. The longer you chill, the more stuff you do, the closer you get together. That's something I look forward to. I look forward to it for many more years." Full article. 2 Link to comment
Facts Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 What I call a loyal faction, ya'll been holding this down for a minute. Nothing but respect 👏 3 Link to comment
Shvag Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 29 minutes ago, Facts said: What I call a loyal faction, ya'll been holding this down for a minute. Nothing but respect 👏 Facts Link to comment
Daylong Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 (edited) The faction's essential goal is to maintain a high standard of roleplay while trying to illustrate a realistic view of a Tongan Crip Gang. We believe that factions are made and built by people and communities who are capable to develop and create unique characters, so the proper character development stands in the first place. If you would like to roleplay with us, simply approach us in Grove Circle or Covenant Avenue area. We would like you to start “small” and preferably with a backstory which fits the area itself and an appropriate age. If you are planning to join our faction you can freely join our faction discord down below. Link to the faction discord: https://discord.gg/zFtaSm8MK4 If you have any questions in regards to joining, about the faction or even have any tips or would like to get to know anything about the faction, feel free to private-message @Daylong , @Epic or @Deddo. Faction reserves the right to carry out a character-kill to any character that aspires to become a part of the faction (hang arounds). All members must abide by the rules, if broken punishment will be handed out by leadership. Edited July 14, 2021 by Daylong Link to comment
Shvag Posted July 15, 2021 Share Posted July 15, 2021 Since he was just 9 years old, Kekai has been involved with the local Tongan Crip gang. He knows all too well the motto, "Live by the gun, die by the gun," after being shot six times four weeks ago after leaving a party in a rival gang neighborhood. "He thought I was flashing gang signs, you know, with the signs that I have [tattoos on his face], that he started pointing a gun at me with a red beam," he said, recalling the shooting. "All hell broke loose. He started shooting us. I got shot six times, in the stomach, in the thigh, the sides." Kekai, known to his friends as Pacman, has been arrested more than 50 times. His most serious offenses occurred in 2011, for battery with a weapon, in 2012, for aggravated assault with a weapon and possession of a firearm, and in 2015, for receipt of a stolen possession. "If you ain't got no job, you ain't got nowhere to go," he said. "After that, well, you're going to turn to the streets. The streets is calling you." Kekai currently lives with his wife and their two sons, age six and 16 months. Kekai never graduated high school and hopes his sons don't follow in his footsteps. "I'm going to have to watch every move they make," he said. "I had nothing to do, I had no guidance," he said. "So I was raised to be knocked on the streets, running around, looking at the older guys, what they had that I didn't have, and I wanted that." He tells his kids not to join a gang but instead, "go to school, try to be a president or something. Make something out of himself." In five years, he sees himself away from the gang lifestyle. He wants to be taking care of his wife and kids, perhaps working on his own. "Have a nice home, a nice area to live in and, hopefully, my son is going to be the president," he said. Full article. 2 Link to comment
Recommended Posts