what does it take to stop gangs from killing each other

Location

gangs in los angeles

don't fly their colors 

the way they use to

but the rivalries persist

in the 1980's members of two dominant gangs

the crips and bloods

flaunted their affiliation

by dressing in blue (crips)

or red (blood)

even doing so made them targets

today,

computer databases

gang injunctions, and enhanced criminal sanctions

for gang-related crime

have driven such obvious, outward expressions

of gang affiliation underground

gang members now wear their colors

mainly on you tube

where they concealed their identities with bandanas

like the cowards they are

or on special occasions

as a result

a blue or red shirt no longer

signifies gang membership

in the way that it used to

at least, it's not suppose to

 

but imagine a kid at the age of 14

stepped out in front of his boy's house

wearing red in south L.A controlled by a crips member

of the gang pedaling past took offense and opened fire on him

killed instantly

they celebrate it embracing bragging rights

there was someone a long time ago who wore blue

whom rewrote history

jackie robinson wore blue, played for brooklyn dodgers

change the game by not being the 1st negro to play baseball

but ended segregation of the jim crow era

no one won't wave their hands for that 

but would rather throw their fingers in the air 

and talk smack about an innocnet life was taken

people say slavery ended

no it didn't

people still enslave each other

by promoting fabrications of illusions whose purpose

is to kill someone who rocks a certain color

 

it didn't stop 

it created a serious heat wave hotter than a 90 degree with humidity of 100

that travel from L.A to N.Y

same mentality, same motive

kill by any means necessary (something that malcolm x would cry in his grave)

if he had heard this non-sensible ideology

gangs recruitment increase

names of gangs sky rocketed

colors have become multi-dimensional

like yellow and black-that's right

they are call latin kings

whose idiotic notion of anyone wearing that color is an enemy

they honor his form of gang affiliation by praying to amor de rey

that means king's love

i knew someone that wore yellow and black proudly

his name was roberto clemente

who played for pittsburgh pirates

recorded his 3000th hit in his career

before his fatal plane crash that took his life 

before his time

why no one celebrated him opening up doors for latinos to play baseball

in which became a major contribution

but rather kill your rivals, trinitarios for what? retribution

people are scare for their lives

all because they walk 5 blocks in the wrong direction

if we don't find alternatives for young people

to keep them safe and build an identity

we're giving that power back to the streets

 

 

 

 

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