-Andre, California Medical Facility (CMF) in Vacaville, CA
I got caught up in the streets on accident. I was a nerd and an athlete growing up. When I was fourteen, I was robbed at gunpoint. That feeling of helplessness and fear led me to having a mindset of, I’ll never let anyone do me or one of my siblings like that again.
I got a gun from a neighborhood thug and proceeded to push my weight around in the streets. The streets are a place of freedom, adrenaline rushes and excitement. It’s also the fear of death or harm. Untrusting souls, damaged and uneducated people just trying to survive.
It’s cutthroat. The streets force you to lock away all your humanity, in order to live day-to-day. It’s not cool at all. Today, I am so in tuned with my core self that the thought of going back to the streets, or harming another individual, doesn’t even exist.
What used to excite me now scares me. My joy now comes from helping others, being loved and loving my family.
I’m living a life that’s in line with the standards I have set for myself as a human being.