Category: Piece of the Week

by R, Sacramento Pain is a word I have heard a lot. It’s also something I have dealt with a lot. Since I was a child, I’ve experienced pain. Both physical and mental or emotional pain I know very well. As physical gain goes, I have broken my hand and shin. I have also been burned, cut, and jumped.  To me, physical pain is easier to deal with than mental pain. If it’s physical, you are hurt for a while, a couple days, couple weeks, or a couple of months. But your body is going to heal eventually because that’s

by Lil O, James Ranch, Santa Clara During my life I’ve been through some things, seen a lot, done a lot, been through a lot. I remember those days when I was a little kid being a little travieso and shhh.  Growing up was hard, my mom didn’t want me to be like my family, she wants me to be a good kid doing good. I was a kid that struggled a lot, got angry all the time. My mom didn’t like that. She used to hit me. She’ll call my uncles and they’ll do the same thing they wanted

by JA, Sacramento I have seen a lot. Some I can’t talk about, growing up in the area I grew up in. You gotta stick and weave. If you know then you know. Some make it out, some don’t. Some get killed trying to make it out, some like bein’ even sixteen.  I have done seen so much when I was five. I’m not like the others and for sure not like others my age nor is my mind or person. A lot of people think I’m older than my age. I had to grow up fast. Do I like

 ghost, San Mateo I’ve never really felt guilty about anything except this one evening. I was fresh out from school around 3 o’clock, my friends only had six periods, so they were already out and waiting for me at the yard. My boy from school, J and my other friend from another school approached me. J told me he just copped a few bars (Xanax) to flip. So, I was like damn let me cop some and he said it was good, so I bought four and popped them right there. So, we went to this park right there, like

B, Saramento Looking ahead, I see me in the future. My path not certain yet. I’m either on the block or dead. I don’t know why, that’s the feeling I get often, you feel me. So I just thug it throughout the day.  It do be lookin’ promising, but if that’s what the future holds, I gotta be prepared. Because life is tricky. And death gon’ be easy, but life is very hard. You just gotta, or should, I say me, I gotta find a goal and set my focus on that.  I’m always to worry about that and looking

by H, Los Angeles I’ve always been one to lend a hand to people who are in desperate times and needs even though they’ve rarely extended their hands to me.  At times, it kinda sucks because the world would be a better place if everyone looked out for everyone. But, at the end of the day, it’s not gonna be like that. The only way to make it that way is to pay it forward. Lend people your attention and affection and maybe they’ll appreciate it a lot and do it for someone else. That’s the only way to do

by Jasmine, Sonoma Last time I got a letter written to me, was the first week of being in Juvie. It would’ve taken less time because she had only sent it in after me being locked up for a couple of hours. That’s how you know a person is keeping it 100 with you because she put money on the phone as well. I was kind of surprised because she was mad at me before I got locked up, but I know she was always keeping it 100, even if she was mad at me.  The meaning behind the letter

by Bradley, Sonoma I was sentenced to placement, but though if I just did my absolute best through the program and not allow my anger to come out, I could just be the same person when I got out.  I would describe that mindset that I was in as the “fake it ‘till you make it” attitude. I didn’t truly want change for myself, but after a few months of doing good, and “faking it,” without working on myself, I snapped.  I was just putting the anger, the regret, and the sadness that I was building up further and further

by E, Sacramento I’m my own worst enemy, simply because I feel like I give up on myself a lot. Like sometimes, I will start to do something and then halfway through it, I’ll just give up on myself and get lazy and lose all my confidence.  Even not just doing things, but even when I’m in here. I struggle with myself in my own mind and start to think about all the things I’ve done and beat up on myself. And I get down and out a lot.  I’m also my own worst enemy because I do a lot

by Yoshua, San Mateo If I only had six words to give advice to give my ten-year-old self it would be “Always stay on your ten toes.” Obviously I’d say way more than just that but since you guys asked for a six word phrase that was it. The reason why I chose those words was so he could be more aware of his surroundings. And by that I mean to know friends aren’t always friends, to know friends could be fake, backstabbers, and the list could go forever.  Since I’ve never had any family except my mom I saw