It's 1985 I'm a ten year old fifth grader attending the Stoner Hill Elementary School and living in the Stone Vista Apartments also known as the Stoner Hill Projects on the Eastside of Shreveport, Louisiana. This night I'm in the Wilkinson Terrace Apartments also known as Wilk-A-Land Projects standing on the corner of Barrett and the 1100 block of Wilkinson. The California Crips and Blood gang sets are emerging in different neighborhoods in Shreveport. Louisiana is known as the Boot State you know a place where you can come and get your ass kicked or your face stomped in. Shreveport already had some tough gangs in place before the arrival of the Crips and Bloods in Shreveport. There werethe 22 Gang, The Monks, Bash Knight and the Bottom Boys. Now every section eight area in the city was turning to Crips and Bloods
So I'm actually here on the corner this night when the housing unit became Neighborhood Crips. There were about seventeen guys on the corner that night. I'm hanging with my cousin Desmond Buff who is the same age as me. We are out here with his big brother Crasher who is fifteen years old. Wilkinson Terrace is a pretty tough neighborhood, I'm over here spending the night because my Mom is working. It seems late due to daylight savings time, but it's only 6:42 pm according to the calculator watch on my wrist. It's a cool November night and Crasher is standing next to a guy wearing an all white Dickies outfit, blue t-shirt underneath with some blue Chuck Taylor's tennis shoes on. He has a blue bandana hanging from the left side back pocket. His name is P‐Nut, he's eighteen years-old and been living in these projects since birth. He has family back in California whom lives in Rolling Sixty Crip territory so he's always been affiliated. That is what that Seattle Mariners hat represents on his head. Last night at the Joy Cinema Dollar Movie P-Nut and Crasher had a small altercation with some guys out of Queensboro which had become a Bloods territory. Four guys cornered them all wearing some type of red clothing and red bandanas. Luckily the security was right there because that could have been a tough battle. Neither one of them backed down from the fight they both was ready. This is one of the reasons we are gathered on the corner.
P-Nut pulls out a .38 Special from his waist line and yells for attention. “Listen up everybody! So ya'll heard what happened at the Joy last night. Them niggas claiming blood over there. Four of the slob niggas rolled up on us. Look if you ain't down for the hood then get from out here. It's time for the whole hood to start Crippin.” He paused and scanned a few faces. “Get ready homies the beef is about to be served. We gone represent that Rolling Sixty Crip to the fullest and like the homie Lump say this Wilk-A-Land.” He tucks his gun back in waist holds out two fingers and thumb towards everyone. “Who down who got our back because we bout to go work these clowns.” P-Nut was asking with a serious facial expression.
“Shit I'm down fo sho…” claims Marcus as he extends out the two fingers and thumb back to P-Nut replying “on Neighborhood cuz. Hell we all down homie.” The two fingers extended with the thumb out held downward I just learned means Neighborhood Crip. Wilkinson Terrace Apartments just became the Wilk-A-Land Neighborhood Rolling Sixty Crips.
Crasher turns to Desmond and I to tell us to go play in the front of the apartment so Aunt Brenda won't be looking for us. We obey and walk back to the apartment throwing the neighborhood sign back and forth at each other. Desmond ask me was I down with the set. I look at him and tell him we crippin now. As we're turning the corner I look back and see Crasher taking a big gun out the trunk of a car. They got in the car with one other guy and drove off.
P-Nut is driving down Jewella Avenue with Crasher holding two Ruger LC 380 seven shot hand guns. The guy who got in the back seat is T-Rod. He is holding a 12 gauge pump. T-Rod was a 22 year old drop out weed selling thug. He was down for representing the neighborhood. He went to prison when he was eighteen years-old for two years for pistol whipping a guy who wouldn't apologize for stepping on his shoe at a party he was attending. P-Nut turns off Jewella by the Fina onto Jackson Street and immediately they spot five dudes sitting out in a yard. Two of them have red rags tied around their heads. That was all they needed to see. It didn't matter if they were the guys from the movies the other night. They came to send a message and it was about to be sent. Crasher has a blue bandana wrapped around his face from the nose down and blue bandana wrapped around the top of his head. T-Rod has on a Beanie cap and bandana as his disguise. P-Nut has on a ski mask. He pulls up in a brown 1985 four door Buick LeSabre and comes to a complete stop. T-Rod leaned out the back passenger side window with the Mossberg 500 six shot gauge and yelled “this Wilk-A-Land bitch!” and started shooting. Crasher came out the passenger window and started shooting as well.
The Bloods turned their heads at the sound of T-Rod’s voice and as soon as they recognized the gun they started scattering. One guy turned to run and knocked his buddy over a chair and they fell to the ground. One guy sitting on the porch dropped his joint stands up and pulls up M&P 22 magnum pistol that holds thirty rounds and returns fire. As he was shooting the guy trying to get inside the house was struck in the back shoulder then his leg. He falls to the porch in pain. P-Nut realizes they're shooting back at the sounds of the bullets hitting the car. He smashes on the gas pulling off quick as possible. He turns a few corners makes it to Lakeshore to the I-20 on ramp and their gone. No one has said a word as they drive the car to Barrett Elementary School park-n-lot. They wiped the stolen car down with their bandanas and fled back to the projects on foot which is a block away.
Crasher was back home in his room pacing around not knowing what to feel. He was feeling troubled thinking he had just killed someone. He barely slept that night. The next morning he woke up early enough to watch the 6:00 clock news. Just as he knew they would KSLA news mentioned a drive by shooting that left one man injured. No witnesses the Bloods could only tell the truth, a car pulled up and started shooting. They didn't know who they were. What they did know was that is was some Crips from Wilkinson and retaliation is a must.
Thanksgiving is tomorrow My Aunt Brenda is preparing the feast and my Mom will be here to help her shortly. Desmond and I are heading outside to the park area. Children all over the projects playing and having fun. School had been out this past week for Thanksgiving holiday. As we're sitting on the merry-go-round Desmond spots his brother and a group of guys heading away from the projects towards the St. Vincent Mall. We run to catch up with them. Crasher allowed us to follow along. The mall was full of people walking around and shopping. We are heading to the arcade room. Once we made it to the arcade room there was immediately some tension. There were three Bloods in there. They had a stare down with each other and some small head nodding. I was a little nervous even though it was Crasher, P-Nut, and three other guys with them. That would be Ty, DeeDee, and Pat. Fifteen minutes go by and everything was cool until Crasher approached one of the females there. He walks over introduce himself and ask her name. Before she could reply the guy wearing the Chicago Bulls hat looks over and say “Get yo crab ass away from my sister dawg.” He was walking up fast and soon as he got close enough Crasher hauled off and hit him in the jaw. He falls backwards to the floor, but gets right back up charges at Crasher swinging and lands one in his eye. The other two Bloods run over to help, they tackle Crasher to the ground throwing and landing many punches as possible. The commotion got the attention of P-Nut and the homies so they rush right in grabbing the dudes from over Crasher. It's now five on three and the Bloods put up a good battle but it was them on the floor being stomped by the time security got there. As security was approaching we all struck out running for the nearest exit. I didn't swing one lick or kick one foot but it felt good watching the big homies kick some ass.
Back in the projects it was being talked about and laughed about. Wilkinson is starting to build a reputation that will demand respect. The rest of the day went well without chaos. And Thanksgiving was great. When I made it back to Stoner Hill me and my buddies was talking about the gangs taking over. We didn't know what to decide on because Stoner Hill had some 5/2 Hoovas on one end and some 103 Grape St coming into place and all we really wanted to do was play basketball and football. I announced that I was already claiming Neighborhood Crip which a couple of homies were saying we should not get involved in this. So the rest of the school year went by and I was still representing Neighborhood Crip especially going back and forth to Wilkinson Terrace. I wasn't getting into shoot outs and gang fights like the big homies were but middle school will start my official criminal and gang activities.
More to come stay tuned
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