Q: What do people need to know about African American men in Oakland? A: That there is hope. There are strong-minded individuals, they’re our families, they’re all our people. That do have potential to be very great men and women, and to – have the potential to... help you.
Q: What have you learned from your father? A: Take care of his kids.
Q: That’s it? Last couple questions, what is your greatest achievement? A: MVPs, trophies, championships, baseball, football, Defensive Player of the Year.
Q: My last question is, what advice would you give other African American youth? A: Hop up out the streets, ’cause the hood don’t love you. They’ll shoot you in the back of the head, all because they jealous of you. They want to be the top dog, but then, they can’t wait they turn, which is silly ’cause good comes to those who wait. Just be patient, you’ll get you time to shine, but… growing up in the hood, and living that gangster lifestyle, or thug lifestyle, it ain’t no – it ain’t nothing
good gonna come out of it, at all. I’ve lived it. I’ve done it. I started thuggin’ at 12-years-old, like, started young, I’ll be 19 in a week. I been to jail three times. It took about, the third time for me to have a real experience, like, I need to grow up man, need to mature, it just – it just clicked.
Q: Is there anything else that you would like to add? A: It’s very important to believe in yourself, because I’m pretty sure, growing up in the hood – if you watching this documentary... it’s like, you know that it’s not a lot of people that support you, you feel me? You may not have a lotta people that support you, or since they don’t support you, you don’t even support yourself, like, I’m telling you, you got to just be independent. Have a plan, set goals and strive to succeed. Achieve those goals.
Q: Thank you for your time.
TRANSCRIPTS: YOUTH UPRISING: DE ANDRE JOHNSON
more support to the younger generation from the older generations. More so – as saying – like, not teaching ’em how to sell dope, but teaching ’em how to do something else, besides sell dope, and shoot dice, whatever comes along with the hood life.
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