Voices Behind The Wall

To begin, most people look at us young black kids.

Actually, I don't discriminate for young kids who are in situations similar to mine.

People look at us as bad for society, but no one ever said and thought what could have been done better for young kids to help them more physically and mentally.

If y'all knew the living situation we've been in, you'll understand why we do what we do.

And no, it's not y'all fault or anyone's fault, because we definitely should have had self-control and self-discipline.

But sometime along the way, young kids like myself was failed.

I grew up in a household with a single mother with five other siblings, along with myself.

And it was hard, and I don't want no charity cage, just listen.

It was time we didn't have nothing but empty fridge, nothing on top of some expired cereal, so really nothing.

Mind you, I'm not going to sit here and say my mom didn't do her best, but what about her and what she was going through? So I would never blame my mother for her actions or things she did to hide her pain.

Because she was alone and we made it work.

It wasn't all good, but it wasn't all bad.

Yeah, I feel myself also by giving up on what I was, giving up on me and not doing what I was passionate about, which was school.

But put yourself in my shoes, going to school, seeing all these kids, having these nice things, seeing their moms come to events, and you're looking for your mom, but you forget she got a regular 9 to 10 job and come back to 6 kids.

But some of you may think, well, kid, that's not my problem.

And you're right.

Things could have been done differently citywide and statewide, but nobody want to talk about that.

And that goes back to kids like myself getting seen as threats.

But do you know why we do what we do? Do you know why we do this? at home or not very taken care of, you go out the door yourself.

Now you're to blame.

But when things like mothers going missing or like kids like myself going missing or dying, nobody pays attention.

And that brings me to my mom at home.

She's not getting all the help and support she needed prior to her being missing.

No one ever thought, oh, these kids just acting out because they're missing their mom, the one who got kidnapped.

No one ever.

To begin, most people look at us young black kids.

Actually, I don't discriminate for young kids who are in situations similar to mine.

People look at us as bad for society, but no one ever said and thought what could have been done better for young kids to help them more physically and mentally.

If y'all knew the living situation we've been in, you'll understand why we do what we do.

And no, it's not y'all fault or anyone's fault, because we definitely should have had self-control and self-discipline.

But sometime along the way, young kids like myself was failed.

I grew up in a household with a single mother with five other siblings, along with myself.

And it was hard, and I don't want no charity cage, just listen.

It was time we didn't have nothing but empty fridge, nothing on top of some expired cereal, so really nothing.

Mind you, I'm not going to sit here and say my mom didn't do her best, but what about her and what she was going through? So I would never blame my mother for her actions or things she did to hide her pain.

Because she was alone and we made it work.

It wasn't all good, but it wasn't all bad.

Yeah, I feel myself also by giving up on what I was, giving up on me and not doing what I was passionate about, which was school.

But put yourself in my shoes, going to school, seeing all these kids, having these nice things, seeing their moms come to events, and you're looking for your mom, but you forget she got a regular 9 to 10 job and come back to 6 kids.

But some of you may think, well, kid, that's not my problem.

And you're right.

Things could have been done differently citywide and statewide, but nobody want to talk about that.

And that goes back to kids like myself getting seen as threats.

But do you know why we do what we do? Do you know why we do this? at home or not very taken care of, you go out the door yourself.

Now you're to blame.

But when things like mothers going missing or like kids like myself going missing or dying, nobody pays attention.

And that brings me to my mom at home.

She's not getting all the help and support she needed prior to her being missing.

No one ever thought, oh, these kids just acting out because they're missing their mom, the one who got kidnapped.

No one ever.