CONTINUE EDITING DISCARD
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Kianna and her six children were on their way
down town on a PAT bus.
Someone was funky and had not taken a shower
"Mommy, " Chantel who was 4 pulled on Kianna's coat. "Why do we
have to get up so early I'm tired. " she whined.
"We gonna see daddy." Kayla who was 8 said. "I miss daddy so
much. "
They arrived down town and Boarded a Bus belonging to Families Outside,
an organization that helped families of inmates in the Commonwealth see their
loved ones.
The scent of Fried Chicken, hair grease, and cheap perfume filled the air.
She looked around the bus and spoke to everyone she knew from prior trips.
Kianna is a very social person and as her eyes surveyed the room she spotted a
skinny white girl holding on to two babies.
"Newbie" she said and walked over to
the nervous woman remembering her first time.
Kianna remembered her first time on
the bus three years ago. She had a baby, who had never met her father, because
he was in the County jail awaiting trail. She remembered not really knowing
what to expect and she smiled because other women stepped up and helped her get
through it.
She smiled as she walked over to the
skinny white girl and introduced herself. “Hi I’m Kianna.”
“Lisa” the girl said. “I’ve never
done this before.”
“Don’t worry we have all been through
this girl. We will help you.”
Lisa smiled and several other women
started asking her about questions and talking about their men.
“Did he take the Plea?” Wanda asked.
“Yes” Lisa said. “I didn’t want him
too.”
“Girl it’s because we do not know our
rights and we let the man fool us.” Kianna said. She had to become a Radical
because she realized that they were shipping poor men to prison for a long time
because the system was designed to convince these men that they will be
convicted.
“Yo sure is right about dat.” Silvia
said. Her man was serving life in prison for a homicide that she knows he did
not comment.
“Don’t encourage her.” Becca said
“You know how Malcom Farrakaun Kianna is.” Rolling her eyes.
“Becca you gone always be a victim
cause you refuse to learn anything.” Said Kianna.
“You think you are better than us
cause you trying to get your remedial ass into college and you can barely
read.”
Kianna was so sick of Silvia’s shit
always talking shit on her poor education. Silvia was a Bougie bitch who got
hooked on drugs and lost everything. Now she just talked trash talked everyone
else.
“Why you always talking about my
education?” Kianna asked. “ You think you are so much better than everyone
else.” She said standing up. “Look where you at? You here in the same place we
are so tell me again why you don’t just shut up?
The bus pulled up to the Prison three
hours later the Prison was a short distance away from the State Capital of
Pennsylvania, Harrisburg.
The woman got in a long line they
knew their bodies would be searched and touched by the guards. It was the new
reality of the hood. Males locked away like animals and the women to be
molested by the male and female guards. Kianna thought this. She thought about
her sons and daughters and prayed that none of her children ended up in the dark
Prison.
They were given two hours to visit
with Carlos Sr. He was a medium height husky dark skin man. He had a shaved head now. He was thrilled to see his family and hugged them. They got their pictures taken by him
and one of the other inmates helped him take pictures with him in there.
He died inside when they left because
he missed them so much. Kianna was a strong woman who took care of his kids as
best he could.
Kianna was a beautiful woman with a
booming body but everyone knew she could barely read and write. She always dreamed of learning but sadly no
one cared if she learned to read or write or not both when she was in school
and now. So she just gave up her dream of being educated.
HAWKINS VILLAGE APRIL 2000
Kianna and her children returned home
to Hawkins Village, A housing Projects, run by HUD in Rankin PA.
There were 15 rows of Town Houses set
up barrack style they ranged from 1 bedroom to 4.
Kianna had two apartments because
there was not enough rooms for her and the six children. She was given a four
bedroom and the one bedroom next door. The Maintenance men made a hole in the storage closet so they
can just enter one living room from the other Livingroom.
Kianna grew up in this Projects as
did Carlos Sr. She remembered what they used to look like before the women from
Talbot Towers sued HUD because of
discrimination. The apartments were all remodeled and they started cleaning up
the place and getting rid of some of the Drug dealers and thugs.
The Old Buildings were brown and not
red like they are now. The Agency did not do any or many repairs so the
buildings built in 1945 were now decrepit. Windows remained broken and doors
were coming off their hinges.
Once Talbot Towers was closed down
the dark skinned people and the white women with biracial children the lowest
people on HUDs list were moved in and the people who lived there now had to
endure being ignored and becoming a difficult place to live.
The ball park was overwhelmed with
high weeds, broken bleachers, and trash everywhere. The playground was now
occupied with young men and women selling drugs and fighting. Little children
had no place to play.
The High Rises were the worst the
hallways smelled like urine and you could smell people’s cooking and hair
burning from women straightening their hair.
All the buildings were covered with
graffiti and gangs were able to take over the entire row and turn it into a
crack warehouse.
Kianna understood that lifestyle
because she lived it for years. She and Carlos were both CRIPS and both had the
CRIP tattoos on their bodies. Kianna had a tattoo on her shoulder with the
numbers 15104 which was the zip code of Rankin, Braddock, and North Braddock.
Kianna was old school those three boroughs made up the General Braddock school
district. That was where she went until her senior year in High School.
Kianna understood what it meant to
stand on the corner “serving fiends” all hours of the day and night. She was 14
years old when she started selling weed and pills. She would sometimes sell a
little cocaine.
“Hey Baby.” One of the formally
straight women who turned gay while she was waiting for her man to get out of
jail, whistled at her.
“Go head Chatty yo know I’m strictly
dickly.”
“It’s too lonely to wait till yo
Nigga get out.” Chatty said inhaling her Newport 100. “I know how to make yo
sing.”
“ I don’t want to sing. I wanna sing
I can go to Church.” Kianna countered rolling her eyes.
“You don’t know what your missing?”
Chatty teased back.
“I am poor, black, and female I do
not need to add gay to dat.” Kianna shot back.
“I know dat’s rite.” Chatty said.
Another woman slid up to Chatty and Chatty kissed her long and hard. They then
walked arm and arm.
Summer time in Hawkins Village was
loud with music playing everywhere.
Children running around playing It Tag or Release the Den. Adults were yelling for their children.
It was a hot day today and someone
decided to start a water battle since the Projects recently banned pools. The
water battle lasted several days with everyone participating. Everyone enjoyed
themselves. However, of course, someone went too far and got the UPS man who
was pissed.
Kianna was walking to the Superstop,
the Convenience Store across the street from Hawkins Village.
“Here go dat bitch.” Silvia yelled to
her cousin. “It’s Kianna.”
Kianna turned around and faced Silvia
and her cousin Sonya. Sonya was Shaquan’s ex-girlfriend who has always been
jealous of the fact that he loved Kianna. Sonya was always trying to make
Kianna jealous and telling lies.
“Bitch have you learned to read yet?”
Sonya teased. “I need a maid since your on welfare you can become my maid.”
“Go Head Sonya before I slap the
taste out your mouth.” Kianna wanted to hit the bald headed heifer but her kids
didn’t need to have her down the County.
“When is Shaquan getting out?” Sonya
demanded. “Never mind your dumb ass can’t read anyway.”
“Whatever Sonya. Don’t worry about MY
man he ain’t thinking about you. Why would he? He got all this.” She ran her
hand down the side of her body. Kianna had big breasts and a big butt. She was
thick and not skinny like Sonya. “ Who the hell wants a toothpick when he got a
woman who he can hold onto.” She said laughing and tossing her hair.
“Bitch I will get him and you too.”
Sonya said.
Kianna wasn’t worried about that
stank ass Sonya. She was just jealous because Shaquan left her. Sonya had a son and he was 18 and Shaquan
remained in his life. He just couldn’t stand Sonya’s nasty attitude and
thinking she was better than everyone else.
Ten days after her confrontation with
Sonya someone busted her window out. That was Sonya’s stuff. She called the
police and reported it. She knew they would never be able to catch Sonya and it
would more than likely end up being dealt with by the herself.
Sonya wasn’t no gangsta like Kianna
was and if that woman insisted on getting her butt kicked she would accommodate
that.
The last straw was when Sonya’s
daughter and nieces jumped Carla and beat her badly. Kianna was on the rampage.
Carla came home from the Emergency room and Kianna went over to Sonya’s house
and pulled that bitch out of her house by her hair. Sonya’s weave came out and
people were yelling “Fight”
Kianna kept punching Sonya until she
was finally pulled off of the skinny woman. She was crying and begging her to
stop.
“Stop fucking with me and my kids
then this is the third time you made me beat your ass.”
“You stole my man.” Sonya shouted. “I
hate you.”
“You ain’t got to like me but you
have to respect me.”
Kianna was an old gangsta and
fighting was part of her life. Most of the women who lived in her community was
the same way. They were born and raised to fight. They fought over a lot of
things usually kids or men or any silly thing that popped up.
Kianna didn’t pull hair or scratch
like other females did. She punched. Her daddy taught her how to box when she
was a little girl.
Summer turned into late summer early
fall which meant back to school. Kianna dreaded this time of year because the
teachers always gave her kids,
especially her second boy, a hard time
and they worked her nerves making shit up about the boy.
Her son was a good boy who was not
disruptive he just didn’t do anything in school. He would just stare out of the
window no matter what Kianna did he just wouldn’t do any work. He was smart as
a whip and with Kianna’s limited education she was not able to help him very
much.
This year he had a young, tall, blond
woman who looked at the tall, dark skinned young man as someone who was a
threat to her. She called Kianna every
day expressing fear of what her son would do to her and begging her to
remove him from her class.
“He don’t even like white women bitch
so why are you so afraid of my son. He is only 14 years old the boy can’t even
get his Pee Pee hard yet.” Kianna was very frustrated talking to this foolish
woman and kept notes of the racist behavior.
Finally it came to the head when the
teacher had Tyrel arrested for helping a white boy make a paper gun. Tyrel gave
the paper gun to his white friend and he put electrical tape on the paper. Only Tyrel was arrested and suspended.
Kianna was so tired of dealing with
this racist school district and her kids. Her school district, which is one of
the five that was desegregated in 1981, was very poor and they had very little
equipment but at least they were not racist. Kianna kept telling herself that
at least her kids were getting an education but she wondered how true that was
because they had to miss so many days of school thanks to suspensions or
because some nervous teacher mistook her kids for some thugs.
Kianna sat in the room with the
teacher, Principals, Mr. Collins from the NAACP. Kianna became angry but
despite that remained calm.
“You Know Miss Brown is poorly
educated herself.” Mr. Thomas said “She can barely read.”
“First of all I can read fine.” She
said calmly. “We are talking about my son and this woman who believes my son is
Jack the Ripper or plans to rape her.” She stared at the woman. “How can she
get away with this mess?” She continued to stare at the nervous white woman.
“Would you have thought a white boy planned to rape you or do you save your
paranoid feelings for the black boys?”
“I’m not a racist. Your son tries to
intimidate me.” She said looking red in the face. “He does this just to scare
me.”
My son doesn’t have a mean bone in
his body.” Kianna said.
“Why does he always linger around my
desk?” Mrs. Kelly demanded.
“Maybe because he has to pass by your
desk to get out of there.” Kianna said rolling her eyes.
Kianna and several other women whose
children were having problems with the school district. Kianna was amazed about
how often black and poor kids were expelled and not receiving any education at
all and she wasn’t about to allow that to happen to her kids. They would fight
the school district and make some necessary changes.
Kianna thought back to her own
education. Her school district was a Jim Crow school district it was segregated
more so on income than race. The racial makeup was 60% black and 40% white but
the income level was 99% living on or below the poverty level.
Her schools didn’t have enough books
and what books she had was written after World War II and so tore up they were
useless.
The Guidance Department mostly helped
the kids find jobs rather than college work since few if any of the kids were
going to college.
The only people going to college was
the Basketball players who the College Representatives were trying to recruit.
Kianna had a Learning Disability
which meant she was in Special Education class for most of her day they never
moved her further away from Multiplication and Division because she never was
able to memorize the facts.
Kianna shook her head and swore she
would never allow her kids to be held back by a poor education. She made sure
they knew how to read and write. They would never have to go through life being
called dumb ass from ignorant ass people.
Kianna’s oldest sister often called her dumb ass or treated her like she
was mentally retarded even though Kianna had a job that paid more than her
sister could ever hope to make.
Kianna was getting hit from both
dealing with the school district and all the drama from Sonya who would never
leave her alone because she would never forgive her for stealing her man.
Kianna remembered when she met
Shaquan in the hood. Kianna was 18 and fine as red wine. Shaquan told her he was
seeing someone but it wasn’t serious. He did tell her that this woman was his
baby mama. He said he didn’t love her but needed to stay in his kid’s life.
Kianna fell in love with Shaquan but
the moment he told Sonya she came over to Kianna’s house and tried to fight
her. Kianna told the dumb bitch that fighting other women for your man meant he
wasn’t your man. Sonya was very upset and wanted her to leave him and even told
Kianna that she was actually his wife.
“Bitch I’m his wifey!” Sonya said as
she pushed Kianna against the wall. “You ain’t nothing but a THOT.” She
snarled.
“Who you calling a THOT?” Kianna
said. “Least I ain’t no kind of crack head.” She said. “Why was you down my
house buying crack off of me.” She pushed Sonya back. “Bitch I ain’t the one
and you ain’t no wifey you not even girlfriend.” She smirked. “He’s in my bed
every night.” She smirked and put her hand up.
Kianna didn’t have any time for silly
females. She was trying to leave the Crips which was hard enough as it was. The
gang was a part of her life since she was 14 and she didn’t want to leave.
The phone rang and startled Kianna it
was CYF again she knew Sonya called them again. She knew the deal the Social
workers will come and find nothing then leave.
Sonya called them several times a year.
The case worker came and found the
house in good order and that her children went to school every day. She stated
that if they continued to get calls that they would prosecute the caller
because this was a waste of County dollars and a waste of time.
Kianna knew they would never do what
they said they were going to do because they been saying it for years yet twice
a year Sonya calls.
“I fell in love with a man who
fathered her baby and we are still together and she hates me this is why she
calls CYF for the dumbest stuff ever.”
Kianna wanted to beat this bitch’s ass for all this dumb mess. Kianna
was a wonderful mother and overcame a lot from when she and Shaquan first got
together in the CRIPS.
Kianna smiled at the memory of the
party she looked at him and smiled flirting. He came over to her and smiled
back.
“Hey sexy.” He smiled. She wasn’t a
chick that got sexed in. Really none of the 50 female Crips got sexted in but
bravely fought 12 people at the same time.
“Hey before you talk to me. Do you
have a wife or girlfriend? I do not do bitches and their drama.” She warned.
“I have a baby’s mama but she is not
my girlfriend or lover.” She is just my kids mom. She is a little bit touched.”
He told her.
Kianna believed him and he was there
for her whenever she wanted him and moved in shortly after.
The babies began coming shortly after
that. First was the twins. The boy looked like Kianna’s yellow skin. The girl
looked like Shaquan and had chocolate skin color. Kianna couldn’t believe she
had twins the first time out.
“Mama!” Carla stated and Kianna came
back to the Present. “Where you go?” Carla continued.
Tyrel’s court day was approaching.
They had to go to the Magistrate for the hearing to determine if he broke the
law.
The NAACP sent an attorney because it
was a violation of Civil Rights laws.
Kianna and Tyrel was nervous because they didn’t know what to expect from
this judge. Kianna knew one thing going in front of the judge was never a good
thing for her and her people. Her man was proof of that.
The Judge came out and Kianna was
surprised she did not get angry this time she remained quiet while the Teacher
repeated the lies about her son.
Her lawyer stood up and smiled at the
teacher.
“Mrs. Johns, you stated that you KNOW
that Tyrel was going to rape you. Can you tell the court How you know this for
sure?”
“He was always lurking around my
desk.” She said looking at the black attorney with disgust. “ I mean why else
would he do that.”
“Did you ever ask him why he is
lurking around your desk?” The lawyer asked. “Did you ask him anything?
“No!” She stated. “I didn’t but”
“Mrs. Johns so you just assumed that
he was up to no good and was planning to rape you?” He starred at her. “The
truth is YOU have no idea what he was planning to do.”
“He’s sneaky and quiet. He doesn’t do
anything but stare out of the window. I read his record. His dad is in Prison,
his mom is uneducated and they live in the Projects of course he is up to no
good.”
“So because he is from the Projects
and his dad is in Prison then he must be guilty because of his parents and
where he lives.”
“No you are twisting my words.” Mrs.
Johns stated. “I tried to talk to his mother when he first started stalking
me.” She starred at Kianna coldly. “She called me a dumb bitch and told me her
son didn’t even like white women.”
“No further questions.”
The Defense was up next and Tyrel was
called to the stand.
“Tyrel why were you always around the
teacher’s desk?”
I have no other way to get past her
desk. She kept telling my mother I was out to rape her.”
“Are you sexually active?” Tyrel
looked embarrassed.
“No Sir I am a Virgin.” Tyrel stated.
The case lasted an hour and the judge
threw it out and lectured the teacher to stop assuming things about her
students.
Tyrel was still in the special school
for bad kids though and Kianna didn’t know what to do about that. The attorney
was working on that as well.
Kianna and Tyrel went in front of the
School Board and because they had the attorney from the NAACP there they were successful
and Tyrel was back in school.
Kianna could finally breathe a sigh
of relief now all the drama from the past few months have finally subsided and
she could go on with her life. It was
the hood though and Drama was always a heart beat away.
