Even if Your First Lady You Can't Avoid Being the Ghetto Girl

This article made my blood boil. Michelle Obama, The First Lady of the United States apparently isn't good enough to vacation at Martha's Vineyard with the regulars. It seems she is just a ghetto girl. This just proves my point that no matter how rich you become your always going to just be a ghetto girl. I remember the Clinton years it was the same for them they were considered "white trash" by many.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/davis/detail??blogid=112&entry_id=46080
I wonder why people look their noses down on ghetto girls anyway. There are a lot of us. Both women sitting on the Supreme Court today are from the hood.
You read the article and the comments on this article and frankly there is a lot of denial about ghetto people frankly there are a lot of people who are gum chewing, finger pointing, head shaking gun toting thugs but most people from the hood know how to keep that behavior in the hood. Ghetto girls do have attitudes but those attitudes get us through some pretty tough times. Ghetto girls know how to survive and yes thugs exist.
I notice that a lot of middle class and rich black people are afraid of being associated with the ghetto that they deny things. Yes there are a lot of thugs in the hood it is how we survive thug life. Most of us OG out of that life or we die or do a dove in prison.
The truth is the hood is not just black its white, Latino, and Asian. Its also Native American. The same problems that affect the black hood effects the entire hood. Gun toting thugs might be black or they might be white both see the same time in prison.
In the end Where I am from trumps race and gender.
Everyone in the hood isn't in a gang but all of us know what its like on the streets because the center of the hood is the streets and the blocks.
I did like the shirt Ghetto Girls Rock

Living Life in 15104

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/us/01braddock.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1

This is a good article written by the Ny Times in February of 09. Yes the zip code of 15104 that include Braddock, North Braddock, and Rankin are full of abondoned buildings and is considered by many to be one of the worst towns in America.

I see it different because I live here and grew up here. To me it is my hood. We do not have grocery stores here or very little stores it is a town that has two butcher shops and a family dollar as well as a steel mill and a hospital. The people who work at the steel mill do not live in Braddock like they did years ago.,

Braddock was also the place that Andrew Carnegie started US Steel in the Edger Thompson plant which is still open and operating. We also are the home of the first Carnegie Liberary in the world which is the top pic above.

This is a place where people try to expolit, however, the residents are not going to let that happen because we have a real pride in our broken down community because this is our home. I guess that a lot of places are nicer to look at but is it nicer to live there then here I don't think so.

I am proud of 15104 all three of the communities that make up that zipcode. I know this that if someone in our community is in trouble the people often gather around the family in trouble. I know that sometimes we pull our resouces together so everyone benefits. I know there was a whole lot of times that I had bread but no butter and my neighbor had butter but no bread but when I shared my bread and she shared her butter we all ate.

I know that this area and its people inspired a rich man with a Masters degree in business to not only move here but become mayor and really help out fiancially. He invested his own money and built the people of Braddock a well needed Youth Center. He didn't depend on the government but invested his own money. Mayor John which is what everyone in 15104 calls him has 15104 tattored on one of his arms and he has the names of people who died while he was in office unfortunity that list has grown. He didn't have to put our zip code on his arm he is not from here but he did. He moved here in 2001 and is a gentle giant at 6 foot 8 and 365 lbs Mayor John is a gentle giant. He thinks we are good people and we are.

We have a pride in our community and although our streets are tough I thank all my homies and all my enemies who made me tough enough to hang on the corners. I thank all my people for the love and support that they showed me over the years.

I love 15104 and we may never be the rich town we once were but we are one hell of a community.

Thanks to Mayor John Fetterman for all the love and support he has shown to our community. Thnks to everyone who lives in a place where very little hope exists yet we find a way to laugh and joke around with each other.

Homeboy Industries Facing Fiancial Problems. This Upsets Me

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jRwk3TPJBIkt2EYjqFy76rI0NFnAD9A24DT00

Reverand Greg Boyle has walked through gunfire to prevent gang violence and is currently battling cancer but what is keeping this good man awake is Homeboy Industries a program that he operates and runs. His Homeboy Industries is facing fiancial problems and may not be able to keep its doors open due to the economy.
Homeboy Industries does a lot of good for communities who are battling huge gang problems. Homeboy Industries trains and hires former gang members in his bakery and other industires providing job training and even tatoo removal.
I hope that Bill Clinton's foundation will find a way to help this organization. I am very upset about this. I love this organization.
People in the gang have a tough enough life as it is without this happening. I just pray that someone will help Rev. Boyle save this great organization.
http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.homeboy-industries.org/&usg=AFQjCNEwG9w5LXNl0qv5fQChSxSiE4knQA

Girls in Gangs

This blog is going to run a series of articles about girls in gangs. What makes a girl join the gang in the first place? What makes a woman leave the gang? What is life like for a woman/girl in a street gang?

I found this article about a woman who was from Chi town her entire family was in a gang and for her she didn't know any better.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705323560/Escaping-gang-life-tough-for-women-too.html?pg=1

My story is similar to hers. My father was a gangbanger he was raised for the streets and he and my mom raised my sisters and I the same way.
I was raped from age 8 until I turned 11 and it went to the courts. I decided then that no man/woman/child would ever hurt me again so I joined a gang. It was a little street gang which turned into a chapter of the CRIPS when the CRIPS went national.
I came very close to killing a woman for disrespecting me when I was 21 years old. Somehow she learned that my sister and I were out to get her and she left the state. I had my son with me. I was disappointed that she couldn't be found but over the years that is one thing I am most grateful. I would still be in Prison today if she hadn't. It was funny but our daughters graduated from highschool together if I would have found that woman neither of our daughters would have had their mother's at their graduation.
I quit banging about four years later I never killed anyone and I never did anytime. I went back to school and got some training. I found a job that I love and I was able to leave that life behind and become an OG. I never expected to live to see the age of 21 and now I am 45 years old and a mother and grandmother.

Welcome to Voices from the hood blog

This blog is for issues concerning the Hood especially issues concerning women. Please comment on articles in a respectful manner.
The hood has a lot of problems but we also have a lot of joy. This blog hopes to celebrate both.