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The Power of Words By Ronald "Madd Ronald Chatman for Streetgangs Magazine May 31, 2003 "B" the streets my church and my red flag "B" my cross, then crucify me and nail me to that cross so that the sins of all gang members shall "B" forgiven. I know that sounds like something that I should have said in "The Last Victim of Gang Violence," but my subject this month is "The Power Of Words," and those may be some of the most powerful words ever to be said by me. I was born under specific signs, I am Leo, the lion, king of beast. I am the ruler of the sun and my element is fire. I was birthed as Ronald (definition)= The mighty ruler or authority plus counsel. I am a natural Leo in all ways. In my own opinion if I were on the continent of Africa then I may have been a king. I was born upstate New York 35 years ago, in Rochester. Who would have imagined that in 2003, I would have 27 years of roots and history (on the west coast) as an L.A. Blood. Now I hear about Bloods and Crips all over the U.S.A. I especially hear about the Bloods in my home state of New York and also New Jersey. I remember visiting my family in 1997. I was explaining to them the Blood and Crip politics. It was as if I was speaking Chinese. When I had gone back for my grandmothers funeral last year, people were telling me that there were Bloods in Rochester. I have even heard references to states like New York and New Jersey as being Blood states. This is Los Angeles, where the heavens are controlled by LAPD. helicopters and the Earth is controlled by screaming sirens bright red lights and backed up traffic. Left over yellow tape and red flares lay beside the curb or tied around the street signs as a constant reminder of the block by block escalating murder rate. The ground shakes as a reminder that there are no laws greater than the state of nature. If I am not mistaken it was when I had read "MONSTER," that I had read about the three gangs in LA's gang war, the Bloods, the Crips, and the LAPD. What will be the fate of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq for President Bush? Iraq WMDs will be found in Iraq during 2003  10% Iraq WMDs were destroyed by Saddam Hussein  14% Iraq WMDs never existed in Iraq and will never be found  32% Iraq WMDs will apear in another place like Syria or Iran  21% WMDs will be planted by the US  23% votes: 919 Polls They LAPD roll deep, they have specific tattoos, they carry guns and they do wear gang related colors blue). Who knows more of the abuses by color of authority better than those gang members that were set up and sentenced to life in the past 2 decades due to LAPD. misconduct. To me there are still cases that need to be investigated in the LAPD scandal. When all of the evidence and allegations came up during the Rampart scandal in 1998 and 1999 everyone that has ever been arrested by LAPD. (C.R.A.S.H.) unit should have had their cases re-investigated. There really are a lot of innocent people that are doing life sentences because of corrupt officers and not just in the Rampart scandal, but the LAPD. scandal over all. We live in a city where one of the Deputy Chiefs of the Los Angeles Police Department is openly gay. He was one of the candidates for the position of Chief of Police in L.A. He has been recently relieved form his post, because there are allegations of sexual misconduct and molestation while he was performing his duties to protect and serve. Personally, what ever a persons preferences are irrelevant. When it comes to the deputy chief being a predator, "WHAT THE FUCK IS THE WORLD COMING TO!!" Men are measured by words. I guess that is where the old saying, "Say what you mean, and mean what you say," comes from. When certain words are used, commitment is etched in stone. When I put it on the "B" the Berioso, Rollin'20's, or simply just "on Blood" it has got to happen. I constantly refer back to my times in the pen, when a mans word was all that he had and to break that meant to be met with drastic circumstances. When I was growing up, the power of the word Blood was infinite. Once I said Blood to a Crip and the reply was 13 shots from the barrel of a 9 millimeter into my car while my tires screamed and my windows shattered. Another time I had said, "What's up Blood to a car full of Crips and they had shot me on the corner of Raymond and Adams. Maybe words aren't that powerful, maybe it is the energy of a word instead of the power. They probably saw me standing there flamed up (dressed in red) with my belt turned to the back and felt my negative energy. When I directed my negative energy at them they projected their negative energy at me. Thinking before speaking is holding yourself accountable for the next words that come out of your mouth, don't say it if you don't mean it. Reality check if George W. Bush and Saddam Hussein had to settle their differences in a boxing ring. There probably would have never been a need to go to war in Iraq. Words would have been chosen very delicately because there is a big difference between being in arms distance and being a nation away. I have not yet seen any weapons of mass destruction, so to me all of that Iraqi Freedom bullshit is just that. The search warrant said illegal nuclear weapons didn't it? By the way Bush's new Afghanistan government are the new ballers in the heroin game. Bush raided the spot, liberated the dope, then left his workers to run the dope spot (kind of like what the LAPD. were doing when Raphael Perez was around). We should choose our words carefully and verbalize them well. Articulate and clarify. The least words with the most meaning have the most devastating effects. The power of a lie is not the issue that you lied about, it is the fact that a lie has been told. I walk through the 20's with fat ass red shoelaces in my red and white (Converse) Allstars, inside the hood this is normal, outside the hood everyone stares at all of the red that I wear. When I enter a room I am always the center of attention. It is as if I was hollerin', screamin' and being obnoxiously loud, but I am not. I stand before the world flamed in red, standing eye to eye, with my mouth closed. Is it that my colors are too loud? Words are so powerful that sometimes they might materialize right before your eyes. All it takes is wanting something bad enough and working for it hard enough. The keys to success are time and energy. The word Blood is so powerful that it is heard from coast to coast L.A. to N.Y. even in Alaska and Hawaii. The word Blood has such an infinite reach, that to call someone blood in the Central American country of Belize, you would be embraced with handshakes and hugs by a sett of dread headed, broken English speaking Rollin' 20's Neighborhood Bloods. The unspoken is often more effective than what is said. Anybody that pisses me off ,makes me mad, or gets on my nerves, I've got the perfect remedy for them I simply say, "I ain't fuckin' wit ya." This means, I ain't talkin' to you, I ain't associating with you, you are not even visible when you are in my sight, you shall remain to be unseen. The power of no words is much greater than me materializing my negative energy into a solid matter and going upside this motherfuckers head with it. Actions are definitely louder than words. To judge a man by his actions are to judge his true character, to know his true intentions are to know his heart. All men must live by rules in order to be men. Just being born male doesn't make a man. A man is a conscious (being) accompanied by responsibility, priority, and commitment. A man can't make promises that he breaks and still be considered a man. A man can't get caught lyin' to the homies to kick it and still expect to be able to kick it. As a Blood my words are to the utmost true and honorable (on the Berioso). Words like love are really effective. To us Blood means love. We even speak them as one word (BLOODLOVE). That word represents respect, dedication, and brother and sister hood everywhere. I am a descendant of the gang "Blood Alley" which existed in the 1950's and 60's in the area that is known to you all as the Westside Rollin' 20's. Blood represents history and culture on my "B" half. Love is a word that should be shared. When you'd first met your loved one, the word love was shared on a regular basis. It was shared so much that it had become the foundation for your relationship. The words that you had chosen to be used in conjunction with love should have been gift wrapped and sealed with a kiss. Then love got old and the word started to crumble. The fulfillment of being in love was suddenly replaced by the emptiness of false promises and a broken heart. Maybe I should be saying the power of feelings or emotions but either way before they are expressed as actions they must first be expressed as words. Some words are better if we keep them to ourselves. We must consider what we say before we say it and the effects that it will have on other people. If I call you my Blood, I am calling you my brother, because that word is fraternal and it represents our empowerment. BLOOD IS FOR LIFE!! Life is a word that is closely associated with death. Who's ready to die? I don't really think anyone is. In Los Angeles so much is said but so little words are spoken. Most of these words are spoken with gang signs (you know pinky, thumb, two fingers and that kind of thing) even the trigger finger speaks sometimes. For me it is hard to drive through L.A. without gettin' hit up or banged on. I am still a khaki and converse wearin', Chevy drivin' Rollin'20's NEIGHBORHOOD BLOOD (sometimes my appearance will speak for itself). When I am minding my own business, swervin' in my stock 1982 Chevy Malibu, when I am bumpin' my Bazooka tube, and I catch somebody bangin' on me, I bang back. So don't be surprised when I hit you back up with my pinky and thumb, bangin' Dovelife out the window or I will just let my red flag fly in the wind. As a community college student I can't help being concerned with the budget cuts that are taking place. When I was a kid monies were always taken from education and put toward incarceration. To live in a state with a budget crisis going on they sure have not taken any money from their prison building fund. As a black (man) I am very aware of the statistics of the graduation rate versus the conviction rate. What happens to my dreams of someday attending a university and achieving my PhD. in philosophy? Should I go back to that which I know best (the streets). I have been the convict and now I am the college student. The biggest, most powerful, most effective, most respected word in the entire dictionary has got to be the word "NO". No means no and everyone should practice that and express it on a daily basis. No is a word that closes down all of the bullshit if it is used properly. The next time that that someone ask for something that they really don't need try simply and firmly telling them no. To my readers I would like to say, ASANTE NI WA NDUGU NA DADA KWAHERI SASA. Much love to my Blood homeboys and homegirls everywhere. I want to hear from my Blood homegirls so hit my e-mail. I form my fingers and thumb into a capital "B" for BLOOD,I BANG THAT "B" AGAINST MY HEART TWO HARD TIMES FOR ROLLIN'20'S NEIGHBORHOOD BLOOD, I THEN KISS THAT "B" AND EXTEND IT TO THE RED SUN. 20 MINUTES O/G/B MADD RONALD#1 W/S R/20'S N/H/BLOODS FOR LIFE!! A Moment of Philosophy: Sometimes life is like a big ass party some people just have to be reminded when it is time to go home Madd Ronald's Contact Information News Topics | Home | Research | History | Blood Gangs | Crip Gangs | People| Life in a Gang | Gallery | Iraqi Cards | Memorial | Migration | Graffiti | Resume| Injunctions Homicides | Maps | California Prisons | Contact

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