Life as a Gansta in Philly, 1999, by Nika

From MemoryArchive

Who: Nika
What: Gang life
When: 1999
Where: Southwest and North Philly

When I was 9 in a half I was in a gang. We was something you will call bloods, but not exactly. See my mom was neva really there. She was young and not responsible. I was on my own in ways except when my grandmother would come ova. I grew up with all boys so I was just a wild girl and was always on the go. I lived in southwest and north Philly stealing, selling, and fighting all the time. I did things for no reason at all. The boys I hung out with were older than me and the girls were also. It was only two other girls and a bunch of boys in our group. There were also two boys I grew up with because our parents grew up together. Nobody every messed me especially boys because when they did all hell broke loose. I been in juvey and other places. In our gang we lost at least three people and I witness two of them. I'm doin' better since I moved to the suburbs and my mom went back to school. But I'm still working on doing good. I haven't killed nobody and I'm still alive. That's a great thing. It seems that everyone I fought end up in the hospital.