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    To Bang or Not to Bang? A Book of Questions
    To Bang or Not to Bang? A Book of Questions
    To Bang or Not to Bang? A Book of Questions
    Ebook134 pages1 hour

    To Bang or Not to Bang? A Book of Questions

    By Jeorald Pitts

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    About this ebook

    "To Bang or Not To Bang? A Book of Questions" is a one-of-a-kind book of questions... an invaluable guide to some of the simple questions that Jeorald Pitts' now-deceased father posed to him prior to his death. These questions from his father would spark his dramatic change.
    Pitts wrote this simple story-telling, yet, poetic-style book while incarcerated in a maximum security prison. He tells about the inner workings of gangs and change. Pitts shares his true life experiences while asking thought provoking questions and using intriguing pictures as a guide to travel down the destructive road of gang banging. It forces readers to look and think about what's at the end of this deadly road. Banging is a behavior and like all behavior learned, it can be unlearned by asking yourself the right questions.
    Pitts offers practical insight for parents, teachers, youth counselors, or anyone who wants to better understand the gang life. And the book is a great tool for self-analysis for gang-bangers and those in the courtship phase of their relationship with gangs.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJeorald Pitts
    Release dateJan 2, 2014
    ISBN9781311653826
    To Bang or Not to Bang? A Book of Questions
    Author

    Jeorald Pitts

    Jeorald Pitts, a.k.a Lil Tone Tone, a former member of a notorious Crips gang has a PhD in gang experience and a master’s degree in change from the University of Hard Knocks. No longer a hardcore gangbanger and drug dealer, he has authored “To Bang or Not To Bang?” It is a phenomenal and enlightening book about the inner workings of gangs and change. Written as a one-of-a-kind book of questions it is an invaluable guide to some of the simple questions that Pitts’ now-deceased father posed to him prior to his death. These questions from his father sparked a dramatic change in his life. As a teenager, Pitts served time in California Youth Authority for gang-related crimes and is incarcerated in a maximum-security prison for murder. But he is now mentor to at-risk youth and founder of the organization, C.H.A.N.G.E.S. (Community Helping Adolescence Needing Guidance, Education & Support). He has become a respect and peace activist, utilizing the writing of his true life experiences as a vehicle, and his thought-provoking questions and intriguing pictures as a guide to travel down the destructive road of gangbanging. He provokes readers to look and think about what’s at the end of this deadly road. Pitts’ style of poetic yet simple storytelling reveals that “Banging” is a behavior. Like all behavior learned, can be unlearned by asking yourself the right questions. Through this book “To Bang or Not To Bang? A Book of Questions” Pitts offers practical insight for parents, teachers, youth counselors, or anyone who wants to better understand the gang life. It is also a great self-analysis tool for gangbangers and those in the courtship phase of a relationship with gangs.

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      Book preview

      To Bang or Not to Bang? A Book of Questions - Jeorald Pitts

      CONTENTS

      1. About The Author

      2. Questions

      3. Did You Dream Of Being A Gang Banger When You Were A Kid?

      4. At What Age Is It Too Young To Take An Oath For Life?

      5. Are You On The Front Line?

      6. What Does It Take To Be In A Gang?

      7. Who Are You?

      8. Do You Feel As Though – Due To Your Circumstances Or Surroundings – That You Have No Other Choice To Bang?

      9. Have You Noticed That Most Gang Members Are Either On Their Way To Jail, Already In Jail, or Just Getting Of Jail?

      10. Is Homie Love Real?

      11. Does Your Gang Have A Retirement Plan?

      12. What Is To Be Gained Or Won By Gang Wars?

      13. What Makes You Cool?

      14. Do You Practice Delayed Gratification?

      15. Is Killing A Rival Worth Spending The Rest Of Your Life In Prison?

      16. Do You Believe In You?

      17. Are you Really Paying Attention To Your Surroundings?

      18. Is There Anything Happening Within Your Gang Now That You Thought Would Never Occur?

      19. Are You Your Own Worst Enemy?

      20. R U Conscious?

      21. If You Died Today, What Legacy Would You Leave Behind?

      22. What Legacy Would You Like To Leave?

      23. Quest For Answers

      24. Afterthoughts

      25. Letters

      26. Why?

      27. About the Book

      DEDICATIONS

      This book is dedicated to my father, Sabra Pitts, and to Dean Hogan (may they both rest in peace), also to all those who have lost their lives to gang violence.

      About the Author

      In the book of life there have been many eras of gangs, however, the last 3 generations were born into the chapters of notoriously violent street gangs. I entered the pages on March 10, 1971 at General Hospital in Los Angeles, CA. I was brought up in a family of opposites in a lower middle class neighborhood on the southwest side of Los Angeles.

      My father was an unemotional man, a serious gambler, and business owner. My momma was a playful and very loving housewife and dedicated Jehovah’s Witness. Aside from me, my family’s household consisted of my 2 brothers and 3 sisters. Bobby, the oldest, was a loner and decided to become a soldier in the U.S. Navy to protect and serve his country. My other brother, Tony, had a lot of friends and decided to be a soldier in a gang that was destroying communities.

      As for my sisters, they ranged from light- to chocolate-skinned and all equally pretty; however, that’s where their similarities ended. My oldest sister, Denise, was short and very spunky. She was an original criplette gang member who enjoyed using drugs and had a negative outlook on life. My other sister, Cherise, was a tall, charming, intelligent, workaholic who never used drugs and had a positive outlook on life. I guess you can say I was a mixture of them all. So was my sister, Crystal, who came along 7 years behind me.

      As a kid, I had an overload of energy and interest that always kept me into something, mainly money-making adventures. I was a pretty good kid and rarely got into trouble other than getting caught playing naked doctor and show me yours and I’ll show you mine with the little girls in my neighborhood. I had big dreams of becoming a movie producer and professional baseball player. However, I didn’t get to play organized sports much due to my spending Saturdays at the Kingdom Hall for Jehovah’s Witnesses, which were the days that most of the games were played. I also had a dream of owning businesses like my father who told me at a young age that money makes the world go around. I sure was willing to do my part to keep my world spinning, which my father encouraged.

      I used to mow lawns, wash cars, make and sell frozen Kool-aid icy cups, and candy at the park that we lived right across the street from. I even created my own game to make money. I called it Take a Shot. I used a large pickle jar, cutting a slit in the top just big enough to drop coins through. I placed a small shot glass inside of the jar directly in the middle, then put a bunch of shiny coins along the sides and filled it up with water. If someone dropped a coin and it made it into the shot glass, they would win double the amount that landed in the glass. I would take it to the park and kids and adults alike would enjoy playing. It was like a mini slot machine. I was raking in the dough along with my father’s praises.

      When I was 7 years old, my brother, Tony, was shot twice. Once in the face with a shotgun, which caused him to be totally blind. He was shot in his side with a 38, causing him to be temporarily paralyzed on the left side of his body. This event took place when my brother was only 14 years old by rival gang members while on his way home from the skating rink. As a direct result of the shooting, he had to spend an entire year in the hospital and was unable to talk. When he was finally able to speak, do you know what the first thing he said to me was? He did not tell me he loved me. He did not tell me to never gang bang. Instead, he told me to bring him his blue rag the next time I come to visit him. This would leave a profound image in my young mind.

      My mother was crushed by my brother getting shot, therefore she warned me often to stay away from gangbanging. She was determined to keep me from being taken in by the thug lifestyle and turn me into a good little Jehovah’s Witness. I don’t know if it was rebellion or fate. Due to my brother and sister being highly respected gang members, along with two of my first cousins who lived across the street from us, I was exposed to their gang banging homeboys and boyfriends on a daily basis. Even the co-founder of the crips, Stanley Tookie Williams (rest in peace) came around trying to date my oldest sister. I was hit in the eyes at a very young age with a deformed image of manhood and coolness that was already starting to blind me.

      I had my father’s business sense and zest for the finer things in life, but my universe revolved around my mother. I

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