He Would Now be Somebody

Q was a special gifted athlete. As a 9^th grader he was practicing with the varsity football team as a running back. He was 14 years old and six feet 190 pounds and probably the fastest kid in the school. I remember talking to Q the day after a scrimmage where he scored four or five touchdowns. He was a tough kid but yet a nice kid, full of potential. About a month later, he quit the football team. I had one of my counselors talk to him. There was some hint that he might be dabbling with gang involvement. I remember talking to the mother and she minimized the involvement. She said he was a good kid just angry over a few things in his life. We offered some support and intervention but she said thanks but everything was okay. And everything was okay for a while.

Then about three months later, I received a phone call from the local Chief of Police. He informed me that Q was in jail. He was arrested for aggravated assault and murder. Q had become a Blood. He was a gang member. As a Blood he had some rules to follow. One of the rules was to break the law to prove his worthiness and commitment to his local Blood set (homeboys). Q shot and wounded a rival gang member and murdered another at point blank range. These two boys were 16 years old. They were members of the Crips. The Crips and Bloods do not generally get along especially when drug turf issues are involved. Q later stated that he wanted to kill them because that would make him a sergeant in the Bloods. This rank would be rather prestigious in gang circles.

Q is now in prison with a life sentence for murder. He was tried as an adult and barring any liberal changes to the court system, he should spend the rest of his life in jail. To this day, Q is actually boastful about his conviction. He believes that gang members die young therefore you should do what you can now for you set (home group). In a twisted way he is sincerely dedicated to a cause. He would actually lay down his life for the Bloods. To him the Bloods are family. The Bloods provided protection, power, and position. He would now be “somebody.”

Q was dabbling with the Bloods awhile before I met him. He slowly was led down a path of destruction. Everybody wants to belong to fit in. Humans like to be accepted. Satan will use any and all means, particularly with adolescents, to trick them into straying away from anything that is godly or biblical. He will give them a sense of security and even accomplishment. But what does it profit a person if they do obtain protection, power and position, or even popularity, if it is not centered on the truth. Anything that does not include Jesus Christ may not be as true as it appears. Jesus is the Truth. Jesus is the way to not only belonging but also protection, power, and position.

While the bonding and familial aspects of gang involvement are strong. God’s love, mercy, and grace are stronger. The only blood that will truly give peace is the blood of Christ which he shed on the cross for me and for you and for Q. The Blood, The Crips, MS13, The Latin Kings or any other gang are in a sense, a tool that Satan can use to try to keep people away from the Truth and a personal relationship to a personal God.

John 8:32 – “And he shall know the truth and truth shall make you free.”

In His name, Bro. Bob P.