In the midst of us going to our little trendy lounges and putting on cool shows and arts events and wearing our colorful sneakers and having our little discourse about whatever political topic or film or album or whatever, I want y'all to remember how real it is out here. Some of y'all don't even know, some of y'all forgot, some of y'all want to forget. Some of y'all don't believe it, or think it doesn't really affect you. This short 7-minute video is about the notorious Cabrini Green Housing Projects (so bad that they had to put up gates all the way up the buildings, where there used to be open walkways b/c folks kept gettin' thrown off; so bad that cops got tight when niggas started using those gates as sniper cover; so bad that trash once piled up the garbage chute to the 15th floor of a building, and set on fire; so bad that 9-year old "Girl X" was raped, choked, had her throat stomped on, Roach Killer sprayed in her mouth, and left for dead, ending up paralyzed, blind, unable to talk - the rapist was lucky cops got him before the Gangster Disciples did).
Don't think that New York doesn't have it's Cabrini Greens. Please don't think niggas aint on this same shit just blocks from your loft, a train stop from your favorite bar, and around the corner from where you did your photoshoot. Don't let terms like "SoBro," "SoHa," "Brooklyn Renaissance," "Urban Renewal," "Ratner City," "New Stadiums," and all that put you to sleep. I'm not trying to scare anyone, but just as much as you hear about all the good shit goin' on in New York, and the (fake-ass) historic drops in crime rates, you don't hear about how crazy it is around here also. Maybe you should take some time and Youtube "new york crips" or "new york bloods" or "new york gangs" or "cocaine city" or just use your imagination. To get the whole picture, not just the one you like. Better to be aware and a little on edge, than to be lulled into a false sense of security and have your world destroyed when something happens. A li'l fear, a li'l apprehension, just a li'l bit, is a survival trait. God-given. The N.Y. guys might seem a li'l more "Do this for tv" but don't get it twisted, that's N.Y. mentality, to be flashy. They are no less dangerous. Peep when he lifts his shirt up to show the (shit?)bag attached to his abdomen. At least he tells the kids that this aint the shit (no pun intended) and tells the kids that "every dollar aint a good dollar" and that they should get into a "Higher Power" and respect life. If you have time, you might wanna peep some of the "Related Videos." I was looked for the Bronx shit, and though I understood how niggas get down, I really didn't realize how they've been gettin' it in just blocks from places I've lived. Even back on my old block in Washington Heights, where I spent most of my life, shit is wild, wild, west.
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