Gang Banger

Shady was a suspected gang member. When I asked him about the rumors regarding his gang affiliation, he denied them vehemently. I didn't believe him. There was this dark look in his eyes that compelled me to feel differently. I wanted to give him a chance, but my soul wouldn't let me. At the end of our brief meeting, I made him an offer. I told Shady that I'd consider letting him play on the basketball team if his grades were to my liking after the Fall semester. Essentially, he had three months to prove himself in the classroom. I never saw him again after that meeting.

Ironically, I've met several students at the college who are/were reputed gang members. Those same characters tend to also participate in the local Police Athletic League (P.A.L), which offers a year-round basketball league for young men in the city. One would think that a guy who's thuggin it would avoid a league run by the police, but in the Bubble this sort of behavior makes total sense. In the Bubble it's rational to register for college courses on your own only to never attend class, or do any work. That has been the disturbing (and sad) part about working with this population. Everything they do is totally irrational and defies logic. Shady's story is a perfect example of this.

When Shady left my office that day, I took a look at his student profile and noticed that he chose Emergency Medical Technician as his major. I found that to be interesting since the program has a very intense introduction course that meets for four hours, once a week. (The average course here meets for no more than an hour and a half.) He had also been out of high school for a couple of years and barely graduated. Somebody in his situation would have been best served taking a gradual approach, but Shady was allowed to go full throttle. He also registered for an English and a math course for added measure. By the halfway mark of the Fall semester, Shady was failing everything. He didn't return for the Spring semester.

A couple of weeks ago, as I was waiting for a haircut at the barbershop, I decided to pick up a newspaper that was on the seat adjacent to mine. There was a story about Shady on the inside cover. In addition to being charged with selling crack to an undercover police officer, Shady was also facing time for murdering a twenty-year old during what police suspect was a gang dispute. I felt bad reading the story. It made me wonder what could have been had I given him a chance two years before.