Talia's Blog

Talia Rivera
A mother’s life; arrived at from drugs, teen pregnancy, and jail, through faith and gang intervention.

archives

May 10, 2010
Turnaround
“Blah, blah, blah, fuck this school!” she screamed. I waited in the hallway of a “Turnaround” public high school. Massachusetts defines a “Turnaround” school as one that has “performed poorly on the Comprehensive Assessment System in both the Math and English Language Arts sections over a four-year span and hasn't shown signs of "substantial improvement.’" I had a scheduled meeting with the school’s headmaster. I was greeted by a hall monitor who walked me through a metal detector. Then he led me to the headmaster’s office. The office door was closed. A black man wearing a school t-shirt...
School, Tests. Gangs. Drugs, Violence
May 7, 2010
Is Anybody Listening?
“If we can come to a consensus this will be historic. You can live without fear of having to shoot someone or of being shot yourselves. You can live your life without fear of being caught with a gun and going to jail. You can live your life without constantly having to watch your backs. You can live your lives knowing you will be around to raise your children and care for your families. We cannot promise you anything except that we will do whatever we can to help you turn into productive members of society. We want you to take the message heard today and think about it, talk with others...
Drugs, Gangs, Jail, Violence
May 5, 2010
Ole’ G’s
“Shit. These younger niggas ain’t got no rules,” said the Ole’ G, “They don’t listen to nothing or no one. I had a little nigga from my hood step to me [challenge him].” There is a notion that the Ole’ G’s (original gangsters), having made a reputation for themselves, can control neighborhood youth. In the early 1990’s, they banged for turf, street corners, and blocks to sell crack like penny candy from a mom and pop shop. But this new generation of gangsters is not the same. “The adrenaline rush is like a high,” a young dude said, pretending with his finger to shoot a gun, jumping back...
Fear, Gangs, Guns, Violence