my2centz conversation with kl

A documentary film was made about my case back in 2010. It was called Crack House USA, here’s a link to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRuxedRI2q4&t=23s

I’ve never seen it but I know a bunch of guys who have. One of them is Marki Alsup better known as Ki Lord. He grew up in Chicago too. We didn’t know each other back then but here at Beckley, we got to know each other well. Ki had some questions for me about the film.

KL: Okay let's get right into it ‘cus I saw Crack House on T.V. How the hell did y’all let the Feds put cameras in the crib??

M2C: The house was already set up with all of the cameras and sound recording equipment before we moved in. We had no idea and just moved in. It was a government-funded drug house paid for by American Taxpayers.

KL: What do you mean by that??

M2C: The house was set up by the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms). The reason the ATF agents gave was that they had tried all others means to get us charged and convicted. We had been operating in Rockford for more than five years before they set up the house. If that was their excuse I find it hard to believe. I had been dealing drugs to anyone who wanted them, they could have got us all with controlled buys without placing cameras in a Trap house for over a month.

KL: I am reading your case notes and I see that the ATF initiated the investigation into y’all, how did that happen?

M2C: Good question! Back in the early spring of 2005, one of the girlfriends of our group (who was at the time a legally registered gun owner) went inside of a gun store to purchase a clip for her gun. The girlfriend made a mistake and purchased the wrong clip for her firearm, and purchased an M14 clip which raised red flags with the ATF. M14's are red flagged and everybody knows the Feds will want to see your rifle to make sure that it is not modified. So the ATF contacted the girlfriend and she was terrified so she told the ATF agent that she bought the clip for her boyfriend. The ATF then raided boyfriend’s home but did not find the clip or an M14. Her boyfriend denied all knowledge of what the girlfriend had told the ATF. But the ATF didn’t buy it and this is what I think was the catalyst for the ATF to start looking at us.

KL: So it sounds to me like, after that, they should have been done with y’all?

M2C: I can only guess, Bro. I honor all of our law enforcement and what they do. They are helping to keep our people safe so I pray for them and I don't want to turn this conversation into a cop bashing party ‘cus it ain’t.

Cops are human and as such, they are not perfect. They have misunderstandings and prejudices just like we all do. Today, I can only take account of my own behaviour. If I was not acting crazy in the streets, I would not be in here right now. It's not the fault of the ATF that I’m in prison. They did not make me post up in sketchy traps. Bro, the trap was already furnished!! Whose fault is it other than mine that I set up in an already furnished trap house?

KL: It sounds to me like you feel there was more to the agent's motives for investigating you?

M2C: I’m in no position to accuse anyone of anything without any solid evidence. All I can tell you is that the agents lied in their motions to the magistrates in order to get the warrants to watch us. They continued to lie to the grand jury, and they lied on the stand at my trial. Agents and police are people too. Being an agent is a job. If you ain’t got nobody to lock up there is a chance your job as an agent will be in jeopardy!

KL: Why did you go to trial?

M2C: I did not want to go trial. The US attorney was trying to get me to plea out to 37 years and I wasn't going out like that! They said I had thirty bricks but the indictment only said I had 1. The one brick on the indictment only carried 10 years. To me at the time, going to trial and not signing the plea agreement was the only thing I could do.

KL: I feel you, Bro, let me hold something!

M2C: (laughing) I never had an eight ball of dope brother. The US Attorney painted the picture that we were this huge problem in the rock (Rockford). The ATF was mad they couldn't get that mysterious M14. There was no crime to investigate so they investigated PEOPLE which is a crime.

KL: How do you stay so upbeat in here?

M2C: I don't know Bro. I’m crazy, I guess. Somewhere in my mind, I trained myself to stay hopeful, so my hope is sincere. We’re already locked out and locked up. We’re already separated from our family, we are separated from our duties of men and fathers, what else can we do? Be heartbroken? I refuse to be, Bro, I’ve got too much faith, hope and love in my heart to ever be heartbroken. I get crazy and angry sometimes but my heart ain’t never 'gon break!

KL: That's crazy. I just found out that your dad passed.

M2C: Passed where? I believe there is much more for us as humans to learn about everything but specifically about the event, we label death. To me, my daddy is more alive than he ever was, believe that.

KL: How are your kids?

M2C: Children, Bro, kids are baby goats! And my children are doing fine. Brandon is in Youth Building, learning carpentry and brick masonry and Jasmine is in the Job Corp. When I called her the other day, she was in her culinary arts class. My children need me, but I feel I need them more than they need me. My family is the reason I stay out of trouble in here. I’ve let them down too many times to count. It is all about my family now.

KL: I have to ask, why did you go back to the trap, Bro?

M2C: I was dealing with a bunch of things that I did not know how to deal with; drug addiction and my pride. I was unsure of a lot of things during that time. But one thing I was certain of was that I needed to get out of the life and that meant getting as far away from the gang as possible. So I came back and sold some drugs and moved to Nevada.

KL: Why did you have to go to the trap to get to Nevada? Why didn’t you just go?

M2C: I was fresh out of jail from doing 4 months. Two months in Cook County and the last two months in Winnebago. The little money that I had at the time was spent on commissary while I was in jail. I said all that to say that I was broke, fool!

KL: Why Nevada?

M2C: I’ve got family there. I hadn’t seen them in a while. Back in the Spring of that year, it was my sister Yo-Yo idea that I move up there. I decided that I had enough of dealing with drugs.

KL: Why did you even go to Rockford?

M2C: Too much was going on with me in the 'Go (Chicago). Drugs and liquor had me off the chain, I kept catching cases. So when Chip, Sco and Rab’s momma’s moved down there I just left with them. I was seventeen, I ran away from home and joined the circus! (laughing) I was such a clown in those days!

KL: What drugs were you abusing?

M2C: I never did heroin. I can say that socially I did all the drugs, but the one that gave me the most problems was cocaine because I liked it too much. Hell, I still like it but I know that it’s bad business. Since I’ve been here, I joined a drug abuse class to try to understand my addiction. I can honestly say that I've been clean of all drugs since 2005!

KL: That's good, Bro.

M2C: I feel like I’m in therapy.

KL: You think the new Senate bill, the First Step Act, is going to help you get some time off?

M2C: If the First Step Act goes through, and I’m going to quote the New York Times article here– ‘it would reduce mandatory sentencing guidelines for certain drug crimes, allow judges greater wiggle room in sentencing nonviolent drug offenders, do away with the "stacking" provision that tacks on years for the use of a firearm during the commission of a crime and make retroactive the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, which reduced the sentencing gap between crack and powder-cocaine offenses.’ But, some people say that the bulk of sentencing changes would not apply retroactively, leaving people like me serving excessive terms stuck with the old guidelines. But who knows, that could change.

I’m going to stay cautiously optimistic. I don’t want to get my people all excited if it doesn’t come through. I think that I’m ready to come home sometimes but then I don’t think I am ready because I still think about using drugs and drinking.

KL: You 'gon have urges, Bro. You just gotta take it one day at a time.

M2C: (laughing) Facts!

KL: You know this is your blog, so feel free to stop me anytime.

M2C: I wanna send a special shout out to all my family, and to Issa! I love you baby girl!!