Alphabet City 5: Alphabet City, #5

By Jamell Crouthers

Jermaine and Shameka are young teens who have lived a life that not many could even imagine in such a short time. The best friends chronicle their personal lives while living in Alphabet City. They talk about their daily battles and struggles to get by, home life, school and how their mental health is scarred. What they see and the adult decisions they have to make daily to survive is insurmountable. Their experiences will make you realize, not every kid has it easy and that more has to be done to protect them. 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jamell Crouthers
• Release date: May 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215165812

Jamell Crouthers

Jamell Crouthers started writing at the age of 13, it wasn't until his 30s where he realized he could impact others with his writing. Jamell was able to incorporate a prose format and social issues and be able to write books on what's going on in the world today. Writing about social issues is something that Jamell is very concerned about and his writing journey has allowed him to write books on various subjects. His goal is to change the world one book at a time.

Book preview

Shameka-Young Girl In Alphabet City

My life has been a constant uphill climb,

Living where I do, that’s how it goes sadly.

My name is Shameka and I’m a young teen,

It’s my mom, my older brother Jermaine and me.

When you live in the place I do, you see so much,

The good, the bad and the ugly.

My mom and brother do all that they can to shield me from things,

But some things you just can’t avoid living here.

Violence, death, shootings, robberies, drug dealing,

Drug addicts, prostitution, police presence everywhere.

There are some beautiful parts to it but not many,

I try to enjoy the little parts like autumn when the leaves fall from the trees.

Being a young girl in Alphabet City you’re constantly stared at,

As I venture into high school, things get more challenging.

A young girl like me is going through puberty,

I’m learning about myself, my mind is developing, a lot is going on with me mentally and emotionally.

Young adolescents are constantly being stared at by kids my age and older men,

Then you’re being recruited into so many bad things around you.

Gangs, being pimped, and there are a lot of girls already doing it,

I’m currently 14 years old so just think of how many girls go down the wrong road at a young age.

I’m someone who has structure but a lot of girls don’t have that,

They’re on their own and have to fend for themselves everyday.

My father was killed but what kid has their father around?

Not many live in Alphabet City, either deadbeats, in prison or six feet under.

I have other battles and hurdles to deal with from day to day,

Such as my asthma, and surviving in this neighborhood.

With me going into high school, I’m maturing slowly and progressively,

I’m not necessarily rushing to grow up, other girls around here, it’s a different story.

As a young girl living in a neighborhood like this, you see it all,

The images don’t leave your mind either so it doesn’t make it any easier to manage.

The promiscuity, drug addictions, gang life, girls are involved in a lot,

My small circle of friends, we do all that we can to stay out of harm's way.

I’ve heard and seen the stories, it’s a sad reality of living here,

Especially when you lose classmates to gun violence.

Nothing is easy living here, it’s a constant battle to make it,

One day after the next, that’s just the nature of living here.

Nothing changes, things either calm down for a while,

Or it just gets progressively worse (gang life, violence, drug dealing, etc.).

When you’re a young kid living here, just expect the unexpected,

At this point, we all need therapy for the amount of things we see.

We lose our innocence at an early age, our mothers can’t shield us,

We can’t walk through here with our eyes wide shut.

Reality hits you like a ton of bricks when you walk this 26 block radius,

You lose a sense of who you are because it’s just the norm for this neighborhood.

Can I say there’s beauty in being a young girl living here?

Not always, my younger days were in the house playing, not outside.

Outside, there was a bullet waiting to fly over your head,

Or into your body where you’ll either make it or you won’t.

I can sadly remember the amount of times I went to the playground,

Or got to play outside by the fire hydrant when it was open.

Watching mothers cry over losing their sons day after day,

Whether they’re innocent bystanders or caught in the fray of gun violence and gang life.

Wakes and funerals for the dead whether it was a drug overdose, health reasons or being shot and killed,

Pick one, it’s your poison but that’s just how it went.

A young girl like me was always in danger on a daily basis,

Thankfully I have a big brother to protect me from a lot of bad situations.

Older Brother Protection

Jermaine and I are two years apart which is cool,

As we get older, there’s more of a closer bond between us.

We get to talk about life and our teenage struggles,

When we walk through the neighborhood, he points things out to me.

He tells me what to look for, how to spot danger,

Knowing when to get out of a restaurant or a store.

It was always about being aware of my surroundings,

No matter where I went, but especially living in Alphabet City.

It’s knowing who the gang members are, how the police patrol,

Who to talk to, who you avoid and how to get out of dodge.

It’s watching people’s actions and behavior,

Knowing who’s carrying a gun, who’s involved in illegal activity.

It’s not walking on the side of the street where the drugs are being dealt,

You never know when law enforcement may pull up and get out of their cars.

It’s about not getting caught in the crossfire of any bad situations,

Where a shootout may happen or bullets start flying.

Understanding what to say to people and how to keep walking,

How law enforcement, the FBI and DEA are constantly taking photos of the drug dealers and gang members.

That if I’m having a conversation with any of them at anytime,

Chances are big brother (law enforcement) is watching and photographing.

I never want to be guilty by association by being in their path,

If something goes down, they’ll find us, and we’ll get a knock at our door.

Questions will come, the pictures will get pulled up,

I’ll be asked if I know them, how, what I was doing that day, etc.

This went beyond