BLOODS & CRIPS: The Peace Treaty

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In 1992 a historic peace was brokered between the most infamous gangs in all of America; The bloods and crips of South Central LA. Inspired by the sacrifice of Imam Hussain, one man rose above and brought an end to one of the bloodiest conflicts in the history of the US.

Transcript

[0:00]California the Sunshine State the Silicon Valley the global trendsetter in popular

[0:07]culture innovation and politics the engine of the United States of America

[0:11]if it were a country California would be the fifth largest economy

[0:18]in the world and with cities such as Los Angeles San Diego

[0:21]San Francisco and Sacramento it's the most populated state in the entire

[0:25]country an LA as it turns out is the second most populated

[0:31]city after New York nicknamed the City of Angels it has a

[0:35]population of over 13 million people a global city renowned as the

[0:39]home of Hollywood the world's number-one entertainment center where the stars feel

[0:45]most at home and cruising down Sunset Boulevard to Beverly Hills and

[0:49]then Venice Beach it's a picturesque postcard city the envy of the

[0:56]world but as you go past the flashing lights and lavish mansions

[0:59]you continue south and you come to an area just as historical

[1:02]but for all the wrong reasons South Central LA the project's the

[1:10]hood Compton Avenue Imperial courts Nicholson's Hacienda to most these names sound

[1:15]just like any other neighborhood but in LA these were battlefields trenches

[1:20]and final resting places where murder and violence were out of control

[1:24]we're the longest standing gang war took place between the most infamous

[1:31]Bloods and Cripps [Music] it's actually kind of like ground zero in

[1:43]the gang world that's water violence at his work all the murders

[1:48]at it like we got the worst statistic period the highest poverty

[1:52]rate is disease rate the lower income you know these projects you

[1:56]know so everything else it to work so you grew up gangbang

[2:01]it was always a whole lot of shooting killers from everybody we

[2:05]grew up in one time kind of areas where everybody you know

[2:10]everybody tough everybody rough you couldn't cut my side being weak hearted

[2:14]it's a lot of projects we all like one area so it's

[2:17]it's when you know where to go without running into somebody that

[2:21]you really like I don't like you it was just more like

[2:23]this it's like mayhem if you went from your area you stay

[2:27]in your area or you know you get something happen to you

[2:29]get killed you get shot you get beat up they takes a

[2:33]lot of people home robbed you a lot of your jury disrespect

[2:36]you're lying on me make you feel less of a person if

[2:38]anybody came around the community that we didn't like already know I

[2:41]don't know we attacked them did what they did to us basically

[2:47]it ain't no one story cuz it was every day every day

[2:48]every day we live right here is Crips live over here Crips

[2:52]little over-the-air Crips over here over there we blur so no everywhere

[2:56]you go you step out of bounds you got it ready were

[3:00]you at right now this is owned by this banner right here

[3:05]this banner is a shot Gracie wife lady's old crib from that's

[3:10]my hood this this we yet we've seen a movie ministers society

[3:13]that's been filming this from some of the movie a right here

[3:17]in the joint down project so this ragged to see anybody with

[3:19]this around here you know they represent this gang right here but

[3:23]when it comes to gang banger is really don't your personal opinion

[3:27]really don't matter you know I'm saying it at all it all

[3:30]depends on what your game it's talking about so if if this

[3:36]is a game two blocks away from us in and our hood

[3:38]say we're not cool with them then from since I was young

[3:42]raised up as a kid I've been raised to not like these

[3:46]people we're not cool with them so whenever I seen them it

[3:51]has to be some type of physical altercation fight you know stabbing

[3:54]shooting something like that those type of things happen when you come

[3:58]across people like that but you kind of like taught since birth

[4:00]that type of thing a lot of people don't understand it but

[4:04]a lot of people they think that oh you I want to

[4:07]become a [ __ ] I want to become a blood but

[4:10]the reality is you grew up into it I was in elementary

[4:15]school I'm claiming great Street we know cuz it's written on the

[4:18]walls and everybody around me claiming great Street right no gangbanger I'm

[4:22]in elementary school got no guns but but at the same time

[4:26]older people in the neighborhood they say I need a dollar for

[4:30]ice cream I see anything it's the older people that gang banging

[4:32]is giving it to me because you know they're my neighbors you

[4:34]know they giving it to me so as I'm growing older still

[4:39]in elementary school you know they might got shot he got killed

[4:43]and they'd like the brothers killed him or whoever killed him enemy

[4:49]so automatically I'm I automatically grew up not liking whoever did that

[4:54]or the police shot so I'm gonna have that that look thing

[4:57]against the police it's rough every day going out we had to

[5:05]worry about the police doing this in a car dropping something at

[5:09][ __ ] in imperial court worried about other housing developments we

[5:14]have worried about other gangs outside projects and stuff like that so

[5:18]really growing up poor in watch Anna had no clothes so they

[5:26]are free to go to junior high I want the Nikes and

[5:30]the Boomers and Adidas but I don't got no money so only

[5:33]thing I could do more likely what I'm gonna do is start

[5:38]robbing breaking the house is trying to get to the clothes I

[5:40]want to be her dead school fresh you know and it's easy

[5:44]first blood so I don't offer to have my first gang fight

[5:45]I'm already in the mix I don't know what come with I

[5:50]don't know the jails I'm finna be on cow gang I don't

[5:52]know none of this I just know I'm you're getting back I'm

[5:55]trying to earn a rep earning a name for myself that's like

[5:57]anybody of my peers around me the more known you is a

[6:03]cleaner you more respect to get more girls you know so a

[6:05]lot of people drink transitioning it's game that way very few people

[6:11]come and I'm 17 I wanted to be a [ __ ]

[6:14]if you put me on that that's that's TV 1980 Ailes not

[6:16]is all our stuff I use though I have acquired too much

[6:23]this dog started with a fight for that way right there's probably

[6:32]have to be to do it I'll be to do it up

[6:39]enough say about two weeks later it's 1988 gang life was kind

[6:43]of booming I'll go come downstairs a lot of see guys they're

[6:46]like okay I'm hard now took one for the team oh I'm

[6:50]sure everybody much my band-aids and stuff still a little blood on

[6:53]in these stones you know it was like I said was 21

[6:55]I mean those team wants this song it was like it was

[7:01]crazy and I was kind of pump derby but pump me up

[7:06]to be this kind of other person in life I wasn't allowed

[7:10]to see my best friend I killed remember having dreams of life

[7:24]having flashbacks of the scene or any other guy I just mother

[7:29]brother label you know you grow up saying a lot of things

[7:35]it's comparable to people see I've been in the war you know

[7:38]I'm saying in other countries or something it's comparable to today you

[7:42]know I'm saying so it's taking a real strong mind to like

[7:46]cope and deal with that type of stuff and block it up

[7:48]and make it a part of your life every day I didn't

[7:52]like nothing I didn't like nothing I still don't really like nothing

[7:55]but I'm running to get over everyday I didn't like nothing because

[8:01]I was I was hurting from up for my people once my

[8:02]people get hurt once my people get scratched hit shot stabbed ran

[8:09]over I'm hurting so at that time it was it was no

[8:15]tolerance every being banger got family and friends who died didn't came

[8:20]by do I drink water I got a normal list I'm gonna

[8:24]put nobody your friend at another but trust me delicious it's long

[8:30]it's very long very very long and that some people died this

[8:34]year some people died when I was 10 and 11 love definitely

[8:39][Music] going to jail mrs.

[8:46]Kane I knew something had to change because I had a quarter

[8:54]she'll love me to death on this is a big room you

[9:01]know I just left him one night before I got home and

[9:03]upstairs didn't appear my sister compensators got killed clothes back on with

[9:12]back for the day in the street Wow the next day I

[9:18]have read to grab the newspaper in the newspaper resident average black

[9:22]man is dying for you to 2,500 years old and I got

[9:27]six songs so they told me if I live to a certain

[9:32]age I'm a witness my son is dead lord knows I don't

[9:35]want to see that boy so I'm a god-fearing man so after

[9:40]me as high as I said what do I need to do

[9:41]what's my part in this even when I was pregnant with my

[9:49]son Dam Bi recipe I was fighting I was pregnant I was

[9:55]on the line bad whatever nice whatever well we go to yoga

[9:57]we walk beyond the other than fine you come over here we

[10:00]go back over there was warm back and forward it is very

[10:02]thing where we came another week it was out of control people

[10:08]could even go to school we could even go to one high

[10:11]school I think I'm me and about three or four of us

[10:13]was the only one because I didn't let him run me enjoy

[10:16]nice school but the great fear and run down and enjoy in

[10:18]high school and they ran Markham so we got a lot of

[10:22]people's over here and get the education in appeal courts because of

[10:25]the violence in the community before the extremes the origins of this

[10:32]war are well documented the Crips also known as the original [

[10:36]__ ] homies were founded in 1969 by Raymond Washington and Stanley

[10:40]Williams leaders of two teenage gangs who united forces to strengthen their

[10:45]claim of the neighborhoods they lived in born out of poverty segregation

[10:51]and a lack of opportunities the teenagers prowled the streets robbing and

[10:55]stealing to create a reputation for themselves the Bloods formed in retaliation

[11:02]founded by Sylvester Scott and Benson Owens these were students at Centennial

[11:07]High in Compton where they had been attacked by the Crips in

[11:10]time the gang swelled in membership with different neighborhood gangs pledging allegiance

[11:15]to either side soon the rivalry incorporated the lucrative drug trade and

[11:20]with the emergence of crack cocaine territory was now more valuable than

[11:26]ever violence breeds violence and the death toll steadily rose in the

[11:30]late 80s and early 90s the city of Los Angeles averaged 2.7

[11:34]murders per day it's estimated that over the last 45 years 20,000

[11:39]people have been killed in this war with countless others caught up

[11:45]in the violence [Music] [Music] in the midst of this chaos one

[12:10]man made it his mission to counter this violence to try and

[12:14]perpetuate a message of peace and reconciliation formerly a member of the

[12:18]Black Panther Party shake Mujahid abdul kareem moved to LA where he

[12:24]set up a business selling wigs there he became friends with a

[12:28]Pakistani security guard who intrigued Mujahid with his character and tranquil nature

[12:32]when probed his friend said Islam was the source of my well-being

[12:36]before long Shaikh majare had begun researching Islam and in time he

[12:41]converted to the religion after practicing for some time he became acquainted

[12:46]with a Persian man who was a follower of Shia Islam intrigued

[12:51]the Sheikh wanted to know more about this path as well as

[12:55]the revolution that was taking place in Iran at the time his

[12:57]friend gave him the book Hussein Saviour of Islam and when the

[13:03]Sheikh read the history of Karbala he broke down in tears he

[13:06]drew parallels with the struggle of his own people who had suffered

[13:09]persecution for hundreds of years in America however in Karbala it was

[13:14]the grandson of the Prophet who was killed along with his family

[13:19]and companions from that moment on the shafe knew this was his

[13:22]path he would go on to make it his mission to propagate

[13:27]the message of the Imam Hossein but not just to other muslims

[13:29]but to those who he felt were the most oppressed and in

[13:34]his eyes these were the people gripped by the gang violence in

[13:39]South Central LA 1970 to 1992 14 years I'm going out in

[13:42]the community thousands of hours during doubt in the community and it

[13:51]was a situation that occurred in 1991 there was a young brother

[13:55]by the name of Henry Pico but he was highly respected in

[13:59]the community he was a tribe member from the Crips and when

[14:02]when he when he assassinated him the whole community rose up and

[14:06]I read about it in the LA Times paper I said wow

[14:10]this is the first time that I've ever seen tribes rise up

[14:13]for killing Jews came about because LAPD killed Kirra Tico tiny that's

[14:20]and the power in the feeling why he laid on the ground

[14:26]it was so powerful you know and other people's going through the

[14:30]same thing jump and then joined down got killed two people said

[14:33]I got shot enjoying down then my baby father had got shot

[14:39]in the Nickerson but we were just trying to send police abuse

[14:43]how do you just coming riding up just beating the homies up

[14:45]beating up fathers mothers I got beat up my shoulder hair my

[14:50]hand is messed up for the rest of my life my nose

[14:54]is gone mr.

[14:53]povey's did his role every just didn't have no respect at that

[14:58]time when gates was in force of LAPD it was out of

[15:00]control he had no no kind of respect for brown and black

[15:04]so immediately I went over in the community in the Imperial courts

[15:11]and I said that I read about what y'all doing you know

[15:14]you have a big demonstration against the police killing this brother and

[15:19]they say yeah I'm reforming a Henry pickle justice committee that's okay

[15:24]I'll come and work on this committee I say I'm using reasoning

[15:27]and logic for thought that I said well I work on this

[15:31]committee with them be back and win the influence because I'm working

[15:35]with the Nickerson gardens and the Joyner downs housing project I know

[15:39]that the brothers that you know it's can help put a peace

[15:42]movement together and so I worked on that committee for about three

[15:48]months and I was able to persuade a young brother Street they

[15:51]caught an sniper but his real name was Dewayne Holmes and I

[15:55]said look I'm working with the the Nickerson and the Jordan downs

[16:00]and said well we got to come together this you know we're

[16:03]not going to get anywhere and that's we are united so we

[16:06]I was able to get three brothers from each project from the

[16:09]Nichols and three from the Nixon three from the joined downs three

[16:11]from the pier of course brothers that had influenced the hood of

[16:16]Steel one waited we still want waiting you know because of what

[16:19]the beef we had at the time with our with the gray

[16:22]Street so we still want with him and we have to give

[16:27]permission which you need to do because it's a protocol the whole

[16:29]hood have to agree no two people can't agree to run nothing

[16:34]for peace but when rare rooster came back he came back for

[16:36]the drawing down saying we need to meet they witty they wit

[16:40]it the same day and then that's when the father came and

[16:42]then um Duane and RevoluSun went to serpo Toni Bogart on a

[16:49]ball and all the rest of the homies and big smiley Somali

[16:53]went to the rest of the homies and then ass and stop

[16:56]talking to all of us and then he was born back and

[17:03]forth he's running back and forth all night trying to get us

[17:06]to buy into peace one day the minister popped up and they

[17:15]said they got the PJs and the next talking and he when

[17:18]he came up he asked him oh man who can he talk

[17:21]to because that's what's going on it was they gonna fight I'm

[17:24]a pensioner so he found me and he said who's gonna ask

[17:28]me this what how much my castle which I won't do this

[17:35]they'll agree with you man we were so deeply shocked decent running

[17:38]this hundred hundred of us showed up on stretcher at the mouth

[17:41]names like oh man those two minute y'all so just bring back

[17:44]some replicas so we came back with about 25 people the next

[17:46]day we set up in there man and it was like what

[17:50]took us so long domain homeless children all the people wouldn't sit

[17:54]the grade into the penitentiary that's all we had to do was

[17:57]can't talk guy came over here since he's Muslim you know he

[18:03]don't he don't have no alliance to nobody so he can come

[18:07]in this projects our projects this project and he came in with

[18:10]some new Islam Islam me I let you think for yourself so

[18:14]as you think for yourselves you know that's not you know just

[18:17]that's not what he posted Liz we didn't allow anyone in that

[18:19]had any kind of weapon knife or gun so we would searched

[18:24]each brother and so we would sit down and just talk to

[18:26]get you know familiar with one another the brothers were there amongst

[18:30]themselves and we never had a really a problem I don't know

[18:37]it was it was just a hand of Allah let me just

[18:40]say that is who's the hand of Allah to bring about some

[18:47]semblance of tranquility you know amongst that's why it was all long

[18:51]they brought this together because we really never have no incident where

[18:55]brothers helped in that showed animosity while they were having the meetings

[19:00]in the mass yet you're on these brothers have fought for almost

[19:05]25 30 years killing one another you know before we started meeting

[19:08]a lot of us was hesitate to do it because it's been

[19:10]a lot of hurt and pain I had a little brother my

[19:14]little brother name is little hit man you know I'm saying he

[19:19]was shot by the great streets back in the days by a

[19:21]guy named baby BAM for great right he was shot right and

[19:27]when the peace treaty story I ran into the guy who shot

[19:30]my little brother you know he thought it was gonna be some

[19:32]fun because he came to the meet you don't saying but I

[19:35]looked him dead in the eye I said man look that's that's

[19:40]no problem that's done and over with you don't say we trying

[19:44]to get peace now you don't say so when the peace came

[19:47]me and him ended up being the best of friends once it's

[19:50]all happening crack you know I'm saying it's a lot of war

[19:54]stories my homies guys you know all of us got a little

[19:55]little water is what we would do far as gang banging in

[20:00]the neighborhood you know I'm saying but the thing is you know

[20:02]I'm saying it's peace around here Mongols now but we need the

[20:08]peace to come back with all projects you're on saying this wall

[20:12]is a symbol if you look it says nobody can stop this

[20:18]stop the work this war but us you know I'm saying even

[20:21]though it stops right now who knows what can happen in the

[20:27]near future like you come back so that's one of the reasons

[20:30]why we never know painted over this this this monument right here

[20:33]there's so much jewelry because Crips and bloods for the first time

[20:39]together it made it was sweet it was sweet for a while

[20:40]you know cuz I ain't am i dying and it way better

[20:43]we think getting shot at and at that moment at that time

[20:48]they slowed a whole lot down where we all could be happiness

[20:50]and all kids can play and we could walk up and down

[20:54]the street my parents have no you know say no worries and

[20:58]unlike that in this world like the police is slow down tired

[21:02]down going and mind you that I never gave a tribal leader

[21:10]one penny because I didn't have no money myself I never gave

[21:14]them out a single penny to come to sit down because I

[21:17]don't want to be a part of no movement that you had

[21:20]to pay the people to come to sit to stop killing one

[21:24]another what if the money dissipate then everybody leave you know so

[21:28]this is why the truce is still holding we got many brothers

[21:30]now not only in this community of watts but all over the

[21:38]city pushing the peace movement and the the black-on-black killing it's been

[21:42]cut at least 2/3 in the city of Los Angeles because of

[21:45]the peace movement we have here it was really historical you know

[21:49]some brothers went when this truce happened brothers that have formally killed

[21:56]one another they began to hug and kiss each other on the

[21:58]cheek and weep and cry I mean brothers that was killing people

[22:01]you know that they submit it you know it was a milestone

[22:09]in the in the history of the African American people [Music] after

[22:19]years of fighting with thousands of people killed maimed and incarcerated the

[22:24]heads of each gang couldn't quite believe how fruitful the meetings had

[22:28]become everyone knew that peace was ultimately in their own hands and

[22:34]that peace was more valuable than any gains made on the basis

[22:37]of turf or the sale of drugs that realization brought with it

[22:43]a new dawn a rebirth in this way the community felt indebted

[22:46]to the efforts of Sheikh Muhammad he had been with them promoting

[22:49]coexistence for years but only now was it coming to his complete

[22:53]fruition he never gave up on them he could quite easily have

[22:58]moved to another community but through his perseverance over a period of

[23:03]14 years the community had finally realized there was another way well

[23:08]yeah he literally everyone for him it wouldn't be not true even

[23:14]living it when they'd never been no truce if I would have

[23:16]been one later somebody else I came along but what came about

[23:20]how I heard I was gang banging their food when if true

[23:23]started in 92 you know by then I'm grown I'm fresh out

[23:25]the pan you know fresh out of penitent and you know he

[23:30]was meeting with brothers from Nixon's like my homeboy elementary so he

[23:33]was being with certain people you know key people from different projects

[23:37]trying to get the peace team together but at the same time

[23:39]back then the game the violence rage was hot super hot gangbanging

[23:45]was it was serious not serious and people think there's a lot

[23:49]of people lost loved one body about 92 I lost at least

[23:54]two many loved ones from the other side and vice versa you

[23:57]know we weren't the peace in luckily but yah he made it

[24:05]happen hey Bob the sense of structure because we were just walling

[24:10]out fighting the police in drunk smoking Charmin getting high and then

[24:14]he was like no that's not the way to do it you

[24:17]know he came to difference to the different hoods run down Imperial

[24:21]Nickerson and Hacienda and all over the one way is all over

[24:27]Watts to tell us to do it the right way how we

[24:28]could for our business and really start bringing stuff together more in

[24:33]a peaceful way you don't have to go keep fighting the photo

[24:36]we spider homies what time he got killed because we was angry

[24:38]and in that's when he went to all the community said we

[24:41]all need to come together so that was a kid I used

[24:46]to seen around here so as I got older I thought like

[24:47]I never knew what woody woody were like or who was he

[24:51]like ice always seemed like when I got older and I see

[24:54]here could you always dress down like was that guy so when

[24:58]I got older and I introduced to myself he already knew who

[25:02]I was I raised your daddy BIC will you know so now

[25:08]relationship grew right there and the bond came good you know he

[25:11]always been a mentor to me you always give me you know

[25:14]me a sense of direction if I tell I'm going through some

[25:16]II say no prayer buddy brother do this do that you know

[25:20]and he always helped me if I need help with anything he

[25:23]always there for me and I'm grateful for that when I began

[25:27]to work in the community here they used to put guns on

[25:29]me they'd throw water on me you know just like they previewed

[25:34]the Holy Prophet in Mecca they would you know disrespected him I

[25:38]remember one night it was close to sunset and I was talking

[25:44]to about 15 of the Bloods and they called the Bounty Hunter

[25:47]the blood tribe and all of them walked away and one black

[25:50]brother from the Bloods gang member he said I don't like you

[25:58]I said why why don't you like did I do any harm

[26:01]to you did I what did I do yes I just don't

[26:03]like you and so he put his gun out put it put

[26:08]his finger on the trigger and I did that I've been a

[26:13]walk away from them to get into my car and I wouldn't

[26:14]turn my back to him because I probably would've shot me in

[26:19]the back but I faced him and to go to my car

[26:24]and I got in my car and went on but later the

[26:25]next day one of the brothers that knew him very well they

[26:30]said you were blessed you are a lucky person they said he

[26:33]never pulled a gun on anyone and didn't shoot him Shaykh Mujahid

[26:37]is my revolutionary uncle revolutionary my teacher and him are very close

[26:43]they've been in the struggle like I'm saying I've been in struggle

[26:46]for thirty years I've known him as long as I've been a

[26:50]Muslim he's been pushing the line he's one of the first mas

[26:54]geez independent and dependent of the system he wasn't financed by Saudi

[27:01]Arabia he wasn't financed to jump through hoops to anything he'd been

[27:04]here basically by himself and it's an honor to serve with the

[27:06]brother he goes well a lot of people who do not go

[27:10]where a lot of people scared to go you got a lot

[27:13]of Muslims who say that they not scared of the devil but

[27:14]they scared to come to the ghetto they scared to comes to

[27:18]face black people they scared to come amongst Eisley big Muslims in

[27:22]the ghetto so what he means to me is resistance and resilience

[27:26]and vigilance in the ghetto thought of acne Beit Muslims was the

[27:31]driving force to help us get this peace treaty started my job

[27:36]here is like a father to everybody around here you know I'm

[27:39]saying we all look up to him be respected with full credibility

[27:44]and everything he's the father a lot of us never had he's

[27:46]good he's a good person you know he's a Muslim he opened

[27:50]up the doors and let us hold our peace treaty meetings up

[27:52]in the Masjid you know and you know I all credit go

[27:58]to my jaw head because he was the main backbone to make

[28:00]it happen in this community California it's about as tribalism with the

[28:07]gang banging so whether they're bull of a [ __ ] shake

[28:10]Mujahid is able to be just because he's Muslim he's able to

[28:15]get them together to work together and do stuff in the community

[28:18]and that is a beautiful thing not too many people can walk

[28:21]up with just a normal guy you can't walk over to a

[28:24]blood and everyone and say oh I want you to come work

[28:26]with these dudes over here adjourned because they're Crips you see what

[28:29]I'm saying I want you to work with this other set over

[28:31]here because there are other Crips are y'all blood a lot of

[28:34]people can't do that you know what I'm saying but Mujahid is

[28:38]one of the ones that they give him that respect you know

[28:41]what I'm saying if they are doing what they're doing they're not

[28:44]gonna disrespect him they're gonna come together like hey GU Jae Hee

[28:48]said let's do it let's go let's go to the Mars you

[28:49]didn't do it you know so he plays a very important role

[28:53]in the community he's always if it's been a lot of brothers

[28:56]getting killed over here in different communities he's always there with the

[29:00]rest of the brothers and sisters to support the family or at

[29:04]the police department anything that he can do in a community I

[29:07]know he's always been there propagating Islam is very important because if

[29:13]you don't have no spiritual foundation you know it's just like building

[29:17]your house on quicksand so that was my main perspective is to

[29:25]propagate islam to the people also that yeah we have to be

[29:28]politically organized too because the holy prophet of allah he didn't just

[29:31]preach the Deen you know Islam politics is 50% of Islam you

[29:39]cannot do it's like the glove in the hand you know so

[29:41]I approach them from that perspective whereas most Christian ministers talk to

[29:46]them they only about Jesus died for your sins then you could

[29:50]do what you want to do and you can go to heaven

[29:54]but there's none oh you're responsible for what you do and I

[29:56]always emphasize that you were responsible for what they do me I'm

[30:01]not here to make you no Muslim only Allah can do that

[30:04]and so and also they they saw in me that that I

[30:10]didn't have no fear in my heart you know from the the

[30:13]enemies of Allah and so that impressed them and I will go

[30:19]to their house sit down in the house talking with them they

[30:21]don't have you know liquor in the house or maybe drugs in

[30:26]the house but what am I to do if I don't go

[30:29]to them then I was they weren't going to come to me

[30:32]I had to go out and make a relationship with them to

[30:35]win their you know to win them you know that when they're

[30:42]thinking because they know if you care about them anyone know if

[30:44]you care about them or not and they know I have love

[30:47]in my heart for my oppressed brothers and sisters and I would

[30:50]do whatever I could do so this is the message that I

[30:52]preached was was to you know have firm faith in Allah -

[30:58]praised too fast I would you know go out propagating all these

[31:02]issues but I was also about politics you know you have rights

[31:07]as a human being you have a right not to be oppressed

[31:09]you have a right to life liberty justice and equality that you

[31:13]have to stand up on your rights you cannot that nobody's you

[31:17]know deprive you of your rights Allah said in the Quran Karim

[31:23]that oppression is worse than slaughter you know this oppression is worse

[31:29]than slaughter so-and-so hungry you know it took many many years it

[31:34]took me 14 years to win their confidence I mean you made

[31:37]a thousands and thousands of hours of work in the community and

[31:42]I had to be one with them you know I didn't say

[31:44]because I don't drink smoke you know Muslim no good Muslim we're

[31:47]going to be doing something like that and so but whatever they

[31:52]did that's what them in a lot I'm not gonna browbeat the

[31:55]people because you might drink liquor or did this or that one

[32:00]day they might grow up and you know become a good convert

[32:05]to Islam we look at the situation of Malcolm X he's a

[32:08]very beautiful example how he was pimping women he was selling drugs

[32:17]he was using drugs drinking liquor eating pig we all experienced that

[32:22]before we became Muslim and look what Allah made him do made

[32:25]him as a shining light to the Muslim african-american Muslim and also

[32:30]Muslims around the world read his autobiography how he transcended from being

[32:35]a hoodlum drug addict a pimp and became a you know strong

[32:42]good Muslim and he became a martyr you know and hamdulillah that

[32:46]so this is my strategy that I when I come when I

[32:50]came to what chanting just come here just to put a message

[32:54]in in the community to be with poor people and its poor

[32:56]people all around this this country no I think me with a

[33:02]blueprint a plan that first you got to go to the people

[33:04]that's most oppressed the down-and-out the barefoot the neck of the oppressed

[33:09]really oppressed so this is what watch this watch is a historical

[33:16]community also it's always was known for the people they would stand

[33:20]up to demand their rights and be ready to die you know

[33:23]to get their rights so this was the strategy I use I

[33:27]said well if we can get this area organized it would have

[33:31]an impact upon the city and across America and and Hunter Dustin

[33:36]in 1992 it had a powerful impact it was so powerful that

[33:41]President George Bush was president in 1992 George Bush Senior and he

[33:48]sent a hundred FBI agents to LA to investigate it was in

[33:51]LA Times paper he sent a hundred he didn't send them no

[33:54]FBI agents when they were killing one another it was hated why

[33:57]didn't he send them then when he killing one another you know

[33:59]if you send them at all no he send them after the

[34:03]truce was organized appease the young guys that we're not killing each

[34:06]other no more I the mosque was always seen as a part

[34:17]of the Watts community but after the truce it became an example

[34:21]a shining light for what could be achieved by bringing the people

[34:24]together people that had for four decades now reconciling and working side-by-side

[34:29]to better their lives beyond that the Masjid was a place where

[34:33]the doors were always open if people had any needs they knew

[34:38]the mosque and Sheikh rajaiah head would welcome them with no strings

[34:41]attached in that way people naturally became attracted to Islam they saw

[34:46]a belief system which didn't discriminate a complete way of life where

[34:51]they found logical answers with no contradictions and what's more Islam provided

[34:56]spiritual growth and healing something so vital in a community that had

[35:02]seen so much bloodshed in this way people found a real sense

[35:06]of purpose and belonging because too often the attraction to gang life

[35:09]comes down to that need to be part of something greater I

[35:13]mean Islam is the reason why we came together we know how

[35:21]far we wouldn't be able to do this in 92 Islam was

[35:27]the vehicle and the mosque was the place where brothers felt safe

[35:32]to have a conversation safe where you know because everybody was bringing

[35:37]guns and stuff and didn't trust each other and so Islam brought

[35:40]trust and to the equation brother me Joe not just him brother

[35:47]Tony Muhammad a lot of the Muslims bugsy think coming down for

[35:51]a long time now back when I was a kid like in

[35:52]mid-80s you know what I mean coming around the side I do

[35:56]a lot of positive things you know give away for the kids

[35:58]and different things bringing job opportunities around helping bring the games together

[36:09]salat back to school programs backpacks books haircuts free hair cuz you

[36:14]know things like therefore I've used by Nielsen so everybody's a whole

[36:17]lot attention to the families that's unfortunately you know saying I shoes

[36:21]you know everything that comes with we're going back to school and

[36:25]I was appreciated too because a whole lot of people wouldn't fortunately

[36:27]to go to school with nice hair curse nice service nice and

[36:31]then saying so we're free haircuts for free backpacks for free pencils

[36:35]and shoes and stuff like getting back to school so that was

[36:37]a good appreciation to them I anybody that I've talked to that

[36:42]I've known the mill there's been in the prison first thing that

[36:45]they talk about is Mujahid monster coming to the March it when

[36:49]they get out even if they only know a little bit about

[36:50]Islam I had a brother that called my husband is incarcerated right

[36:54]now they're called and he wanted to know the address to the

[36:59]Maji because you're at all shake Mujahid and so I gave him

[37:00]the address to DiMaggio so it's a lot of he does a

[37:04]lot in the community and it's beneficial you know for the people

[37:07]because like I said it's not too many people and if you

[37:11]can get loves and comes to come together and they're practicing Islam

[37:15]as well and everybody else is it's beautiful you know and it

[37:18]won't you know hopefully like I say Islam is a universal peace

[37:23]but then hopefully everybody because was in decimal rot overall go that's

[37:27]why I said I'm studying in the holler so that I could

[37:29]teach the sisters in prison and sisters on the street about Islam

[37:34]long gay was that structure and gay was that God there's a

[37:36]path the way to live the righteous life so that's why we

[37:38]converted over to his perverted over Islam you know I mean and

[37:44]at the same time my Jaya is is incredible you know I

[37:46]mean he put it in our face he showed me and showed

[37:48]me the difference between he let people think for me and me

[37:53]thinking for myself so as I think for myself I in the

[37:54]father or Nothing I do what I want to do I live

[37:57]the way I live in for me to live in my own

[38:01]heart I was gonna turbulent time in my life I got I

[38:06]got railroaded by the system so I had time to think about

[38:08]it and at that time a lot of the music that I

[38:11]was listening to early 1990s rebels gearing people towards this line so

[38:14]it made me start picking up books and reading and it may

[38:18]be once I start seeing certain lives or the inconsistencies of Christianity

[38:24]the Bible the contradictions it because I've had 12 years of Catholic

[38:29]school Catholicism Francesca nism and all that type of stuff so when

[38:32]I seen began to see Islam and some people were related to

[38:35]Islam through the Bible which I was familiar with they got me

[38:41]to Islam and really when I found out that Islam was the

[38:44]religion of my particular forefathers - Moors - Africans it made sense

[38:48]for me to revert back to Islam and abdicate and throw away

[38:54]Christianity judeo-christianity being in the streets of South Central Los Angeles I

[39:01]lost my way I became involved in gangs gang banging and all

[39:05]the things that come along with that the violence the hurt the

[39:09]pain and during that time I I ain't begoing to prison for

[39:17]15 years and while I was in prison I went to so-called

[39:22]Orthodox Islam Sunni Islam and maybe my sixth year I ran into

[39:32]a brother named Mujahid ironically and he gave me a book called

[39:37]then I was guided you know and I read the book and

[39:42]it all made sense to me I began to ask questions and

[39:49]being that our Sunni brothers are the dominant Muslim community in there

[39:55]they ostracized me a lot of it because of ignorance they didn't

[39:59]know just what they were told at that time our hobby ism

[40:02]was very fluent and prevalent there and I got into a little

[40:11]conflict short story long I was sent to a place where it

[40:18]was predominantly Shia Muslims and that's been I began my journey to

[40:24]learn about the art abate and Islamic history true Islamic history and

[40:28]I just gravitated towards it I came into Islam about eleven months

[40:34]ago well what really led me into Islam was the Bible itself

[40:40]I studied my Bible really really carefully when I actually when I

[40:50]actually started to accept Islam the belief into my heart was when

[40:58]I started acknowledging certain parts in the Bible where it talks about

[41:04]a certain man who is unlettered you know things like that one

[41:09]one day I had a cell phone I download the Quran I

[41:14]read it there was a whole lot of information in there that

[41:20]I said to myself there is no way that you know the

[41:23]Prophet peace and blessings be upon them made it up from there

[41:30]on I started I actually started looking hard for a Masjid I

[41:36]found a bunch of messages but the way I saw it is

[41:40]that III I found them but it wasn't like God led me

[41:45]to these messages so I made a I made a a real

[41:47]sincere prayer to to Almighty God to help me find a message

[41:55]around here where I live and one thing led to another I

[41:58]under discovering this beautiful message it and they're making my Shahada here

[42:03]11 months ago and yeah it's been it's been really beautiful ever

[42:07]since I was a young boy like 19 years old I was

[42:14]confined to prison for 18 years with a life term do my

[42:18]research trying to figure out who I am as a young African

[42:19]American historically I started delve into the history books and found Islam

[42:24]hum didn't I I read the book who saying that save every

[42:29]slam and that was my starting point of a journey his suffering

[42:32]got me to the point where I when I go out is

[42:37]this guy just left everything behind for what for God and I

[42:39]was always a person that was spiritual as a Christian of course

[42:45]my whole offending was background Christianity so I had idea who God

[42:50]was and that concept you know wrong and don't do right and

[42:54]we don't do wrong but do right but unfortunately I relocated to

[42:57]a different community and I left Florida to my hometown that's what

[43:01]was my originals but raised that to LA California and it was

[43:04]it was all bad got moving to a community where was very

[43:12]impoverished gang infested drugs no prostitution and my father left me at

[43:15]10 years old he left me so I went to the streets

[43:17]foreclosure trying to figure out you know how to be a man

[43:22]in all that I think the distractions in the community the fast

[43:25]cars the women me being 10 years old I was a lure

[43:31]by that join the gang at ten years old so in that

[43:36]type of choice that I made that was really a very dangerous

[43:39]choice because I joined that gang and I was shot three times

[43:44]at the age of thirteen or fourteen years old I'm almost got

[43:47]paralyzed as a young boy so God come dude Allah he spared

[43:52]me you know still and just engulfed in that madness of gang

[43:56]activity I still continued that path of destruction so hum did Allah

[44:00]Allah put me in this engine in prison for 18 years just

[44:04]for I think for me to become template and justify myself and

[44:07]in there I start reading about who I was as a young

[44:11]boy I never had an idea about African history in school I

[44:14]really liked two pages about african-american that was it so I was

[44:17]able to I think in ginger-ale of self-hatred and I've been a

[44:23]bar European culture history alright man I was and then about black

[44:26]so when I asked my teacher and ninth grade you know why

[44:30]we don't teach African American history he got a real Maggie's turn

[44:32]red took at the classroom you little thug you know this is

[44:36]an ass and I kind of hit me hard in my Steam

[44:39]right I guess I asked a question I want to know about

[44:40]myself basically so that self-hatred led me to doing other things my

[44:46]father disappearance I just went to the streets and that is in

[44:49]prison for 18 years with a life term and in there I

[44:54]start reading books I like mature earlier I finally met was singing

[44:56]and that gave me an idea that I want to follow this

[45:00]man who came everything I forgot and I was my strength my

[45:03]starting point to be Muslim I was 1994 I hummed it a

[45:07]lot and looked back since then so he inspired me to be

[45:09]the man I am today it's to be disciplined to love God

[45:13]it's a sacrifice you know to resist oppression so that's just my

[45:16]whole life is fighting for all the people of the press you

[45:21]know now I'm here family I have family members that is Jehovah

[45:24]Witness Muslim but we didn't really associate them revolutionaries in Baptist and

[45:32]Christian so they once I told them I wanted to be Muslim

[45:39]it was kind of you know with the joke witness family they

[45:41]didn't really accept me but I didn't care so I just went

[45:46]on about my way and because he need to become Muslim with

[45:48]me and my children cuz I'm a mother of 12 children so

[45:52]I didn't care what they said the drover with different religions of

[45:55]my families I had went to church and I went to the

[46:00]Kingdom Hall and it just was something that was not all the

[46:02]way through there or not all the way right to me so

[46:06]I couldn't never like how they say get baptized my mother my

[46:09]aunties and on him they would joke winners they wanted to get

[46:12]better eyes I'm like no I need to know certain answers before

[46:14]I do that and when I asked the brother the questions and

[46:17]everything just seemed mystical it didn't seem real so I never you

[46:24]know joined the job of witnesses then when I met sister Aneesa

[46:27]and what she was telling me about the Prophet Muhammad and the

[46:32]Quran she showed me the Quran not ready for myself then it

[46:37]felt more down-to-earth more connected to me opposed even to all those

[46:41]years that I was practicing Jehovah Witness a different stuff but there

[46:47]islam's feel more at peace of what are you know under saying

[46:50]that I could relate to more so ever since then I've been

[46:54]a Muslim now I am a two years student at the house

[46:59]that I'm the only one who stood at the house because my

[47:00]plan is to be able to go inside the women jails and

[47:07]in a community and teach others sisters about Islam but in order

[47:10]to do that I need to be learned fully so this is

[47:15]my second year in the house and I'm the only one every

[47:30]time I try to get my dollar I'd give good advice you're

[47:35]saying make sure they get to school safer all that stuff you

[47:37]know so it's first kids now when I grew up my name

[47:44]little will I grew up gang banging you know fighting with I

[47:47]wasn't part of the peace treaty my area we wasn't part of

[47:51]the peace treat my older generation loved so my area I grew

[47:54]up fighting against the great streets in their fear of courts know

[47:59]so me going through that it was it was rough you know

[48:01]we had our wins we got our losses you know so going

[48:05]through that struggle now I don't want that for our next generation

[48:07]so I tried to show the kids better I leave them in

[48:12]a different direction you know because I sacrificed myself already for they

[48:18]can't some better brighter future yeah I don't want the kids to

[48:20]go through what I went through yeah I do worry about they

[48:25]well-being in a future that's why I try to put my all

[48:26]into making a better future for him around I don't want him

[48:31]to grow up through the the situations that I grew up in

[48:34]through the the gangbanging the violence the police brutality you know like

[48:39]nah well I'll try my best I look at the kids every

[48:42]day and pray my pray that I can do something to make

[48:46]it better for him man gang like Fritz will wicky-wicky I'm saying

[48:51]y'all unders you're like a lot of people understand the Honorable will

[48:54]deep dark side of it like I'm saying it ain't always no

[48:58]enemies that's gonna kill you you know I'm saying it could be

[49:00]a dude that you were with I'm saying y'all a serial playing

[49:05]marbles with or whatever like no I'm saying you know so I

[49:07]just say fidelity of kids growing up don't everything about organic know

[49:10]that you know how that knowledge of what the gang is about

[49:13]or whatever not but don't join it you know I'm saying you

[49:16]can whatever you think you need a crowd to do you don't

[49:19]need that you know I'm silicon you can have your own self

[49:20]you know mean your own stuff and I'm gonna defend yourself or

[49:22]whatever on your own you'll need no care no mob another that

[49:26]you know me you know gangs is I wish I never woulda

[49:29]did that I could have hopefully been in the NFL something like

[49:31]that aware but due to the gang life this is when I'm

[49:38]there right now I love some kids at 60 days not only

[49:41]that my daughter father was killed in 97 by LAPD but I

[49:46]took my anger in and did positive thing I took the passion

[49:52]I had the anger I had I was angry and I'm still

[49:54]kind of angry but I had did not for my bill to

[49:59]prison in my home start coming out and start getting involved on

[50:02]the saying what can how can I change how can I change

[50:05]this going on in the community save another life that's what we

[50:08]doing I do this this work because I love Allah you're my

[50:14]life my death is for Allah you know you no human being

[50:20]can give me all the money and the heavens on earth you

[50:22]know to to change my this course of action like when the

[50:27]holy prophet of Allah he said if you give me the Sun

[50:31]and my rarity in my right hand and you give me the

[50:32]moon in my left hand I will never deviate from my mission

[50:34]you know I'm determined if I get killed I'm till I become

[50:38]martyr if I live I'm don't realize it's all in the hands

[50:44]of Allah and I love the oppressed peoples I don't care if

[50:46]you're black you brown you're red you're white that's irrelevant to me

[50:50]I have to work in the black community because they're more familiar

[50:53]with Islam you know and so but but I love all oppressed

[50:59]people and I want to do whatever I can while I'm living

[51:01]you know I'm 72 years old I'd be 73 December the 26th

[51:06]of this year I don't have a lot of more years only

[51:11]Allah know my life and my death is in the hands of

[51:12]Allah but while I'm living on this earth I'm a every bone

[51:17]in my body every drop of blood in my body is he

[51:21]help the cause of Allah to help the oppressed people especially inside

[51:24]of America because this is a superpower America ruled or dominate the

[51:29]world they so arrogant proud and boastful that they can just do

[51:32]what they want to even would he write this and we should

[51:36]took all the oil that belong to us how can they think

[51:40]like this in the in Palestine that's the Palestinian land did we

[51:42]not have any sympathy toward it for the Palestinian people we have

[51:50]to liberate the Masjid there it's controlled we can't even get in

[51:54]if you've if you're on the forty you can even enter the

[51:58]mass here in Palestine what has happened to the Muslim what has

[52:02]happened to the Muslims you know how allow these things to happen

[52:15]series almost guards almost destroyed Yemen Iran Afghanistan oh you anyway your

[52:23]Nigeria all the Muslims are killing up there Ibrahim Imam Ibrahim Zog

[52:27]Zaki they tried to kill him killed hundreds of his followers they

[52:32]tried to assassinate him and his wife all these propagating is a

[52:40]peaceful Islamic movement and standing up for the Palestinian people in Palestine

[52:45]they have Kurds demonstration every year they have Kurds demonstration they killed

[52:51]his sons six of his sons you know just because they want

[52:54]to help support the Palestinian people so what have we gonna do

[52:57]is well we can just sit and be quiet people just living

[53:01]a comfortable houses drive did Mercedes Benzes and stash their money is

[53:06]up under the pillow up under the mattress or in the banks

[53:10]and just forget about the oppressed people no that's no Islam that's

[53:13]no Islam that's not following the prophets of Allah that's not following

[53:18]Arabic they stood up for the oppressed people so hamdulillah I just

[53:24]prayed to Allah that he keeping my heart you know that I

[53:32]always be on the path of Imam Ali the mom was saying

[53:39]all that'll be is there's no saying proverb in Islam he says

[53:42]that lived like Ali but died like Hussein [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]

[54:45]you [Music]

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