Le’Taxione has been a member of the Structural Gang Culture© for 34 years, 25 of which
were spent active in leadership, recruitment and geographical transmission of the violent
and destructive lifestyle and the miscreant aspects of the gang mentality. His actions based on his philosophy of “live or die, Crip or cry” propelled him to the
top of the ranks. His 25 years of active involvement, recruitment
and leadership positions in the street organization provides him
the credentials to speak to our youth and to the issue of gang
violence prevention and intervention with authenticity.
Le’Taxione (known to his brothers & sisters in the gangs as
“YoYo”) is a student of the human condition and a specialist
in the mentality that causes destructive gang violence. He
is a scholar of a wide array of various disciplines, including
psychology, sociology, theology and biology. His work is based
on the premise that to change the actions, one must change the
thought process that drives such action.
Never denouncing the gang, he now utilizes his own life experience
to change the Structural Gang Culture© in a productive and sustainable way — “from the
inside out”®. His work points the gang member towards a transformation, experienced by
Le’Taxione, and possible for all those who suffer from the destructive mentality evident
in today’s gangs. Street poisoned is his fi rst work of fi ction. His current project includes a children’s gang violence prevention and intervention curriculum.
Street Poisoned
An Urban Fiction - The Struggle Between the Wisdom of the Past and the Frustration of the Present
by Le'Taxione
Street Poisoned
An Urban Fiction - The Struggle Between the Wisdom of the Past and the Frustration of the Present
by Le'Taxione
Published Aug 29, 2009
229 Pages
Genre: FICTION / General
Book Details
The Streets of West Fresno now have a voice... The unflinching, uncompromising, Original Diamond Boy!
Cali is the product of an impaired home where the father is absent in
the home and the mother is drawn out of the home. He ventures out into
the streets of West Fresno to experience the relevance that he did not
receive in his interaction with his mother. He fi nds guidance and discipline
in his Big Homie, Oso who is killed, leaving Cali with the responsibility of
nurturing and advancing his set, the Diamond Boys.
Cali draws on the principles and code of ethics taught to him by Bib
Oso, but the introduction of crack cocaine into the hood threatens the
camaraderie of the Diamonds, forcing Cali to ban the sell of the destructive
drug to save the hood from its self destruction, all the while, advancing
his hidden agenda to control West Fresno. Cali's ban on the sell of crack
causes confl ict, deception, disloyalty and a splitting of the hood.
There can only be one Diamond set, with one goal, and that is to restructure
and establish the Diamond Boys as a legitimate organization that advances
its interest within the political process. Anyone or anything that threatens
this goal must be eliminated.
Book Excerpt
Not only was Cali getting angrier and angrier, the environment was changing. Where there used to be a genuine good will for your neighbor and a sense of community, animosity, strife and violence became the order of the day. It was as though a cloud had set in over the projects, changing the whole atmosphere…
With the father forced out of the home and the mother drawn out of the home part time for part time pay, who would raise the children? As I pondered this fact my heart grew heavy and my eyes filled with salty water.
I watched as the children’s behavior became more and more unruly in the absence of both mother and father. I reflected on times when I used to watch them gather in groups to play football or tag but now they were gathering in groups carrying sticks. Their smiles replaced by scowls, their recreational behavior replaced by criminal behavior and their respect for elders almost non-existent.
About the Author
Le'Taxione
Also by Le'Taxione
