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Struggling To Be A Better Man
S.T.B.A.B.M-part3
prison politics/policies and your daily routine. It is all written in this kite. Memorize and discard as usual. If u have any questions feel free to ask me,I'm in cell 205. Forever forever
Kendrick memorized what was needed and threw the kite in the toilet and laid back down. He had other stuff on his mind like Tonya and the kids. But also, he had heard that they had cell phones(in prison cell phones were called" Claps") in this facility. He needed one. He had to find out who knew where they were, who was selling them, how much they cost, and where could he send the money?
Kendrick felt like this was the best time to write a kite back to Mike Mike. He had questions. It was 11 days from Christmas,and all he could think about, that it would be nice to have a cell phone to spend that day with his family. So he was determined to try and find one as fast as possible.
Kendrick called for Nate to come here. Nate,said wassup? As he was approaching his cell. Kendrick spoke low,"Loveone take this kite to Mike Mike, it's very important." Bet, Nate said and began walking away. "A Nate hold up I got a question for you," Kendrick yelled out quickly. What's up Nate? Love one where can I buy a phone at? A clap? I need one like asap." Can u get me some directions,a source,or something?"I think I know somebody, Nate said, give me a minute let me check the trap." Then he walked off to give the kite to Mike Mike.
Kendrick sat on his bed for a minute pondering his new situation. He had noticed that it was extremely quieter around here than in San Quentin. It was weird because the doors had a million holes in them, and nothing could break up the noise from coming in his cell, but respect. He had recognized this and much more in less than 24hrs. Last night he heard a roll call shutdown program routine. Every race or gang wishing their members a Good and blessed night. Every group has their distinctive call. For the Southern Mexican gangs it was buenas noches SA's, the Northern Mexican gangs it was, buenas noches Vito's, the Crips it was in the a.m. Cuzz, with a bunch of sets getting called out. The Blood's, it was in the morning WHOOP! For the whites it was, goodnight God bless, to the wood pile. And for the all Bay Area affiliates, 415 KUMI and BGF it was, usiku mwema kwa ndugu yangu mweusi, kuwa na usiku wenye baraka (goodnight to all my black brother's,have a blessed night) in Swahili. This roll call/ shutdown happened every night at 9pm in Pelican Bay. And once it's complete,there wasn't any more music playing,loud talking or yelling down or over the tier until wake up calls at 5:30 am period. Kenderick's noticed the discipline and militant structure in this prison. Pelican Bay was what u called a 180 level 4 Maximum security prison. And that wasn't a joke. Anything happened around there that had violence attached to it the whole prison would be locked down and major searched. That meant prisoners were physically searched and all their property. It was 9 times out of 10 all contraband would be found. So peace and respect was stressed at all times. And there were consequences for those who lack or failed to comply.
Kendrick had a lot on his mind. After Nate left all he did was contemplate. There was no specific thought. There were many. He needed to talk to Tonya and the kids. He needed to find the phone first and then talk to Tonya. So he could make arrangements for the purchase. That thought brought his focus back to the kite he'd written, Mike Mike. But also, it made him look at a clock, to recognize Nate had been gone for 3 hours and hadn't come back.That kind of annoyed him. Not with just Nate. But Mike Mike also. He went to his cell door and looked for Nate. Or someone on the tier. He saw no one. But it sounded like cell doors were opening. So he stood at the cell door looking. 15 minutes go by and he sees someone getting ready to get in the shower. "A bruh, Kendrick said politely to a Mexican cat hanging his shower bag onto the shower door,a if you can assist me it would be appreciated." What's up homie,what can I do for you? The Mexican prisoner replied.” "Bruh,can you tell Nate to come here? I'd appreciate it." Kendrick asked the Mexican prisoner he just met. "Hold up bruh, I have a few questions for you. "First and foremost, let me introduce myself, I'm Killa Ken out of NorthOakland,I'm 415 KUMI. Nice to meet you." "Nice to meet u Killa Ken, respects homie. U can call me Ne'gro,I'm out of LA 18th Street Sutrasa." Bet. And to the up most respects, Ken said. " Look I'm not trying to be disrespectful in my questions. I'm just trying to inquire about some things I need. I just got here yesterday. If you can assist it would be appreciated,if not, thank you for your time and patience." Ne'gro just nodded his head and listened. "I am looking to buy a phone. Can you assist? Let me check, Ne'gro said. I'll get back at you on a kite. Are you ready now? It'll be $3,000, with all the piece's. PayPal or Cash app. Give me a minute Killa Ken to make sure. I'll get back at you. Gracias and respects said Ken. Ne'gro nodded and continued towards his shower.
Kendrick took a deep breath, and headed back to his bed. He felt some weight lift off his shoulders, and a little bit of hope that he'd get the deal done.
Preferably before chow.
The anxiety was getting to him so he decided to write home. He grabbed a pen and paper and let himself go. About 40 minutes went by while Kendrick wrote his family asking crazy questions,joking and informing Tonya about the workings of Pelican Bay State Prison and his mental health,when a stranger knocked on his cell door saying "excuse me, here's a kite from Ne'gro." Bet. Ken responded as he rushed to his cell door. "Much appreciated" he told the stranger after retrieving the kite. He was frantically trying to open it,as he sat down on his bed. It had been taped shut. That's protocol in prison for many reasons with kites. Security measures. The amount of tape kind of told Ken that it was a go on buying a phone. And after all the fumbling and grumbling his instincts were right. Ne'gro would sell him one for $3,200. Wow!! That was ridiculous. But for him,no problem. Negro had also said in the kite if Ken needed assistance getting the money to purchase the phone let him know. Kendrick immediately sent a reply kite back to negro letting him know that he would take him up on the offer to assist him. He furthermore asked Ne'gro when he was pulling up with that assistance. Kendrick looked at the time and was surprised how late it was. It was almost dinner time. Majority of the time's between 5 and 5:30. Facility lock up was around 8:45 and 9 pm. So he had to get moving.
Kendrick had stood impatiently at his door looking for someone to get the kite back to Ne'gro. He knew that somebody was on the tier because he heard the shower water running. But he had to catch them and hope they'd assist. Some prisoners didn't want to assist each other. There were many reasons for this. But hopefully this would not be one of them times another convict held a complicate.
He was looking down the tier,he recognized that the shower door was opening and he can see somebody stepping out. A bruh,can I get some help? Kendrick yelled. A bruh,can u stop at 210 for a min? It will be appreciated. He yelled again. What cell are you in again? The guy said, gathering his things off the door of the shower. Kendrick again yelled 210! I'll be there in a minute, ole boy said. Good looking Ken said. No problem, as he was walking down the tier towards Kenderick's cell. I appreciate u. What's your name bruh, I'm Killa Ken from Oakland,under that 415 umbrella. I'm trying to get a kite to Ne'gro. U know who that is and his cell number? This is urgent. Yes I do. Bruh from the shower said. Oh and my name is Tip Toe. I'm from Compton, Compton Piru to be more specific." Nice to meet you bruh and good looking on the run." Tip Toe said bet grabbed the kite and was walking down the tier when Kendrick yelled a bruh he might have a response for me, can u see? Alright bet. Tip Toe responded. Ken could see Tip Toe had stopped in front of a cell. It had to be Ne'gros,because Tip Toes body language had suggested that he was sliding the kite through the door. Kenderick's could tell that Tip Toe knew someone in the cell by the laughter and conversation he heard loudly over the tier. After about 5 minutes or so. Tip Toe bent over to retrieve something that had been slid under the door. Ken stood patiently looking through the side of his door down the tier,and had observed the whole situation. Tip Toe had retrieved whatever it was, and began walking back towards Kenderick's cell. On his way he grabbed his shower bag because another prisoner had been let out to shower as well. Without any notification or pleasantries he walked right up to Kendrick's cell and slid an envelope into it and walked off. The envelope had hit Kendrick's foot. He picked it up and tore it open to find it was a cell phone and a kite enclosed with instructions, where to send the money, the pin code to unlock the phone, and the amount of time he had to get it done. And time was really of the essence.
As Kendrick was dialing Tonya's phone number, he thought it would be best to text her, and inform her that it was him calling from a number she didn't know. They had similar attitudes about the violations of Telephones. And their biggest pet peeve was robo calls. So they would not pick up numbers they didn't know. The first time he called it went to voicemail. Baby it's me pick up? He said. He immediately redialed her and she picked up one more ring.
"Baby I need you to cash app $3200 to the name I'm giving you like ASAP. Right now please. ($trapcap) 21 I love you and we need to hurry up and get this done. I'm running out of time Kendricks said. Baby can you do all this while I'm on the phone? Yes I think I can Tonya reply. Let me get all the card information holded up baby,she told him. Damn my baby sounds sexy is all he could think. Ok,I'm here baby Kendrick replied. He had a million things running through his mind. It's been so long since he'd been able to relax and just enjoy some quality time with his family. Everything since the day he got arrested has been off track. Or just moving a warp speed. If you wanted to use the phone, to call home in prison,first you had to sign up for a time slot. Then you had to worry about the program in the facility. Because you are not an individual as one would think in here. A prisoner u don't even know can affect your program. Get you searched,and your privileges eliminated and modified. It's not possible to be an individual in prison all the time. And that's positively or negatively. As he was still thinking if that what he was analyzing was really true to form Tonya came back on the phone, baby I'm ready she said. Ok, I'm here, let's get this done baby, I love you he said. I love you more Tonya replied.
Kendrick looked at the time on the phone and remembered his deadline to give the phone back. 7 O'clock. It's 6:08.
So how are you baby and the kids doing? I miss y'all so much. I'm glad we're about to be able to spend more time with each other once we get this deal done. I haven't even asked the cat when I'll actually get the mine phone. I just assumed that it'll be before the bar locked at 9pm. Well baby it's done Tonya told Kendrick. Get a pen and paper. I'm going to give you the name on the cash app I sent the money too, Tonya said. He grabbed a pen and paper that wasn't hard to find. He was writing her when all this got put into play. She didn't know that. Ok baby go ahead shoot, Ken said. Bobbi Purdue she relayed. Ok baby got it said Ken. Just keep talking, I'm about to strike folks a kite and let him know that's done and ask him when I'll receive my order.
Tonya began talking about everything. He could tell that she was missing him terribly. She was exhaling a lot and repeatedly told him I love you. The kite was ready to go. But he didn't want to interrupt the conversation. So he put her on speaker and went to his door. It was someone standing 3 cells down in a conversation. "A bruh, excuse me on the tier! A bruh, excuse me can I get some help? Kendrick said a little louder. The guy on the tier put his hand up as in to say hold up, or to give him a minute. Tonya was no longer talking either. The whole cell was extremely quiet. Baby Kendrick said, yes I'm here she replied. I'm trying to get this cat a kite give me a minute or toucan keep talking I can hear you. But when I say stop talking do so. Because I don't need this cat knowing I have a phone in here ok? Yes baby Tonya replied. How's the kids doing in school? As she was about to reply Kendrick noticed that the cat on the tier was walking his way. Hold up baby he whispered to her he's coming this way.
A, top of the evening Ken said to him. Can you give this kite to Ne'gro really quick? Indeed folks replied, he took the kite and was gone. Kendrick had just sat down on his bed when he heard something slid under his door. Another envelope. He opened it and in it was his phone. All he could think was let's go. He relayed all the info to Tonya and got an envelope for Ne'gros and wrote a quick kite to him letting him know he appreciated the assistance and if he needs assistance in any area that is feasible or achievable he'd assist. Kendrick went to the door and found another prisoner on the tier that was Mexican. He called out to him, A bruh could you come here, a do you know negro? Yes I know negro he said. Could you shoot this envelope back to him for me, I'd appreciate it? Yeah I'll shoot it back and no problem,the Mexican prisoner said. Ken gave him the envelope with Ne'gros phone and a kite in it,and watched him walk it to Ne'gros cell and slide it under the door. Transaction done. Time for family and other things.
Kendrick was settling into prison life now. The days were going by fast as he began learning the Pelican Bay State Prison way. On top of meeting other prisoners he was interacting with Correctional Officer's in his building, around his yard facility,talking to and greeting nurses, the Chapel's clerk's, educational aids, mental health Tech's and spending a lot of time in his cell on the phone with his family. He knew that he had to watch out though. You can expose that to everyone you know. Don't expose it at all he repeatedly reminded himself it wasn't something to idle chit chat about. Cellphone's are illegal in prison. Period. Well in California Correctional Facilities they were and that is where he was sentenced and confined. He has always been very security conscious. It was impossible for it not to become a part of his mold. He was born and raised in the trenches,and seasonally conditioned to adapt, survive and observe to better his chances at winning. He put every piece of knowledge he knew into his growth of becoming a better man every day while in prison. He also strived to be a better father and King for the love of his life Tonya.
But furthermore,he knew that more effort and dedication was needed to make him a stronger child of God. Because being negative was easy for us all. But to walk amongst the righteous and live positively took hard work, resilience, commitment, self-evaluation and the possibility of many sacrifices. Kendrick knew all of this. Just like he knew how to survive. But he also knew that he needed to apply himself to something that could help him provide for himself and his family again. Yes,Tonya was a nurse and she made good money. But that's the problem,she made good money and it was his responsibility to build up, maintain and provide for his family.
Wasn't that commitment the reason he was sitting in a prison cell in the first place?
Living up to his vows and promises he had made to his family? "So be it," he whispered softly. "I'll never be a Loser like my father," he said this out loud with great disgust. He took a deep breath and tried to regain his focus on ideals and realistic monetary opportunities obtainable for him in his current position. Legally, before illegally. He had to remind himself constantly that the best success was the one that couldn't be tampered with or tainted under anyone's scrutiny.
Kendrick had informed Tonya of his thoughts and desires to fulfill his vow of always being a provider and servant to his family the day they're daughter, Ericka was born at Alta Bates Hospital and he held both their hands in the nursery.
Looking back at that time in his life, Kendrick could clearly see now all the legal opportunities that he could have easily applied himself too. But instead he had continued on the illegal route and it had ended badly for him with a lengthy prison sentence.
In the middle of the night Tonya and Kendrick were just bouncing ideal's back and forth to one another when she said how about a YouTube channel, Tiktok or a blog full of creative street schemes? A lot of people didn't know it but he was a damn good writer. He could write on many levels of content. Poetry, music,rap and short stories. He is what someone would call a natural entertainer and/or performer that could captivate and hold people's attention while creating plausible scenes on the fly. Or out of any volunteered pitched concept. He was a creative mind. A master and/or genius with words. So he listened very closely to her pitch. It all seemed manageable and feasible from where he stands. But was it lucrative? He knew that was a dumb question to himself and smiled. He had concerns and they were valid. The big one was his face being plastered or uploaded to any social media outlets. That was a major breach of his security. So he had to come up with a couple different ways to grow an audience,until he felt comfortable uploading his image. He thought about a dark room theme as he recites poetry on Tiktok or a YouTube channel. But he knew that it needed more thought. A blog or podcast would be alot less risky, he told himself. What do u think Tonya? Ken asked her. Baby more thought and research, she said honestly. Kenderick was deep into his thoughts when he heard Tonya lightly snoring. She'd fallen asleep.
But he was now thinking about maintaining his phone security in prison and he knew that he had to get to know the Officers that worked his building better. It was imperative for Kendrick to form a mutual respect between himself and them that regularly patrolled his building. There were 9 or 10 Officer's to get acquainted with. 7 floor Officer's,2 gun tower Officer's,a counselor and an Officer nightman. They came in by watch shifts. Second,Third and First watch.
1)Second watch was from 6am to 2pm. The two regulars for this 5 day morning shift was, Officer's Comacho and Williams on the floor and Gracia in the gun tower.
2)Third watch was from 2pm to 10pm. The two regulars for this 5 day night shift was, Officer's Richardson and Colinga on the floor and Irwin in the gun tower.
3)First watch was from 10pm to 6am. Officer Unna, worked the floor by himself. The gun tower was Officer Baker.
The bar lock on the cell doors will not come back open after 9pm,unless it's an emergency. And for any cell door to be open, the Sgt on post is called and at least three additional Officer's.
Kendrick was getting to know every sound, element and player surrounding his new life in prison. That was directly and indirectly. His strategic intellectualism continued to flourish as he elevated to new heights daily. He loved the art of finesse. And he loved paper chasing. The opportunity and/or option to do both was now in the palm of his hands. Tonya was still sound asleep and his mind was racing uncontrollably. It bounced all over the place.
Tiktok and YouTube videos continue to pound his creative intuition.
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prison politics/policies and your daily routine. It is all written in this kite. Memorize and discard as usual. If u have any questions feel free to ask me,I'm in cell 205. Forever forever
Kendrick memorized what was needed and threw the kite in the toilet and laid back down. He had other stuff on his mind like Tonya and the kids. But also, he had heard that they had cell phones(in prison cell phones were called" Claps") in this facility. He needed one. He had to find out who knew where they were, who was selling them, how much they cost, and where could he send the money?
Kendrick felt like this was the best time to write a kite back to Mike Mike. He had questions. It was 11 days from Christmas,and all he could think about, that it would be nice to have a cell phone to spend that day with his family. So he was determined to try and find one as fast as possible.
Kendrick called for Nate to come here. Nate,said wassup? As he was approaching his cell. Kendrick spoke low,"Loveone take this kite to Mike Mike, it's very important." Bet, Nate said and began walking away. "A Nate hold up I got a question for you," Kendrick yelled out quickly. What's up Nate? Love one where can I buy a phone at? A clap? I need one like asap." Can u get me some directions,a source,or something?"I think I know somebody, Nate said, give me a minute let me check the trap." Then he walked off to give the kite to Mike Mike.
Kendrick sat on his bed for a minute pondering his new situation. He had noticed that it was extremely quieter around here than in San Quentin. It was weird because the doors had a million holes in them, and nothing could break up the noise from coming in his cell, but respect. He had recognized this and much more in less than 24hrs. Last night he heard a roll call shutdown program routine. Every race or gang wishing their members a Good and blessed night. Every group has their distinctive call. For the Southern Mexican gangs it was buenas noches SA's, the Northern Mexican gangs it was, buenas noches Vito's, the Crips it was in the a.m. Cuzz, with a bunch of sets getting called out. The Blood's, it was in the morning WHOOP! For the whites it was, goodnight God bless, to the wood pile. And for the all Bay Area affiliates, 415 KUMI and BGF it was, usiku mwema kwa ndugu yangu mweusi, kuwa na usiku wenye baraka (goodnight to all my black brother's,have a blessed night) in Swahili. This roll call/ shutdown happened every night at 9pm in Pelican Bay. And once it's complete,there wasn't any more music playing,loud talking or yelling down or over the tier until wake up calls at 5:30 am period. Kenderick's noticed the discipline and militant structure in this prison. Pelican Bay was what u called a 180 level 4 Maximum security prison. And that wasn't a joke. Anything happened around there that had violence attached to it the whole prison would be locked down and major searched. That meant prisoners were physically searched and all their property. It was 9 times out of 10 all contraband would be found. So peace and respect was stressed at all times. And there were consequences for those who lack or failed to comply.
Kendrick had a lot on his mind. After Nate left all he did was contemplate. There was no specific thought. There were many. He needed to talk to Tonya and the kids. He needed to find the phone first and then talk to Tonya. So he could make arrangements for the purchase. That thought brought his focus back to the kite he'd written, Mike Mike. But also, it made him look at a clock, to recognize Nate had been gone for 3 hours and hadn't come back.That kind of annoyed him. Not with just Nate. But Mike Mike also. He went to his cell door and looked for Nate. Or someone on the tier. He saw no one. But it sounded like cell doors were opening. So he stood at the cell door looking. 15 minutes go by and he sees someone getting ready to get in the shower. "A bruh, Kendrick said politely to a Mexican cat hanging his shower bag onto the shower door,a if you can assist me it would be appreciated." What's up homie,what can I do for you? The Mexican prisoner replied.” "Bruh,can you tell Nate to come here? I'd appreciate it." Kendrick asked the Mexican prisoner he just met. "Hold up bruh, I have a few questions for you. "First and foremost, let me introduce myself, I'm Killa Ken out of NorthOakland,I'm 415 KUMI. Nice to meet you." "Nice to meet u Killa Ken, respects homie. U can call me Ne'gro,I'm out of LA 18th Street Sutrasa." Bet. And to the up most respects, Ken said. " Look I'm not trying to be disrespectful in my questions. I'm just trying to inquire about some things I need. I just got here yesterday. If you can assist it would be appreciated,if not, thank you for your time and patience." Ne'gro just nodded his head and listened. "I am looking to buy a phone. Can you assist? Let me check, Ne'gro said. I'll get back at you on a kite. Are you ready now? It'll be $3,000, with all the piece's. PayPal or Cash app. Give me a minute Killa Ken to make sure. I'll get back at you. Gracias and respects said Ken. Ne'gro nodded and continued towards his shower.
Kendrick took a deep breath, and headed back to his bed. He felt some weight lift off his shoulders, and a little bit of hope that he'd get the deal done.
Preferably before chow.
The anxiety was getting to him so he decided to write home. He grabbed a pen and paper and let himself go. About 40 minutes went by while Kendrick wrote his family asking crazy questions,joking and informing Tonya about the workings of Pelican Bay State Prison and his mental health,when a stranger knocked on his cell door saying "excuse me, here's a kite from Ne'gro." Bet. Ken responded as he rushed to his cell door. "Much appreciated" he told the stranger after retrieving the kite. He was frantically trying to open it,as he sat down on his bed. It had been taped shut. That's protocol in prison for many reasons with kites. Security measures. The amount of tape kind of told Ken that it was a go on buying a phone. And after all the fumbling and grumbling his instincts were right. Ne'gro would sell him one for $3,200. Wow!! That was ridiculous. But for him,no problem. Negro had also said in the kite if Ken needed assistance getting the money to purchase the phone let him know. Kendrick immediately sent a reply kite back to negro letting him know that he would take him up on the offer to assist him. He furthermore asked Ne'gro when he was pulling up with that assistance. Kendrick looked at the time and was surprised how late it was. It was almost dinner time. Majority of the time's between 5 and 5:30. Facility lock up was around 8:45 and 9 pm. So he had to get moving.
Kendrick had stood impatiently at his door looking for someone to get the kite back to Ne'gro. He knew that somebody was on the tier because he heard the shower water running. But he had to catch them and hope they'd assist. Some prisoners didn't want to assist each other. There were many reasons for this. But hopefully this would not be one of them times another convict held a complicate.
He was looking down the tier,he recognized that the shower door was opening and he can see somebody stepping out. A bruh,can I get some help? Kendrick yelled. A bruh,can u stop at 210 for a min? It will be appreciated. He yelled again. What cell are you in again? The guy said, gathering his things off the door of the shower. Kendrick again yelled 210! I'll be there in a minute, ole boy said. Good looking Ken said. No problem, as he was walking down the tier towards Kenderick's cell. I appreciate u. What's your name bruh, I'm Killa Ken from Oakland,under that 415 umbrella. I'm trying to get a kite to Ne'gro. U know who that is and his cell number? This is urgent. Yes I do. Bruh from the shower said. Oh and my name is Tip Toe. I'm from Compton, Compton Piru to be more specific." Nice to meet you bruh and good looking on the run." Tip Toe said bet grabbed the kite and was walking down the tier when Kendrick yelled a bruh he might have a response for me, can u see? Alright bet. Tip Toe responded. Ken could see Tip Toe had stopped in front of a cell. It had to be Ne'gros,because Tip Toes body language had suggested that he was sliding the kite through the door. Kenderick's could tell that Tip Toe knew someone in the cell by the laughter and conversation he heard loudly over the tier. After about 5 minutes or so. Tip Toe bent over to retrieve something that had been slid under the door. Ken stood patiently looking through the side of his door down the tier,and had observed the whole situation. Tip Toe had retrieved whatever it was, and began walking back towards Kenderick's cell. On his way he grabbed his shower bag because another prisoner had been let out to shower as well. Without any notification or pleasantries he walked right up to Kendrick's cell and slid an envelope into it and walked off. The envelope had hit Kendrick's foot. He picked it up and tore it open to find it was a cell phone and a kite enclosed with instructions, where to send the money, the pin code to unlock the phone, and the amount of time he had to get it done. And time was really of the essence.
As Kendrick was dialing Tonya's phone number, he thought it would be best to text her, and inform her that it was him calling from a number she didn't know. They had similar attitudes about the violations of Telephones. And their biggest pet peeve was robo calls. So they would not pick up numbers they didn't know. The first time he called it went to voicemail. Baby it's me pick up? He said. He immediately redialed her and she picked up one more ring.
"Baby I need you to cash app $3200 to the name I'm giving you like ASAP. Right now please. ($trapcap) 21 I love you and we need to hurry up and get this done. I'm running out of time Kendricks said. Baby can you do all this while I'm on the phone? Yes I think I can Tonya reply. Let me get all the card information holded up baby,she told him. Damn my baby sounds sexy is all he could think. Ok,I'm here baby Kendrick replied. He had a million things running through his mind. It's been so long since he'd been able to relax and just enjoy some quality time with his family. Everything since the day he got arrested has been off track. Or just moving a warp speed. If you wanted to use the phone, to call home in prison,first you had to sign up for a time slot. Then you had to worry about the program in the facility. Because you are not an individual as one would think in here. A prisoner u don't even know can affect your program. Get you searched,and your privileges eliminated and modified. It's not possible to be an individual in prison all the time. And that's positively or negatively. As he was still thinking if that what he was analyzing was really true to form Tonya came back on the phone, baby I'm ready she said. Ok, I'm here, let's get this done baby, I love you he said. I love you more Tonya replied.
Kendrick looked at the time on the phone and remembered his deadline to give the phone back. 7 O'clock. It's 6:08.
So how are you baby and the kids doing? I miss y'all so much. I'm glad we're about to be able to spend more time with each other once we get this deal done. I haven't even asked the cat when I'll actually get the mine phone. I just assumed that it'll be before the bar locked at 9pm. Well baby it's done Tonya told Kendrick. Get a pen and paper. I'm going to give you the name on the cash app I sent the money too, Tonya said. He grabbed a pen and paper that wasn't hard to find. He was writing her when all this got put into play. She didn't know that. Ok baby go ahead shoot, Ken said. Bobbi Purdue she relayed. Ok baby got it said Ken. Just keep talking, I'm about to strike folks a kite and let him know that's done and ask him when I'll receive my order.
Tonya began talking about everything. He could tell that she was missing him terribly. She was exhaling a lot and repeatedly told him I love you. The kite was ready to go. But he didn't want to interrupt the conversation. So he put her on speaker and went to his door. It was someone standing 3 cells down in a conversation. "A bruh, excuse me on the tier! A bruh, excuse me can I get some help? Kendrick said a little louder. The guy on the tier put his hand up as in to say hold up, or to give him a minute. Tonya was no longer talking either. The whole cell was extremely quiet. Baby Kendrick said, yes I'm here she replied. I'm trying to get this cat a kite give me a minute or toucan keep talking I can hear you. But when I say stop talking do so. Because I don't need this cat knowing I have a phone in here ok? Yes baby Tonya replied. How's the kids doing in school? As she was about to reply Kendrick noticed that the cat on the tier was walking his way. Hold up baby he whispered to her he's coming this way.
A, top of the evening Ken said to him. Can you give this kite to Ne'gro really quick? Indeed folks replied, he took the kite and was gone. Kendrick had just sat down on his bed when he heard something slid under his door. Another envelope. He opened it and in it was his phone. All he could think was let's go. He relayed all the info to Tonya and got an envelope for Ne'gros and wrote a quick kite to him letting him know he appreciated the assistance and if he needs assistance in any area that is feasible or achievable he'd assist. Kendrick went to the door and found another prisoner on the tier that was Mexican. He called out to him, A bruh could you come here, a do you know negro? Yes I know negro he said. Could you shoot this envelope back to him for me, I'd appreciate it? Yeah I'll shoot it back and no problem,the Mexican prisoner said. Ken gave him the envelope with Ne'gros phone and a kite in it,and watched him walk it to Ne'gros cell and slide it under the door. Transaction done. Time for family and other things.
Kendrick was settling into prison life now. The days were going by fast as he began learning the Pelican Bay State Prison way. On top of meeting other prisoners he was interacting with Correctional Officer's in his building, around his yard facility,talking to and greeting nurses, the Chapel's clerk's, educational aids, mental health Tech's and spending a lot of time in his cell on the phone with his family. He knew that he had to watch out though. You can expose that to everyone you know. Don't expose it at all he repeatedly reminded himself it wasn't something to idle chit chat about. Cellphone's are illegal in prison. Period. Well in California Correctional Facilities they were and that is where he was sentenced and confined. He has always been very security conscious. It was impossible for it not to become a part of his mold. He was born and raised in the trenches,and seasonally conditioned to adapt, survive and observe to better his chances at winning. He put every piece of knowledge he knew into his growth of becoming a better man every day while in prison. He also strived to be a better father and King for the love of his life Tonya.
But furthermore,he knew that more effort and dedication was needed to make him a stronger child of God. Because being negative was easy for us all. But to walk amongst the righteous and live positively took hard work, resilience, commitment, self-evaluation and the possibility of many sacrifices. Kendrick knew all of this. Just like he knew how to survive. But he also knew that he needed to apply himself to something that could help him provide for himself and his family again. Yes,Tonya was a nurse and she made good money. But that's the problem,she made good money and it was his responsibility to build up, maintain and provide for his family.
Wasn't that commitment the reason he was sitting in a prison cell in the first place?
Living up to his vows and promises he had made to his family? "So be it," he whispered softly. "I'll never be a Loser like my father," he said this out loud with great disgust. He took a deep breath and tried to regain his focus on ideals and realistic monetary opportunities obtainable for him in his current position. Legally, before illegally. He had to remind himself constantly that the best success was the one that couldn't be tampered with or tainted under anyone's scrutiny.
Kendrick had informed Tonya of his thoughts and desires to fulfill his vow of always being a provider and servant to his family the day they're daughter, Ericka was born at Alta Bates Hospital and he held both their hands in the nursery.
Looking back at that time in his life, Kendrick could clearly see now all the legal opportunities that he could have easily applied himself too. But instead he had continued on the illegal route and it had ended badly for him with a lengthy prison sentence.
In the middle of the night Tonya and Kendrick were just bouncing ideal's back and forth to one another when she said how about a YouTube channel, Tiktok or a blog full of creative street schemes? A lot of people didn't know it but he was a damn good writer. He could write on many levels of content. Poetry, music,rap and short stories. He is what someone would call a natural entertainer and/or performer that could captivate and hold people's attention while creating plausible scenes on the fly. Or out of any volunteered pitched concept. He was a creative mind. A master and/or genius with words. So he listened very closely to her pitch. It all seemed manageable and feasible from where he stands. But was it lucrative? He knew that was a dumb question to himself and smiled. He had concerns and they were valid. The big one was his face being plastered or uploaded to any social media outlets. That was a major breach of his security. So he had to come up with a couple different ways to grow an audience,until he felt comfortable uploading his image. He thought about a dark room theme as he recites poetry on Tiktok or a YouTube channel. But he knew that it needed more thought. A blog or podcast would be alot less risky, he told himself. What do u think Tonya? Ken asked her. Baby more thought and research, she said honestly. Kenderick was deep into his thoughts when he heard Tonya lightly snoring. She'd fallen asleep.
But he was now thinking about maintaining his phone security in prison and he knew that he had to get to know the Officers that worked his building better. It was imperative for Kendrick to form a mutual respect between himself and them that regularly patrolled his building. There were 9 or 10 Officer's to get acquainted with. 7 floor Officer's,2 gun tower Officer's,a counselor and an Officer nightman. They came in by watch shifts. Second,Third and First watch.
1)Second watch was from 6am to 2pm. The two regulars for this 5 day morning shift was, Officer's Comacho and Williams on the floor and Gracia in the gun tower.
2)Third watch was from 2pm to 10pm. The two regulars for this 5 day night shift was, Officer's Richardson and Colinga on the floor and Irwin in the gun tower.
3)First watch was from 10pm to 6am. Officer Unna, worked the floor by himself. The gun tower was Officer Baker.
The bar lock on the cell doors will not come back open after 9pm,unless it's an emergency. And for any cell door to be open, the Sgt on post is called and at least three additional Officer's.
Kendrick was getting to know every sound, element and player surrounding his new life in prison. That was directly and indirectly. His strategic intellectualism continued to flourish as he elevated to new heights daily. He loved the art of finesse. And he loved paper chasing. The opportunity and/or option to do both was now in the palm of his hands. Tonya was still sound asleep and his mind was racing uncontrollably. It bounced all over the place.
Tiktok and YouTube videos continue to pound his creative intuition.
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