Summary

I believe Tommy Shakur was influenced by his neighborhood as well as being taught tough love from his dad. Getting hit by his dad but loved by his mom only made him rebellious. Tommy was a product of his environment at the young age of 13 he was approach but three man who he eventually joined their gang and led a life full of crimes. Tommy Shakur who goes by the name joker wanted gang fame he wanted to be respected even when he describes how he killed some one outside of the liquor store. He says "it didn't occur to me that I had just killed some one" because of how the gang glorified his behavior. Joker family was killed out of retaliation for joker killing a rival gang member. Falling to the streets to be valued or recognized is a real thing in which many people overlook. Tommy finally saw how he payed a serious price for his actions, once he was locked up his Gang family came to see him but he felt like it was out of sympathy, after a while they stopped and that's when it hit the joker he was responsible for the murder he committed as well as his mother and brother. I see this everyday in my neighborhood a lot of kids don't feel love or valued at home they want this image of being a thug so they turn to the streets. Once they end up in jail or with dead family members is when they realize this was all for nothing. The gang life isn't what it is glorified to be but for kids who don't know any better its like a kid on Christmas, the gang makes them feel like they are some one but that's short lived because everyone who joins a gang always ends up dead or in jail.