You able to tell some prison stories here on Getbig though?
That's what sounds most interesting to me.
How long were you in prison Eric? Did you have to join a gang of sorts when in there?
5 years/60months
no "joining" gang, however I had a "respectable crime" (i.e. not some "theft by deception" or weed possession or something minor... armed robbery with an 8hour standoff with SWAT is maybe 2nd to murder in the prison crime hierarchy AG Assault being maybe 3rd), plus I was a big dude and took absolutely no shit for anybody and stood down to absolutely nobody in those 60months. everybody knew or believed I would absolutely go further than they would if they wanted to get physical.
there's a dude named "charlamane the god" on some radio station on youtube that put it in a way that's easier to explain.... "you never go to 'war' with somebody who gives a fuck less than you". meaning if you 'go to war' (fight or whatever) with somebody,but you know you wouldn't severly injure the guy because you're afraid of getting arrested/going to jail/getting a long sentence.. or if you're in jail/prison already, and you know you're getting out soon or at least don't want an extra charge or miss your parole, whether it's in 1 month, 1 year, or 4 years, and you know/believe/can see the other guy (me) does not give a fuck, "has no chill", doesn't give a fuck about parole/has a long sentence already, and can/will hurt you very bad just to prove a point to anybody else who wants to test him (me), that person has already lost.
so that being said, the 'gangs' had nobody who could persuade me to join, I could/did stand on my own, however AB had my back whenever something got to a point where something had to be done.
i'll tell you part of one story while my phone charges before I leave for my workout...
the unit barber (each unit had it's own barber) was a giant black guy, looked like Bob Sapp's twin brother... anyways, i'd always get a 'uptown fade' and tip him a buck (a dollar in prison in like $10-20 "on the street"). he was cool. was in for coke distribution. big weight. so we had something in common to talk about because I moved white for a while back in 01/02 out of national city in s.d. ... he 'had' a weigh bench on the weight yard/weight room (summer we were outside/winter was inside), you get your 'own' bench depending on how long you been there etc... you kinda inherit them, like you have rights or first dibs on the bench... well, since I was new I took whatever bench that was open or asked to use whoever wasn't training that day's bench. you don't "punk" people out of their shit. that's just the rules. you be respectfull of people, even though it was obvious I could beat the shit out of somebody and 'take' their bench, the fact that you DONT do that earns you more respect. that's how it works.
anyways, I worked out a deal that i'd use the Bob Sapp barber's bench when he wasn't using it.. then he paroled and "gave" me his bench (which was actually a bench inside a power-rack combo).. well, I trained in that rack for a good 3-4 months, usually by myself, but i'd also train other guys(for money) or train with guys (for money)... well, 3-4 months go by and some blacks come up and say "this is our bench homie", I said nah, sorry "the guy" gave me this bench when he left and I've been here for 3-4 months and you guys have never been here or said anything"... so after a tense 5-10mins of me being surrounded by 5-6 blacks, a couple who fight often, I start my workout ignoring them, kinda showing them that I wasn't afraid of them if they wanted to jump me in the middle of my set. i'd still fuck them up 100% .
... anyways, after that 'rec session', we were back at the unit and I was back at my bunk area (we were in barracks, not cells), I take off my shirt and turn around and i'm surrounded by 5-6 blacks (BGF/black guerilla Family nee-gros) flexing on me saying that was their bunk, etc.. I said basically 'tuff shit' it ws given to me and I've been there for months without you guys ever showing up and you an't just not use it and show up 3-4months later claiming the bench. don't work that way. but if they wanted to use it when I wasn't using it or if my homies weren't using it they were free to use it or if I wasn't busy they could maybe "work in" with me, but making it clear that was my bench 100% and they weren't getting it. they flex on me, all 5-6 of them, mad-dogging me and such. I was a good 30-40lbs+ heavier, 2-3x as strong as each of them, had more experience striking and grappling, was on testosterone/trt, and if they go to it, I would've broken at least 1 jaw/eye socket and broken at least 1-2 arms it was just a matter of which one's wanted to get it.... ---->
--- alllllllll the while a good "solid.. stand up" AB fellas just stood behind the blacks afraid like little BITCHES to step in and make themselves known and make the blacks aware of them being there and having my back... all the while i'm looking at these so called "solid" AB "brothers" and seeing fucking fear and hesitation in their faces. even if they knew I could handle myself, the RULES are, they step in and show their support and let it be known if the blacks fuck with me, AB steps in as well.
BUT, like I said the AB guys did't do shit and I stood down 5-6 "hard neegaa's from BGF, and when the neeeeegaaaas left defeated, I looked at these 'hard' AB "brthers" including one who bragged about "44 fights and zero loses" and could see in their faces they fucked up and weren't 'man enough' to step up.
so joining a "gang", where I was, they should've joined me.
btw, in a submission-grappling match one day with the guy who bragged about "44 fights and zero loses", it took me about 30seconds to hip-toss(judo) him to the ground and arm-bar him till his elbow "popped" LOUD AS FUCK and he screamed like a little girl... seriously, never heard a grown man scream like a girl like that. I though I broke his arm, but he got up with tears in his eyes and shook his arm a lil and his elbow went back in place. but was a lil fuked for a few weeks after. (anybody who's trained BJJ or judo has seem something like that happen in practice before).
anyway... it's 11pm and I got head to the gym.