(no title)

87
It was the summer of 1987 school had just let out, the streets were always filled with people on the eastside of Cleveland. In every neighborhood throughout the city change was coming. The weed heads, old winos, and heroin addicts were on their way to a new high. Cocaine was known as a rich man’s drug, but out of nowhere this new drug called Crack had made it to streets of Cleveland. It was cocaine cooked up with baking soda that formed into a rock and smoked through a pipe. It was cheap and highly addictive, and with that combination it ruined a whole generation. With this new drug called Crack came addiction, child abandonment, lengthy prison terms, and death it created a new age genocide.
Legend Carter was a recent high school grad and also a recent father to a new baby boy named Israel. Legend was the kind of student who barely made it through school, so furthering his education was not in his immediate plans. Money was definitely an issue, he had been working part time at the Burger King in East Cleveland, and it wasn’t cutting it. His son’s mom was on his ass about child support, and Legend mom was on his ass about going to college or going to the Military. One way or the other he had to the end of the summer to decide or he had to get out her house.
Shit was getting real he had to do something fast the clock was ticking. He knew one thing he loved his son, and he would never be a dead beat like his father. He thought about being a stick-up kid with his cousin across town but put that thought went out his head when he remembered all the shootouts that nigga had been in. His mind was racing, he figured he would go get a nickel bag from his boy Ed, roll up and think of a master plan to feed his seed.

87
As Legend walked down Euclid Ave he noticed something strange. It looked like it was junkies on every corner in the hood. What was strange it wasn’t the first of the month and these junkies weren’t nodding like most Heroin addicts. These junkies were wide awake walking and talking fast. Their eyes were wide open on some beam me up Scottie shit liked they had reached that final frontier. On his ten-minute walk two women who were fine as hell and obviously high propositioned him with sex, and one older cat he knew from around the way, asked him did he want to buy the gold chain right off his neck. He was clearly high too.
Legend reached Ed house he was outside washing his car. He was ten years older than Legend and had been in the hood hustling all his life. He knew everybody in the neighborhood and everything that was going on in the streets.
“What’s up big Ed? Legend said as they shook hands.
“What’s up Lege?” Ed replied.
“Shit trying to get a Lil nickel bag.” Said Legend.
“I got you, but after this last pound I got you probably gone have to find you a new weed man.” Replied Ed.
“What? I know Ed not about to stop hustling out here?” Legend asked.
Ed Laughed and walked around to the back of the car to his trunk Legend followed.
“Naw my nigga just moving on to a better hustle. Let me show you something Lil nigga.” Ed said.

87
Ed pulled a joint from behind his head, lit it, and passed it to Legend. He then went in the trunk, pulled up the attachment where the spare tire was, and pulled out a big bag of white yellowish looking rocks.
“Yo what the fuck is that?” Legend asked.
“It’s a form of cocaine called crack, these niggas going crazy for this shit.” Ed replied.
“Word!” Legend said.
“Man, hell yeah this shit cheap these junkies can get they fix for five dollars.” Ed said
“What? five dollars for some coke?” Legend asked.
“It’s not just coke this shit cooked up with baking soda. The profits off this shit is triple of cocaine, and it’s so addictive. The fiends be coming back all day, they do anything for this rock, and the bitches sucking dick all night for a hit of this.” Ed replied.
While Legend puffed the joint he had an epiphany, he thought this was the way to get to the money.
“So, you want a nickel bag Lil bruh?” Ed asked.
“Yea, I want some of that rock too.” Legend replied.
“I never took you for the type of nigga that experiment with drugs my nigga.” Ed said.
“Naw bruh, I want some of that money out there.” Legend said.
Ed looked at him with a smile. “We can work it out.” He said.
87
Sarah Collins was a beautiful twenty-five-year-old chocolate woman with silky long hair. She was two semesters from graduating from college with her Bachelor’s Degree from Cleveland State. She had a son when she was twenty and it set her back a few years, but she bounced back, the finish line was near. Her son Miles father Fred had been in prison since Miles was three years old, he had just gotten paroled and would be home in a few weeks. No one could see what she saw in Fred especially her mother. He was ten years older than her, unemployed, a heroin addict, and he had hit on her a couple of times. Her mother was so glad he had gotten ten years in prison for assault and robbery but she was sick with cancer, she knew her time on the earth was short and she wouldn’t be able to protect Sarah from this dude.
Sarah had been waiting for Fred, it’s not that she was in love with him, but she loved him and hoped that prison got his mind right. Besides she had a son that she felt needed his father. It had been five years and Sarah had been focused on getting her degree, she hadn’t dealt with any other man, although they were trying. For the most part with her working and going to school, her mother handled the raising of Miles. She figured at least Fred could help take a load off her mother. She had just got an apartment and new car for her and to help Fred’s transition back to the free world easy.
Poor girl she had no idea the drama and misery he was about to bring into her life. Sarah had just picked up her keys for her new Apartment and then to her mother’s to start packing up some of her stuff.
“Hey, Moma what’s up?” Sarah said as her mother walked in the house.
“Oh nothing just got in from a doctor’s appointment.
87
“I got my keys to my new apartment.” Sarah said
“That’s good I’m going to miss having you here.” Her mother replied.
“You know I’ll still be over every day.” Sarah said.
“Oh, shit I was just playing I’ll manage.” Ms. Collins said laughing.
Sarah had been thinking about a way to tell her mother that Fred would be home in a few weeks, and that she had plan on having him move in with her. She knew her mother would hate the idea of having him anywhere around her and Miles, but it was her life and he was Miles father. So, she figured she better tell her now, rather than find out later and have a heart attack. With her failing health she may just do that.
“Hey Mom I got something I want to talk to you about.” Sarah said.
“Ok baby I got something I need to talk to you about too.” Her mother replied.
“Fred gets out in two weeks and I’m going to let him move in with me.” Sarah said.
“Girl what the fuck are you thinking? That man got the soul of the devil.” Ms. Collins replied.
“He is my sons father and from his letters I think he’s changed I want to give him a chance. Besides it’s my life.” Sara explained.
“Yea it’s your life and it seem like you trying to let some no good nigga fuck it up.” Her mother replied.
“Oh Mama just let me live and what is it you want to tell me mom?” Sarah asked.
“Nothing child it wasn’t important.” Ms. Collins replied.
87
Ms. Collins was so upset she didn’t have the energy to discuss her latest diagnosis with her daughter. Her lung cancer had spread, and she had progressed from stage two into stage three. She was worried stage four was considered terminal and she was at the point where she feared for her life. She just went in her room, turned on her television, undressed, got in her bed and cried.
Fred set in his cell anticipating his release date. Although he had a son he barely knew all he could think about was getting high. Most inmates soon to be released thought about pussy, their mothers home cooking, or their children. He was thinking about who had the best package. He did think about how he would make money when he got home, none of it in a legal way. Fred wasn’t a nine to five type of man, he figured he would rob drug dealers in Akron and Canton, then come back to Cleveland and sell the dope. It was only one problem with that, a junkie can’t be a dealer.

Genocide

It was becoming a summer like no other in Cleveland, Ohio. Crime in the city seemed to be at an all-time high. Kids out for summer break seemed to be running the streets with no supervision and hanging out way past the curfew, I mean into the early hours of the next morning. Prostitutes were standing on street corners barely dressed, propositioning every motorist that stopped at traffic lights and stop signs. Drug Dealers were converting abandoned houses in the city into drug dens or renting apartments in buildings and making them havens for addicts and prostitutes to smoke crack and service tricks.
Police were patrolling the streets aggressively, taking people to jail for doing anything that was breaking the law, which caused a lot of civil unrest in the urban communities. Guys pushing crack and marijuana were just kids, some still in middle school, none really seemed to be over twenty-one. Nonetheless, they all mostly wore lots of gold, wore designer clothes, and drove expensive foreign cars. Which made a lot of law enforcement angry, jealous, vicious, and crooked. Some couldn’t stand to see a black eighteen-year-old dropout driving a forty-thousand-dollar vehicle, and they can barely make mortgage payments.
One of these cops with the distaste of the new found wealth in the ghetto was Sgt. Allan Hamilton. Not because the wealth came from illegal drugs but because he wanted a part of it. He felt that any money being made illegally on his streets should be controlled by him. He thought why should he waste his life every day for twenty-eight grand a year, and watch niggers get rich. He didn’t just want money, he wanted to find a way to control it.

Genocide
It was an extremely hot mid-June afternoon when Fredrick Green was released from Lake Erie Correctional Facility in North East Ohio. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the flowers bloomed beautifully. For Fred, steady Freddy is what the streets called him, the drugs were calling. His mother and sister were there to greet him in the parking lot of the prison. His mom ran over to him and embraced him.
“Hello my handsome son.” she said as she hugged him.
“Hello my beautiful mother. Thanks for coming to get me.” He replied as he hugged her back.
Davin seventeen-year-old sister Linda stood by looking reluctant to go greet him.
“Whats up Blackie? You too good to say hello to your brother.” He asked.
“Yea the brother that stole all my shit out my room.” Linda replied.
Davin looked ashamed. For what Linda had said was true, a week before he got arrested he stole one hundred dollars from under her mattress, she had been saving it for months to go to Geauga Lake with her school and twelve of her favorite vinyl records.
“Damn that was two years ago. Fuck I’m sorry I had a problem I was sick.” Fred Yelled.
“Yeah you got a problem, you better replace all my shit.” Linda screamed as she walked back to the car.
“Linda?” Celeste says looking disappointed.
“Your sister loves you son. You just hurt her she will get over it.” She said.

Genocide
Fred pulled into his driveway with his mother and sister to be greeted by his child’s mother Sarah and his son Miles. Also, his two best friends, his cousin Mark and Fat Reggie his next door neighbor. As soon as he gets out the car Miles Runs into his Father’s arms and embrace him. Sarah followed right behind, she admired how healthy and strong he looked quite handsome she thought. She always found him attractive it was his drug addict ways she hated.
They all gathered into the house Fred, Mark, and Reggie hung behind on the porch.
“What’s good cousin? Free at last Huh?” Mark said handing his cousin a beer out a six pack.
“Martin Luther the King muthafucka free at last.” Fred replied as he took the beer.
“What’s up fat boy? What you got for me?” Fred said to Fat Reggie swinging air jabs at him.
Fat Reggie walks over and pulls out a rolled up marijuana joint and hands it to Fred.
“This all good fat boy but I’m home I’m ready to party. Where the blow at.” Fred Explained.
“Damn Nigga you literally just got out. Slow walk it Steady Freddy, spend some time with your kid your girl. You Fucking turned gay in there.” Reggie says laughing.
He looks over at Mark.
“I fucking new it he somebody girlfriend now. Muthafucka got three beautiful women in there, waiting on him for two years, and he want to be with us getting high. Faggot.”
“Shit two beautiful women, Linda hate his ass.” Mark replied laughing.
“Fuck both of yall.” Fred replied as they walked in the house.

Genocide
Legend had been waiting on Ed to call for a couple of days. Ed had said when he got a new package he would put Legend on. Legend was getting restless; he had already quit his job at Burger King because he knew when Ed fronted him the crack money would start rolling in. It was a Saturday and the phone rang.
“Hello.” Legend said.
“Whats up lil nigga? You ready to get this money?” Ed asked.
“Man hell yeah, I been waiting on you I thought you forgot about me.” Legend said.
“Naw man you lil bro I was just waiting on my connect to get back in town. Meet me at my house in an hour, I want you to make some runs with me.” Ed said.
“Bet, I’ll be there.” Legend said and hung up the phone.
Legend was excited and not the least bit nervous he was tired of being broke he wanted a change in his life. He went to his closet pulled out his best outfit, he was about to start getting money he wanted to look like money. He showered got dressed and started the five-minute walk to Ed house. It was about noon and you could see the action in the streets already. Smokers, pushers, prostitutes, and police was the scenery on St Clair Avenue.

Genocide
When he reached Ed house Ed was sitting in the car in the driveway. Legend got in and Ed tossed him a sandwich bag full of crack.
“This an ounce already cooked up ready to go. I’m going to show you how to cut it up when we get to our destination. You owe me seven-hundred off that, you do it right you will make Fifteen-Hundred.” Ed explained.
“Fifteen-Hundred, Damn I’m all in. I need it so bad.” Legend said.
Ed starts the car and pulls out of the driveway.
“Where we going? Legend asked.
Ed tossed him a pager and said.
“I got people paging been waiting on me. Here goes a pager its activated give the smokers your number. Now I’m warning you this shit won’t stop beeping they going to be paging you all types of night, this shit highly addictive.” Ed explained.
“We also going to go rent us an Apartment to make our stash spot. Remember this Legend I’m serious never eat where you shit at rule number one.” Ed said.
“Bruh, I hear you but I don’t have a dollar to my name my nigga.” Legend said.
Ed went in his pocket and gave Legend five-hundred dollars.
“You can make good on that later no pressure take your time. Get fresh, give your son some money. We about to be rich my nigga, I’m about to put together a strong team and you my captain I trust you, just hold me down watch my back, we about to take over the city. Ed replied.