i think a lot of young cats these days are too spiritually crippled to move forward. we watched our parent's generation get killed, imprisoned, beaten, bombed, just for standing up for what they believed in, and things today seem just as bad as it looked in their time. kids aren't as ignorant to the struggle as it may seem. a lot of drug dealers in seattle have uncles, aunts, & parents that were in the black panther party. you would think "why? even with the consciousness of the struggle and these progressive movements would so many youths maintain their walk down these dark paths?".
it's cause all these kids that are out hustling have been forced to grow up that quick... too many of 'em, just been forced to handle more than an average adults responsibilitys when they should be in middle school. these babies aren't adults though, and they dying before their time to mature through all the oppression that's chained them down, even in a so-called progressive city as seattle.
it's just simply too overwhelming, for an older person to even face what millions of youth are living, and we're standing somewhere telling these youths it's time to mobilize... each and every one of these young hustlers have already mobilized themselves to handle the situations affecting their familys and live as the true revolutionarys who don't have one specific direction or goal, other than survival.
i can say with some confidence that almost every poor, black, latino, or native youth that lives in the city has had to act in opposition to the conditions given to them by this oppresive system by time they reach high school.
it's not about inspiring youth to action, it's about providing direction and a more postive focus that can pertain to the youths lives directly.
we've been inspired to act, we've been forced to act.
show us direction or don't show us any concern at all.

i know this message seems mad disjointed... it's all the in same thought process tho...

i'm 19 years old and have been a part of things you'd have to see to believe... a tank and a swat team rolled up on an african heritage museum... thousands of activists shutting down the city of seattle for almost an entire week... i've seen lives changed and lives lost... and my eyes are still young...

we heard the call to act for a revolution from the womb.

we still looking for the direction that's gonna bring us to the light.

if you ever see me and 6 thugs on the corner in a cipher, me beatboxing for they're best gangsta rhymes and then breaking out into an acapella spoken word piece about falling buildings and splitting concrete prisons with 3rd eye vision then you know the deal... come join the cipher and build with them cats everyone's already labelled "lost".

you'd be surprised what you find in a lost soul who aquired the name "lost" from a civilization built on lost lives, lost tribes, lost legacys, and lost freedom.

peace through revolution ya'll

get at me.

**************************************************

Gabriel Teodros (the hope)
eyecsound@aol.com

500 YEARS: independent art * freedom of mind * self-determination * power
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