I have been living in West Oakland for about 13-15 years and I have seen and heard a lot of things that have shaped and made me the man I am today. My neighborhood has been through a lot of things the years I have been living there. There has been shootouts in my housing complex parking area, police shut down the whole block because of house invasion, car accidents, as well as murders on the street corner. But living there and learning from my mother I have learned and understood about that lifestyle and how I don't want to be that way when I grow up. I know many people that have became a product of their neighborhoods as well as just products of Oakland and I know them very well, we grew up together, played sports together, and even went to school together. They all had potential to do great things with their lives but they did what they had to do to survive and get by in life. There were times when I thought I would end up going down the same path but I know I can do way better than that and I have to achieve and succeed for my son so he has someone to look up to and know what it means to be successful no matter where you come from. I'll always remember this quote someone I really cared about told me "Your not a statistic, you only become a statistic when you stop trying to become better than your circumstances."
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