OG Told Me...

“You know how they say: ‘If I save 1, I save a million’… It’s the opposite with me: when I save a million, I’ll come back for that one. I want ‘em all.” - “David Ruffin”

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On Washington DC’s notorious Georgia avenue, just across the street from Howard University, “David Ruffin” and “Philly Fred” cracked jokes over a game of chess. He said he goes by “David Ruffin” … cause he looks like David Ruffin. Philly Fred calls him a “punching bag” (trash talk over the chess game). And some call him a mentor.

“David Ruffin” is a fixture in DC’s Uptown. He spews casual conversations, colloquialisms, and clever jokes.

When asked, if he had a chance to give young people some words of wisdom, what would he tell them— OG Told Me:

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“Follow your heart. Stay close to your mother. Grant God with understanding. Once you grant God with understanding, you’ll know how to deal with self.”- “David Ruffin”

When asked what guidance he would give to a young person, OG Told Me:

“The first thing I would tell him is, if he lives in the Black community, is to look around, just look around you and see what’s going on. Just look around. And then, I would tell him to figure out how they would be able impact that situation—how he would they make it better for the people who live in that?”- Ronald Freeman, AKA Elder Freeman.

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He sat on the end of his twin-sized bed, as the sheets pulled back to reveal the mattress and box spring. He held up a picture from the late 60’s. He pointed to the faces in the crowd “that’s Angela Davis right there,” he said, pointing to one of the most notorious afros in the world. And then he pointed to a young lanky kid in the just behind Ms. Davis, “that’s me!”

The two were a part of a pack of Panther brothers and sisters making their way through LAX on that day. He said they had just arrived from Oakland, where they participated in the Free Huey Rally in front of the Alameda County courtroom on Feb 17^th, 1968; Huey P. Newton’s birthday.

Ronald Freeman, who goes by the title “Elder Freeman”, says it was the day after the rally in Oakland, when the Los Angeles Chapter of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense officially started. Freeman would become a Field Secretary.

On a Saturday morning in March of 2013, Freeman opened the doors to his apartment in West Oakland, and let me into his world of pictures with historical figures and tales of community wars; many of which he says are still going on.

“We knew about the KKK and the lynchings they were doing to Black men,” said Freeman, as he explained the societal conditions that lead him to join the Black Panther Party at the age of 23. “By me seeing the women and kids get murdered, they wrong for that, I just couldn’t get past that.” He said the he joined the Black Panther Party for Self Defense in response to what was happening in Watts in the 1960’s; he felt this was the answer to the police brutality and the over all socioeconomic conditions of his community.

Since his time in Watts, Freeman has been incarcerated for attempted murder with a deadly weapon. He has been shot. He has been featured in a documentary (41^st and Central). And now, Freeman is fighting cancer.

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As his skinny frame moved through his apartment; a nice little spot on a well-known block in West Oakland’s Lower Bottoms, he searched for his misplaced medicine.

His neighborhood, like much of West Oakland (and for that matter, most of urban America), is undergoing a massive socio-economic overhaul. As tech workers, cool hip young people on bikes, and artists flow into the land that once housed the initial chapter of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, an organization created to advocate for people subject to the oppression of the American government.

Freeman continued to look for a prescription pill, or maybe an over the counter pain reliever; he couldn’t remember. He was just focused on finding this medicine. “I’ve got Cancer,” he said in a straight-forward manner, as he pointed to his stomach.

He said he planned on going to Cuba in June in order to get a second opinion on what doctors told him was Colon cancer, before deciding on a medical procedure. He said he doesn’t much care for the American Medical system. He takes medicine to relieve the pain, he self-medicates by way of marijuana, and eat as best he can to keep his weight up until he leaves for the doctor’s of Cuba.

He began showing me photo after photo. Artistic portraits his mother gave him when he got out of San Quentin in the 70’s. Photos of deceased family members. Photos of him as a young beret sporting, black jacket-wearing Panther.

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“Police, you don’t need that many really—they’re overrated. We need social programs and unity. If you change the conditions that people live up under, you change their behavior,” said Freeman, as he put his photos away, postponed his search for his medicine, and focused on the conversation at hand.

He says he always knew there was something wrong with his community, but couldn’t fully identify it until he heard Malcolm X’s speak. “When Malcolm used to talk, he would bring it to your attention that these socio economic conditions weren’t fit for human beings to live in, and we need to climb out of this,” said Freeman.

He continued, “You didn’t need to read a book, you just needed to turn around and look down the street.”

“If you understand what a democracy is, we’re far from one,” Freeman said in a stern tone.

He followed that with saying, people in power know that, and therefore make access to education and jobs unattainable, “the prisons play a large part in the social structure of our community and needs to be addressed in totality.”

Freeman believes that change comes about when young people get involved. He urged me to understand that.

Freeman’s wiry frame illuminated as he talked about young people getting involved in the community. He almost bounced off the springs in his twin-sized mattress, as he told me:

“If you think that the system doesn’t work, then show that it doesn’t work,” Freeman said.

After the thirty minute delay to converse with me, Freeman showed me to the door, and continued his search for his medicine.  

When asked what he would tell a young person to guide them along their path, OG Told Me: “I’d encourage them NEVER lose that link of the past.”

When asked how young people should do that, he said: “I’ve had so many conversations with my own kids—they had the same question…”

And he didn’t have the answer.

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He says he never wanted anyone to believe he did, not even his own kids. But one thing he is sure of is, he wants to start the conversation that leads to that answer.

His name is Watni Stiner; he recently wrote an article called “From An OG’s Perspective”, which was published in the San Quentin News.

Steiner, a member of the US Organization, has been convicted of conspiracy and 2^nd degree murder in a shooting that left the leaders of the Los Angeles Chapter Black Panther Party, John Huggins and Bunchy Carter, dead in a building on UCLA’s campus in 1969.

Stiner has since served time, escaped prison, fled the country, lived in exile, returned to the country and returned to prison. He is facing a life sentence.

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In a room adjacent to the baseball field, on the side of San Quentin State Prison’s yard, I met with Stiner.

He wore a light blue prison issued XXL shirt and glasses. A taller gentleman, with thinning salt-and-peppered hair; when he went to introduce himself, his presence eclipsed the portrait of Malcolm X on the wall.

The basketball game was on TV: Ohio St. vs. the Iona College Gaels. It was the first round of March Madness, the Friday prior to my spring break. 

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Stiner and I talked about his life:

What made him join the US Organization—he mentioned the appeal of the afrocentric beliefs of the organization, and the belief that security comes by joining a group of peers with common interests. 

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How he escaped prison—he didn’t go too deeply into detail about that. 

What he experienced while in exile— A military coup in Suriname in 1980 on the heels of the Jonestown massacre in Guyana in 1978.

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Why he retuned and surrendered—“to seek a better future for my kids,” Stiner said, in reference to a deal he had arranged with US government officials, that if he returned and surrendered, his children would be allotted US Citizenship. Upon surrendering, this is not how the deal unfolded, according to Stiner. Legal battles persisted  for years, before the kids finally received citizenship; they now reside in Los Angeles.   

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Reconciliation with Ericka Huggins— In December of 2012, they held a restorative justice event where both sides discussed the shooting that took Ericka’s husband’s life and Stiner’s freedom; they look to continue this dialog.

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The story of Stiner’s children and family was covered in an LA Weekly article back in August of 2007, but since then his youngest son has been arrested and is now doing time in a prison.

“I was worried about him,” said Stiner, in reference to his son who was, “wearing colors, joining gangs and trying to fit in.”

Now that his son is incarcerated for an undisclosed crime, Stiner says they have had a better line of communication.

“He tries to use all those big words and study the dictionary,” said Stiner with a smile. “When you go to prison, at least in my experience: you want to use those big words and be like Malcolm.”

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Stiner says that through writing, to Ericka Huggins, his son, or even to the readers of his column—he can spread the word that there is a responsibility for the OG’s to look out for the younger generation.

“The older generation not only has the responsibility to talk, the older generation has a responsibility to listen,” he said.

Stiner says that on the prison yard, young people often approach him and ask him about, “the story,” the tales of George Jackson, escaping prison, and the movement in the 60’s.

He said, “Young people are so mesmerized by the past—however I use that game to keep their attention.”

 “I just can’t get enough OGs together,” said Stiner.

He said that the majority of youngsters who cross his path are familiar with “the code”, and it’s not hard to bring them to the table.

“The hardest part is getting older 1’s, the 1’s who are set in their ways,” said Stiner.

Stiner said that this is unfortunate, especially because a lot of the problems that are present in our generation are due to the mistakes made by past generations.

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 “A lot of the Crips and Bloods are sons of the elders in the Party and in the Org.”- Watani Stiner

Editor’s Note: This column is a special entry.

Below is a copy of a column on what it means to be an OG, written by Watani Stiner. The article was published on March 13^th, 2013 in San Quentin State Prison’s newspaper. Stiner, a member of the US organization, is currently serving 25-life for the murder of Bunchy Carter, Head of the LA chapter of the Black Panther Party.

On Friday March 22^nd, 2013 I had the opportunity to meet Stiner and discuss the riff between the US organization and the Black Panther Party, his personal story, and how the OG’s have responsibility.

The next post will be the notes on the conversation between Stiner and I…But first, enjoy this:

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An “OG’s” Perspective

By Watani Stiner

I first came to prison in 1969. After five years of being incarcerated, I escaped from San Quentin State Prison and fled to South America where I lived in self-imposed exile for 20 years. In 19994, I voluntarily surrendered to U.S. authorities and was brought back to San Quentin to serve the remainder of my “life sentence.” I have now been in prison for 25 years.

Although my life experience has definitely shaped my “OG” perspective, this column is not about my life story . It’s not about my political views, my prison escape or the many years I spent in South America. Rather, this column provides a conversational space and open invitation to the younger generation to consider and engage an “OG’s” perspective.

I have not walked the streets of this country in 45 years. So I won’t pretend to have some kind of “guru-insight” into the minds of young people and their activities outside these prison walls. But I do want to find effective and informative ways to utilize this “OG” column to raise relevant questions about the culture of violence and encourage serious dialogue on a number of critical issues.

Why should you listen to me? First of all, I’m a father, grand-father and great-grandfather, and a man who feels partially responsible for and concerned about the destructive and devastating historical disconnections that have occurred between the generations. I use this “OG” column to explore and address the critical consequences when one generation drops or doesn’t pass on the historical baton. I consider myself an “OG” who has picked up that baton, and I’m charged and challenged with the responsibility of finding creative ways of handing it off to the next generation.

You should listen to me because I have something relevant and important to say. I have life-experiences that I must emphasize and pass on to the younger generation. You should listen because I have some personal and vital information about respect, family, community, and the historical bridges that carried us over. As an “OG”, I believe in human equity, social justice and peace, and I have come to realize that all forms of violence, no matter how it is justified, eventually consumes the very purpose it is intended for.

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CHANGING DEFINTIONS :

Now I realize that the term “OG” does not have the same meaning today as it used to have. Its meaning has shifted over the years. The original use of “OG” stood for “Original Gangster.” From its inception “OG” had a specific meaning. It first began as a title of respect from former gang members who “paid their dues” and earned the status of “OGs” in their “hoods.”

However, just being an older man “from” the hood wouldn’t automatically qualify one as an “OG”. To earn this title “OG” you would have had to acquire at least three things: reputation, insight, and a distinguished manner in which you conduct yourself.

However, the meaning of the term “OG” has changed over the years. In its current usage, the term “OG” implies a broader category. While retaining its title of respect in popular culture, “OG” is now equivalent to the word “elder” or the courtesy afforded an older personal in the use of “Mister.” This deference today is based largely upon age, not necessarily on reputation, insight or how one conducts himself. An “OG” can be an old fool.

“OG”, as I’m using it in this column, comes from a particular time period and out of a specific set of experiences. It emanates from a certain mindset shaped by the social and political movements of the 1960’s. “OG” (as it’s being used here) stands for “Old Guard.” These “OGs” today (too often silent) are now in their sixties and early seventies. This writer himself is sixty-five years of age, an elder with the determination, responsibility, patience, and courage to engage and not give up on our youth. 

This column is open to suggestions, and when you see me on the yard or in the unit, you are welcome to give feedback on topics that you think an “OG’s” viewpoint can illuminate. 

I got off the 1R bus on the corner of 82nd Ave and International Blvd, and walked alongside a gentleman I met during the ride.

His name is Mr. Phifer, and this is his hood.

As we crossed the street toward a corner store, Mr. Phifer pointed to his head and said, “if you don’t change it in here,” he paused and pointed outwards— toward the neighborhood, “you can’t change it out there.”

“It all starts in your head.”

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As he rattled off a portion of his resumé, which included working as a neighborhood counselor, I stopped him and asked him the same question I ask all elder Black men: Given your life experience, if you had the chance to talk to young people, what would advice would you give them?

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As he surveyed the scene: students walking down the street, cars flying by with music blasting and grown men sitting down the block- he quickly said:

 “You can’t help those who don’t help themselves”. - Mr. Phifer 

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And then I took this photo

“For every law there is to put you in jail, there’s one to get you out… you’ve just got to find it.”- Reggie Bailey. 

…He told me that after the clippers were silent and the tape recorder was cut off. 

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My assignment was to report on Reggie Bailey’s barbershop in downtown Oakland; a business profile about a service job in the heart of the city— told through photos and audio:

http://oaklandnorth.net/2013/02/21/reggie-baileys-barbershop/

I had a sufficient amount of material, so I turned my recorder off; and then he told me about his court case… I cut the tape back on

“They tried to railroad me,” Bailey said, meaning that he was bombarded with by lawyers, aiming to lead him down the wrong path. “Before the court case started, I signed a petition admitting  to my priors.”

He had plead guilty to all his prior convictions in front of a room full of people— including lawyers, the judge and the jury. 

“Once I started my trial, they allowed all my history to come back up in court— but they ruled that a double crossing.”

The “double crossing”, an attempt to use Bailey’s history as evidence in his new case was ruled unlawful by the judge— and set precedent for California law. 

http://law.justia.com/cases/california/caapp4th/9/1252.html

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Bailey case was thrown out. What could have been an 8 year sentence was shortened to a few months.

After telling me this story, Bailey sat back in the black leather barber’s chair in the middle of the shop he owns … and OG told me: ”For every law there is to put you in jail, there’s one to get you out… you’ve just got to find it.”- Reggie Bailey. 

Terrance parlayed on a couch outside a liquor store on a Sunday afternoon, in exchange for $1 OG told me: “pay attention to God’s word.”

He prides himself on “preaching outside of his four walls”.

His name is Bishop J.E. Watkins and his church is located inside a building which was once home to Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association. Although West Oakland’s Liberty Hall is facing a possible foreclosure, Bishop Watkins is faithful that the one time home to Father Divine’s ministries will be able to keep its doors open.

Since he moved to the building in West Oakland, Bishop Watkins has dedicated the work of his church to expand past his four walls— to four square blocks in West Oakland.

He says he works with the “local pharmacists”, by not allowing police to put surveillance cameras in the windows of his church. In exchange, he says that the young men on the corner one block from the church often look out for the children who attend programs.

His programs consist of job training, legal aid, and the opportunity to gain hands-on television production experience; as well as Sunday church service.

The sanctuary in one of largest rooms in the building— the room is split between the chairs for the audience, the huge soundboard used to produce shows, a green screen, an altar, and a transparent organ.

His customized organ is “one of one”, says Bishop Watkins, who is a skilled organ player, (Here is a clip of him playing the organ) … but prefers the guitar.

His facility is historically and technologically amazing. It’s located on the corner of 8th and Chester in West Oakland’s Lower Bottoms neighborhood- a community that has historically been a maze.

He said that even during the times of the economic boom around the 7th street corridor, the backstreets of the Lower Bottoms were always home to number runners, whore houses and all sorts of crime.

But the difference is, back then it was organized.

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I asked Bishop Watkins— based on his life experiences, what would he tell young people … OG Told Me:

“They have lost respect for themselves. Our youth need to gain the respect, and know what that word means. When the kids kill each other, do you know why they kill each other? It’s over notches… you gotta have five notches, you get 5 notches— that’s 5 killings… you get those 5 notches, that’s puts you at the top of the heap— you’re the leader of this gang.”

Bishop Watkins has seen the culture shift in his time. 

“It’s no longer: well, I can beat you up. When I was coming up, it was ( he pounds his fist in his hand forcibly-signifying a beat down)… and then it was ‘aye-man, we’re good… and that’s the way it was.”

He cites the lack of education as the root of this disrespect that the youth seem to have for one and other. 

“They have not finished more than the 9th grade. They do not know what the word disrespect really-really means.”

“What I would tell them now: get an education.” 

He said that the reason people marched in the 60’s, was for this generation to get educated. And a lot of people in this generation chose to sell drugs. He urged the youth: GO BACK TO SCHOOL!

Not only to get an education- but to then reach back to help someone else. 

I then asked Bishop Watkins: How do you gain that respect?

Bishop Watkins immediately referenced an old saying: ”Manners start at home and spread abroad.“ 

Bishop Watkins stressed the necessity of teaching morality and self respect in the house; and church house. 

“Unless we OG’s- unless we teach this to the young men coming up, and unless they listen- they’ve gotta listen, as the bible says: he that has an ear, let him hear what thy say the lord. That’s the reason why the church is down here. They come in off the street … they’ll come to service…”

Bishop Watkins waved his hands about the sanctuary, physically expressing his verbal message. 

“They are looking for something…”

… He said the guys he talks to on the streets are often looking for a change, but seldom know where to start. In order to change, the Bishop says:

“You start in your head, and then it moves to your heart.”

On the corner of Adeline st. and Harmon st. in South Berkeley, I saw this sharply dressed OG conversing with a couple people in the neighborhood, they affectionately called him: “Willie”.

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I approached Willie, complimented him on his style, introduced myself as a journalist who specializes in documenting elder Black men. 

I then asked Willie, if given the opportunity to speak to the youth, based his life experiences, what would he tell them… OG Told Me:

“Simply live a good life.”-Willie.