CRACK STUDY 1
INTERVIEW 77 3
Tape 42, Side A 4
How old are you? 7
22.
School completed? 10 years. 11
Single. 13
Employed (Full-time?) It was a 15
restuarant job. 16
Criminal background? Arrested for 18
selling marijuana, convicted and served 19
time 90 days. 20
Ever used alcohol? Yes, age 14, in 22
program since Friday and have been here 23
once before. I had a beer in the last 24
thirty days, response on dependency was 25
not audible. 26
Ever use marijuana? Yes, age 10, used 28
in the last thirty days, never 29
dependent, sold marijuana, not in the 30
last year and was 17 when I started to 31
sell. 32
Marijuana history: I had cousins that 34
use to sell it when I was little bitty 35
boy and by me being in the environment, 36
I kind of like examined what they were 37
doing. I was wondering why they were 38
smoking it and what it made them feel 39
like. So eventually I started smoking 40
and I seen that they were making money 41
off of it too by selling it. At that 42
time I felt that I should make me some 43
money too. At the years went by I got 44
to know people on the street and I knew 45
a couple of guys that were selling for 46
them in a business front. I started 47
too. At first I started working for 48
them in a penny candy store. After 49
catching on to what was going on I 50
started making on the side for myself. 51
They paid me $250 a week. When I first 52
started I worked for a couple of hours 53
just to make a little money for my 54
pocket then would come around 12:00 in 55
the afternoon to around 6:00 p.m. After 56
doing that for so long the started 57
giving me the big bag for myself and 58
would keep the big bag of weed at my 59
house and everytime the people in the 60
store ran out of weed, I would go down 61
and collect all the money that they had 62
and take it back to my house and bring 63
the weed back. On the side I bought my 64
own weed and sold it too. (How did you 65
make the connection?) The guy who was 66
supplying he didn't know I was selling 67
but I had a brother-in-law who sold .... 68
and I could go to him and get it ..... 69
and also sometimes they would ..... .... 70
they would ask for maybe three pounds or 71
better but they got ..... so the $500 72
that was over I would keep it. (That is 73
pretty sloppy bookkeeping. (They would 74
weigh out too much and didn't charge 75
enough?) It would be different amounts 76
over from time to time. Also if you get 77
busted or raided you wouldn't turn the 78
weed in cause the police could have 79
gotten it all. The police found some 80
but not all sometimes. When you call 81
and tell them that you got raided you 82
tell them that the police took all the 83
money and weed too. Never had any 84
repercussions on this. We had other 85
people that wanted to work in the store 86
but there wasn't any room so we had 87
people working the streets. I would 88
give these people so much and have them 89
go sell it and make some money off of 90
it. This went on for about two years 91
until I got busted. We let go of the 92
location and moved on the street. We 93
would make something like $6,000 a day 94
off of just plain weed. There was too 95
much business to stop completely. So we 96
went across the street with a guy on 97
each corner out selling it. (What kind 98
of quantities were you selling at this 99
point?) We were selling ....... but I 100
had pounds. We never had a security 101
problem because people knew us and it 102
was our territory. Every morning around 103
10:00 we would get up and my partner 104
would meet me down to my house. We 105
would go up in my attic and take the 106
weed out of the bag, take it to the 107
corner. The other guys were there waiti 108
One guy would have it and we would take 109
turns staying up there with him to keep 110
an eye on the guy. One days we did the 111
same thing and there were about four of 112
us out there. We stashed the weed and 113
told them that when you needed more, go 114
get the money and then go to the stash. 115
One person keep the money and one person 116
holds the stash. About 10:15 everything 117
was set up, I left and went around the 118
corner for about five minutes, when I 119
left there were four guys and when I 120
came back there was only one guy the 121
head man was gone. I said where is 122
everybody at, it is so quiet and one of 123
the guys were sitting on the stairs. He 124
said he left and went around the corner 125
to put the money in. I asked how long 126
that guy was gone and he said oh about 127
five or ten minutes. With me being off 128
guard, the guy came around the corner, 129
came up to me and said give me five, I 130
didn't notice his face when he shook my 131
hand he slipped a $5.00 bill in my hand. 132
So when he did that he was telling me to 133
give him some weed and looked at the guy 134
on the stairs and said take care of him. 135
He said no man and gave me a lot of 136
rationales. Before I could get to the 137
stash, a white guy came around the 138
corner and grabbed me and push me back 139
up to the wall and was under arrest. 140
They didn't give me a chance to get the 141
weed, so that is how I went to jail. 142
(Did you cop a plea?) I forgot, but was 143
sent to Dehocoe. The other guy on the 144
other side of the street was watching 145
all of this, when he realized what was 146
happening, he took of running. There 147
were cops all over the place in plain 148
clothes and when he ran the cops came 149
from behind and caught him. So we were 150
both caught and the police found the 151
stash out on the street but it wasn't on 152
me. They stuck me with it cause they 153
knew I had it. After doing 90 days the 154
weed business fell apart. 155
Ever use heroin? It was the first thing 157
I sold but never used it. I was 15 when 158
I started selling it. I sold it with my 159
cousins that were selling weed by me 160
staying there with them I sold there. 161
They had ten or fifteen guys working and 162
we would also stay in the same house and 163
people would come by and we would sell 164
it to them. We had different packages 165
but it was the same brand. Everybody 166
had a chance to make money. If there 167
were six people in the house, we had six 168
packs in the house. When the first pack 169
run out the second pack got to sell his, 170
and so on. When you run out you call 171
the guy and he would bring you some 172
more. People that we knew real close, 173
we would let them go to the basement and 174
use and others had to leave. We had a 175
stick up one time when we were all in 176
the basement drinking beer and smokin 177
weed and shootin dice. My auntie was 178
upstairs by herself. (It was her 179
house?) Yes it was. Somebody came to 180
the door and she opened and when she 181
cracked it, the guy stuck a shotgun at 182
her and told her to shut up and pushed 183
the door open and another guy came in 184
with a shotgun. They told her to call 185
the guy that was in charge upstairs and 186
she did. We were in the basement and 187
there was another guy upstairs on the 188
second level. He heard them. So ..... 189
went down and ..... and didn't nobody 190
get shot. This is the upstairs here, t 191
front door, this is down in the basement 192
where we were at and the guys had got to 193
the hallway that goes upstairs and 194
someone heard them go downstairs. As 195
she walked away from them going down the 196
stairs, there was a guy right behind her 197
but before he could get close enough on 198
her the guy downstairs started shootin 199
down at them. So they turned around and 200
ran back out of the door so they never 201
really got nothing. A guy would come 202
and give you 13 bundles consisting of a 203
130 packs. You would get two packs for 204
yourself to sell or use it. Two packs I 205
sell would be my $26. plus $3.00 off of 206
every ten you would earn $30 for each 207
bundle and $300 for all ten bundles. At 208
night you would get a bonus. You could 209
leave with about $100. At that time I 210
only used weed. I would spend the money 211
buying cars. 212
Powder cocaine? I used powder at age 214
18, have used in the last 30 days and 215
never dependent on it. I got involved 216
in selling at about age 16. I used it 217
cause I liked it and when I had some 218
money I would try and sell it. I ended 219
up smoking most of it. I did it for 220
about two days and dropped it. I bought 221
it to sell and ended up letting people 222
sample it and used it myself. I left it 223
behind after that. I never picked up on 224
it again. 225
Crack? Yes, age 19, used in the last 30 227
days, was dependent on it and it 228
occurred fast. ......... she was about 229
27 years old, she would come pick me up 230
at night cause she knew I had a little 231
money and take me to a motel cause my 232
mother didn't like her cause she was 233
older than me. She all of a sudden came 234
out with this pipe and I didn't know 235
what was going on. She was feeding it 236
to like it was food or something and I 237
though whow! this is good, you know and 238
then when I found out on my own how to 239
get what she had, I was on my own. Now 240
days people just don't give it to you 241
like that, she was giving me as much as 242
I wanted and that was the beginning. I 243
would watch when she would go to buy it. 244
She was working and was able to buy it 245
on her own. I wasn't all up in her 246
business to know everything. After a 247
while I started buying. Today I realize 248
that that was her main goal to get me 249
hooked so she could spend my money to 250
buy. That is what happened. After a 251
while I got tired of her and every now 252
and then when I had the urge, I would go 253
see her and I haven't seen her in two 254
years. 255
How did you get involved in selling? 257
Well a few people that I know was 258
selling it and I saw that they were 259
making money and I thought this drug is 260
bad you could make more money on it than 261
the heroin and weed. Cause weed died 262
out and people stop buying it and heroin 263
isn't selling much as it use to now. 264
Everybody started buying crack and when 265
the business started slowing down the 266
guys said well we are going to have to 267
switch over to the rock. We used the 268
same guys that brought us the heroin 269
started supplying us with rock and that 270
is how it happened. We worked out of a 271
house. We always kept weed in there no 272
matter how slow it was and we still had 273
heroin, had it all. There would be all 274
of these people in the house with guns 275
watching the windows and everything. 276
People that we were close to could use 277
the rock in the house, those that 278
weren't bought and left. The crew 279
didn't smoke but eventually smoked on 280
their on. We never smoked while 281
working, it wasn't a rule it just worked 282
out that way. Eventually we got knocked 283
..... that we eventually split up and 284
started working with different people 285
that we didn't too good. I never got 286
caught selling it. We didn't have any 287
problems that we couldn't handle. After 288
I got to using I had problems, where I 289
snorted it up. Nothing seriously 290
happened, but I got beat down but never 291
shot. If you got beat down, you were 292
lucky that you was living. Everytime 293
they would see you they would beat you 294
down. I had to lay low and stay out of 295
the way. (How much crack were you using 296
a day?) I used what ever I could get a 297
day, there was no limit. (What kind of 298
heights did you reach?) Mostly I got my 299
money from women that is where I mostly 300
got my money from. 301
They would give me cash money. (How 302
much money a day did you raise?) 303
Sometimes nothing. Sometimes I would go 304
a day and don't use unless somebody else 305
bought me some. Someone somedays you 306
get some in your system by somebody 307
offering you some, some kind of way, 308
find some to sell or anything, you would 309
get it. (Could you put some kind of 310
dollar figure on the last year or two?) 311
Not audible. When I was making money I 312
would spend more than that. Because we 313
would have sold heroin for the day. We 314
would sell heroin and spend the money on 315
crack. 316
Did you ever rock up your own coke? 318
Never knew how. 319
Note: Vacuum is going again, not 321
audible. 322
Physical health today? 4. 324
Nerves? 4. 326
Never hospitalized for drug use. One 328
time I smoked so much and would have to 329
settle down. When you get too much in 330
your system you know you have to slow 331
down. 332
Relationship? Mother. 334
Mom is aware of drug use as well as 336
crack use, mom never used drugs, mom 337
lives with my brother and sister, saw 338
mom once or twice a week. 339
Dad is alive, see him everyday before 341
treatment, he used crack, how much I 342
don't know. He knew I did crack and 343
told me to go and get some help. 344
Came to Shar the first time because my 346
father told me to come and everything 347
was going bad. The second time I knew 348
and came on my own. 349
That is it, well done. Thank you for 351
your time. I really appreciate it. 352
This completes interview 77. 354
LW
52min 357
Load:A:42crack 358