Why People Fight

Well girl fights, in my point of view, are coo to see, but when you get into a fight and you get your ass kicked ... that's no fun. What makes it cool to see fights are that they are funny and sometimes I wonder how it started or something like that. Most of them start cause someone talked about them or they just want to for no reason. Like one day my friends wanted to get money fast - and no he couldn't sell drugs or something like that cause they didn't have that job to do - so they just went and stopped anybody and took their shit for no reason, but they did have one way to get fast money, but they always get caught anyway or something. Gang banging is one of the reasons they be fighting for their colors and guns and shit like that but like my family and homies, they be fighting for their respect cause in some hoods they do that to get the respect they want. They fight for streets, territory, turfs, like: "Fight for East Oakland and 57th and 53rd and 13th Ave, but that's all. Okay, bye!

~Esa Chunky~

Boo-c Ass Girls Trying To Be Seen

Damn, so whatsup with blood? Me, I'm just being me and getting money. What? You thought I was a ho? No, I got a job. But anyway, I know you seen my title and that’s what got your attention. Well, to clear that up: Have you ever posted a video of fighting or some shit like that on YouTube? That’s so ancient. I mean what’s your point? You're still going to be the same-ass nobody you are now. I think you want attention, so I'll tell you what: Go get a job and be bossy, not boo-c! The only thing that’s gonna get you is enemies, and I'll be one because I think it's not cool to have the whole word see some one get they ass beat on YouTube, because that’s a world wide site! I never get on it, but I hear about it. I’m to real for that shit.

Young Keke, too pretty

Oh yeah and you’re the one who'll look like a sucka if you fighting a sucka! And that’s real!

People Testing Me!

I was on my way to school and me and this girl named Glossy was into it over my boyfriend. Why? Because she was trying to talk to him. We was on the 648 bus going to Community Day School. People was telling her she couldn’t see me and then she tried to hit me, so then I got up and flopped her ass. We fought from the bottom of High Street to the middle to the top. She got knocked off her two toes. The bus driver pulled the bus over and called the police, so we got off the bus and fought again. Then when we got to the school, I got suspend for five days.

Shelkeia Nicole Green, a.k.a. Keke

Boy's Instigate Girl Fights

Well, what makes girl fights so funny is cause they always talk mess, but when they about to fight they suddenly won't want to and be a lil' baby about it and not fight. Or another reason they don’t fight is cause they can't fight, so they be like: "Oh well, I can't. My mom don’t want me to be fighting," or something like that.

I think boys like to see girls fight cause they want to start the fights up again when the girls try to stop fighting. The girls will be like: "I'm not trying to fight! But if she comes up on me again, I will." So then the boy will go back to the girl and be like: "She said she gonna beat yo ass!" So then that girl will get all loud, so then the same boy is gonna go back and say: "See look at her!" And she will go over there and be like "What you say you're ready to get yo a** beat AGAIN?" And that girl will be like: "I don’t care, we can go again." So they will fight and then the next thing you know, one girl gets beat up real bad so she will call her sister and then the other girl will call her two sisters and her brother, so it's about to be this big old thing WHEN it could have been done with the first time they fight, but no cause it was a girl fight so it's gonna be more than that!!

- Araijah

Snitches Record Fights

Well about fights, I think it all starts when people start messing with you. The first thing they do is talk trash about you, then you talk back to them, that’s when the punching and kicking starts. Then a lot of people start coming. Well, the people that are some snitches. After that someone calls the police and then it's all bad, like if the girl you are fighting with is more hurt than you than it's all bad cause the police is going to take you, even though the other person started it. After all that happens, all the snitches that saw the fight stay talking about it. Well one time I remember that I was with my friend and one of them just came and showed us a fight in her phone. It was a boys fight at Fremont High. The only thing I remember was that all of the snitches were there looking and of course someone was recording.
- Lupita

I Love Girl Fights

Why are girl fights more popular? Well, for one thing, they are more entertaining and second, they there are more a thing to look forward to. I’m a girl and personally, I love girl fights. When I see a girl fight, I think of all the things that I would do. Girl fights seem more physical. Like boy’s just punch and dip, but girls punch, kick, scratch, bite, dip, throw and spit. It’s probably a genetic bond, like all girls love girl fights more and all boys love boy fights more. I watch these fights on YouTube and other people’s phones all the time.
- Myesha

Fights Are Fun to Watch

I think people like seeing fights because they fun to watch and it’s better than watching the boxing fights on TV, because in a fight out on the streets or something you could do whatever you want, there is no rules. I think that people that record the fights on their phones or cameras do it so they could be the person that goes up to all the people that missed the fight and shows them who won and what happened. Most people I know don’t put the fights that they record on YouTube. They only do it sometimes, but not all the time because they could get in trouble or get the people who were fighting in trouble. I would be mad if I had a fight and somebody recorded it, because I didn’t fight so that everybody can watch. I would be fighting because I was mad at the person and whether I won the fight or the other person did, I wouldn’t want it shown to everybody.
- LaTajh

Prices Going Up

I make money by doing stuff around the house, like washing my mom's car or stuff like that. I used to have a job at Acorn Recreation Center, but that was just a summer job. Other people do stuff like sell drugs and girls go and prostitute, and people gamble. Some people have jobs that they go to everyday. Or some people just steal money.

Right now, I’m trying to get a job holding signs outside that will bring people to buy or rent new apartments. It pays good - ten dollars a hour. Some people sell other stuff not drugs ... like clothes, shoes, or accessories.

I noticed that a lot of people are going broke or not having as much money as they are used it. I could tell because I see more dirty people on the street like homeless people or just dusty people. The gas prices are too high and the houses these days cost too much, I think that has something to do with why parents start complaining more about money. Most of the stuff at the liquor store went up on the prices to like little things like fifty cent sodas and candy bars.

- LaTajh

Fast Money

Well, my people be getting money by anything they can do to get money. For example, I know people that sell weed on every corner in East Oakland and sometimes they even get high on their own supply, that’s why they be broke as a fucking joke, but that don’t stop them getting weed and drugs and shit. Some of my family, they be selling drugs, all kinds of them all over Oakland. Well, everywhere ... but all they do is wait in their damn corner and wait for dumb-ass people to buy their shit and they do. That’s why people die every day, either an overdose or people don’t pay up. Another body was found on the streets. Either they die cause of that or because of gang banging ... my life used to be all about that, but hmmmmmm ... I have changed a lot.

- Esa Chunky

Getting Money and Getting Rich, So If You Broke You Get Ditched

Damn, what’s poppin? Everybody and they momma broke. This recession shit killing us, slowly but surely. I can’t even get a hot dollar from my momma without her talking bout: “Where your job at?" And then I.R.S steal, taxes man. They getting over. So get rich or get ditched! Get money and act funny, feel me.

I’m making money by working at Youth Radio. I also do hair and make money off of that. I do about three heads in one week, since I work and go to school. I make at least $160 from that. Can you believe it? Another young black woman succeeding in life.

I ain't selling my body or nobody else’s drugs – that’s the hustle over here in the West. You got boosters, hos, hustlers and I’m neither. I do not have close family or friends who does these things, but where I live you got a little bit of all that. I don’t think they make much money because it’s a lot of people on the same hustle they on, which is not good. And if the recession keeps going, every body gonna be stealing robbing and selling.

See me, I want to make a lot of money, like $300 every two weeks but how can I do that with everybody low on money? When I get the money, I buy things I like such as clothes, shoes and accessories because I’m into my fashion, feel me. Oh yeah, I ain't holding up no signs, talking bout spare change. Fuck that, get on your job. Hahaha holla.

- Young Keke (Free Teddy)

Making Money

This is how I make my money: I work for The Beat Within and they are taking taxes out of my check. Other people are getting mad because they are not getting paid enough. People sell drugs so they can have the amount of money that they want because they might need it for something. Hoing, some females does it because they are desperate for love and some do it just because they can. Stealing clothes - people do it because they need to provide for their family because they do not make enough money.

- Shelkeia Green