by Dago
I was given a second chance and quickly messed it up. I didn’t learn from my mistake — the mistake of riding around with guns while risking my freedom, either for the protection of myself or my folks.
The judge and the rest of the world think of us as bad people trying to hurt others, but that’s really not the case. We continue doing the same things any normal person would do, such as going out to eat with friends, or going out to places around town. But we always decide to put our second chances at risk by keeping the protection of the gun and the bullet near us. Just like many other humans, we have enemies that wish to see us buried in the ground. So at the end of the day, many people would rather be the suspect instead of being the victim. The system pays no attention to that. They just think you’re out to kill. That’s why for many of us, there’s no such thing as chances. It’s either our freedom or our life on the line.
Of course, we think about our families back at home and they’re the reason why we want to stay alive, to provide for them and make it back home everyday. This system we Mexicans were born in is messed up, but sometimes there’s no choice. As an American citizen, I evoke the 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution. We should all have the right to bear arms just like the white folks. But as individuals, Brown individuals stuck in this system, we do not have that right. Police just want to label us all the time, but I say screw that. I never give them that satisfaction ‘til I put my second chance to waste.
I live in an area where threat is a constant thing, but like any living thing I learned to adapt. I learned to make the best out of everything. I learned to get out of the way when I knew things wouldn’t be in my favor because like everyone else, I don’t like to lose although I know how to take a loss.
It’s all a matter of bouncing back. I’ve been living this life my entire life and the older I got, the more I wanted to elevate in life but that wasn’t possible with all the bad things I’ve been surrounded by.
This life wasn’t something I chose. It’s the life I was given, so there’s not much I can do about it but keep pushing for the betterment of my life and my family.