"Violence to Visionary" - Unleashing Gifts of Hope and Creativity w/ Anthony Spaulding

In this episode of 'Wrong to Strong Chicago,' host Omar Calvillo welcomes guest Anthony Spaulding, a former gang member who turned his life around after being sentenced to natural life for double murder. Raised in the crime-afflicted streets of Chicago, the "Wild Hundreds", Anthony shares his transformation from a life of violence and incarceration to one filled with hope, faith, and perseverance. He talks about the impact of his upbringing, the allure and eventual disillusionment with gang life, and how he found solace and purpose through Christ. Anthony now focuses on giving back to the community through various charitable works and creative projects, including writing books, plays, and songs. His message emphasizes the importance of never giving up and trusting in God's plan for redemption and renewal.

www.anthonyspaulding.com

Transcript

0:15

From the city of Chicago, a city most recently known for its crime and violence. On this podcast, we will be sharing stories of redemption from individuals raised in the tough streets of Chicago and from around the country. Some of them were gang members, drug dealers, incarcerated victims, and perpetrators of violence. Listen to my guests as they share their experiences, struggles, trauma, but also the strength, Hope, faith and perseverance. These have developed in them to keep pushing and moving forward in life. Tune in to hear how their lives have gone from darkness to light and from wrong to strong.

Omar: 1:01

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of wrong to strong Chicago. I'm your host. My name is Omar Calvillo and tonight I have my guest. His name is Anthony Spaulding. Uh, just met this brother had to be, I think two weeks ago. I want to send a shout out to Ronnie Carrasquillo, uh, Jimmy Soto, uh, another brother named Max, uh, these guys were having a meeting and I was invited to join in. Uh, so I met him there, you know, we talked for a little bit and the reason I reached out to him to connect, cause he did, uh, I'll say like a performance. It was like a spoken word. Uh, and he did it, I don't know, it was maybe like five minutes and man, it was just, it, it, it ministered to me, ministered to my wife. So I, after he was done with that performance, you know, I reached out to him, you know, told him I was doing a podcast and told him I would love to have him on here one day. And uh, here we are. man. Welcome the podcast, brother.

Anthony: 1:52

Peace and love. Peace and love, bro. Yeah. Anthony Spaulding, AM Spaulding. Um, I met the brother at a Bill Ryan's picnic for, uh, ex ex offenders. You know what I mean? That came home and then the brother showed up and, uh, we was all there networking. So it was cool to meet the brother and his wife, Told him a little bit about my story. And then, um, uh, Bill, Bill Ryan asked me to perform a little bit of my play. So one man show, a variety show that I called, uh, to cut a barber's hands. Um, and I gave him two scenes of it and you know, brothers liked it.

Omar: 2:24

So, yeah, yeah. So no, for sure, man, it was good. And maybe we'll give them a little taste later. I know what we're talking right now. Yeah. Uh, we're gonna, you got some music that you do as well.

Anthony: 2:33

Some music, you know, I do it all. And, um, that's one of the things that I, you know, try to stand on. A lot of brothers while we incarcerated we in there writing Rapping singing or whatever the things that we can do But when we come home and then it ends up being about What job you can get just to maintain so you get caught up in a factory job you get caught up in a custodian job You get caught up in whatever type of job In those dreams and those pursuits that you had in your mind those expectations are kind of kind of like fall by the wayside they just dwindle so Um one thing I always want to represent Is the dream, you know, just me being here is a dream, you know, I also had visions of being, you know, doing radio doing podcasts being in plays being in film and being on the radio, like, and it's just, um, it's a process. Yes, but, um, I know if anybody can do it, I can, you know, it's a lot of brothers, a lot of people out here got hopes and, um. Their thoughts are, you know, if this guy can do it, I can do it. Well, if he can't do it, I don't have a chance of doing them because they just know the preparation and I was putting in while I was there. So, um, My things to chase the dream and just don't accept. No, don't accept the finance and just keep pushing. So I'm trying to do the best to do, you know, do that, do that to the fullest, to the fullest. And, um, and people always say, man, how are you able to get all this plan stock? Cause I keep God in it, bro. I mean, I keep that word in it when I'm writing, when I'm writing something, when I'm performing, the spirit is in there, you know what I mean? And I'm carrying the brothers that's locked down on my back. I'm carrying my, My mentors, I'm carrying my mother, my father, that past rest in peace on my, you know what I mean? And my memories and my thoughts. And, um, it just give me that extra bit of inspiration and encouragement to, um, just perform my best at every situation. So, uh, to do the right thing, to do the positive thing, the productive things, and be a representative of the King and to be represented by my family. And, um, like I say, all the people that's, Got a stake in me because it's a lot of people and I don't take that for granted.

Omar: 4:38

Amen, amen brother and you know what we're gonna get to that, you know all those components and why they're so Significant and important to you, you know, yeah, but you know, let's let's start at the beginning Could you tell us where did you grow up? What was the name of that neighborhood and can you describe it? Because we have a lot of people that don't live in chicago that listen to this, you know So

Anthony: 4:57

so yeah, my name is anthony spaulding. I grew up in chicago Um south side called a while hundred Um, the area called the Wild Hunters, but the hood is called the Ten Trey. That's 130 Wentworth. I grew up around that area, um, and it was, uh, a lot of gang violence, a lot of drug dealing. Um, you know, it's just the elements of the hood. Um, but when I was growing up early on in my life, it was the neighborhood and that's, you know, that quickly turned into the hood. You took a lot of the neighbor out and they took out of all the the village you took that out of it and You know, it just became rampant with violence Gangs, you know and drugged him, you know, and just everything that came with that

Omar: 5:45

How were things like in inside of your home like what family was mom and dad in the picture.

Anthony: 5:50

Yeah, absolutely. Um, my mother was a teacher. She was a teacher for Chicago public schools for over 40 years So I grew up with a mom who was a teacher my father. He was in the house Grew up going to Catholic school. My mom didn't wanted me in private school So we went to Catholic school me and my little brother had three brother I mean It's three of us all together. I was the middle child. Um, and up to like six or seven grades. So I was like 12 years old. I was going to private school, um, went to private school, Excel there. So when I got to public school, the work was just so much easier. Everything that we was doing, it was just so simple to me. So I just, I, this stuff was nothing to me. And, um, and I just was straight A, straight A, straight A. And they was, you know, and that's how it was, man. Um, My mom was there, my pops was there, you know, I was real good in sports. I was a real good baseball player. Um, played all the sports though, but baseball was my, my main sport. In the area, you know, on the next block from the park, you know, so we stayed at the park and that's where a lot of stuff going on. You know, you had your first fight at the park. This go down that go down or you hear this about that, you know So it's like a hub at the park, you know, sort of like the watering hole. Um And yeah, we go to the park every day And the gangs be up there, you know, and I often say in one of my books, called distractions. It wasn't If we was going to join a gang it was which gang we was going to join. So this is just like a preconceived notion and okay It's gonna happen but which one because you had gds you had blank gangsters at the time you had some Uh, visors and stones was in the area, a sprinkle here, a sprinkle there, but, um, it was more getting recruited, going to school. So once the Catholic school shut down the private school, I was, you know, going, now I'm going to public school. Whereas before I was staying away from all that because my mom come pick me up and I'm going from there straight to, you know, you know, whatever activities, baseball or whatever. So it went from that to. public school while I'm walking to school instead of getting drove to school and then on the way from school it's like oh man the mobs the gangs out here they serving they selling drugs you see you see the change a couple of guys that's in the class with me they they owe the cousins in the mob gangs and they recruiting us hey y'all come hang out with us man come get this money with us man shorty you can you know do this do that so um and that's why I got um Recruited, uh, like they like at what age is it started like you're talking about 12 years old Okay, and at this time I was still smart in school. I was just Um, I was book smart. I wasn't street smart. I was just sheltered from it so much Like I say I was in private school from private school going to this going to class going to boxing going to rice and going to karate going to so I was Strictly strictly restricted to home and just basically the block that I stayed on So As I got to going to public school, I got a little bit more freedom to branch out while I'm walking to school now. So that time walking to school and getting back, so now I got a little bit more independence. To, um, freedom to move around, whereas before it was scheduled, you know. A recruitment, like I say, uh, it was, it wasn't. If we was going to it was which one so, um, so yeah, man

Omar: 9:06

So so eventually that did it come to a point where you went in and how did that day look? What's it like because I know like a lot of guys that joined usually get violated in or how do I look for you? Like well,

Anthony: 9:17

um, I got as I said, uh, I grew up I was I was a really good athlete, you know, so I get into fights and I mostly win them Um,'cause I had training, I had some training in, um, my parents, like I say, I was in a middle class home area, was a middle class home. But I grew up with a mother and father. Then, uh, they had me in karate, they had me in boxing, they had me in wrestling. So, um, man, you had MMA man. Yeah, I had a little, you know. Yeah, yeah. You, you know, you learn a few things that maybe I wasn't the best in those rounds, but when you put that together, now in the streets, it's uh, you know, you win a couple more fights'cause the other guys just ain't got no chance. Oh no. Yeah. Right. You know, so. Um, you know, and now that look enticing to all man. We want him with us, you know, um, Got into a fight with a couple different guys at different times and I'll win a fight or You know, or even if I you know get close to losing a fight and you can see all man He got some heart you want in with us, you know that type of thing. So Yeah. So you get recruited in man, and you coming around your friends, some of them, they cousins. So you hanging around your friends and they cousins. You study is already named man at all. Yeah. He going to be with us because he, with him and they got money, they got, well, man, I want some of that money too, you know, because, um, while growing up, like I said, my, my family was middle class, but they were real frugal as somebody might say without a, uh, distributed money. So you want the new shoes, you want the new this, you want the new jacket. And, um, Maybe, uh, my father, what didn't really see the value in all that. Um, so in my mind, I was going to get it myself. You know how you are when you're growing up, you selfish, you really don't have an understanding in the value of, uh, working for things that they could taste in a decimal. So, um, you know, a lot of kids selfish and that's how I look at them now. Like, you know, they just have, they don't have a real understanding of, uh, you know, of life of their being of their self. And, um, You know what it takes to actually earn so and that was me too, you know, um,

Omar: 11:12

Yeah, so that that that's what Like I guess brought you in and did you get it like into like selling them? Is that like one of the aspects of it?

Anthony: 11:22

Exactly. Um Got into selling I was pushing packs for somebody Actually, one of the guys in my class is older cousin. He had you know had a nice spot When they wanted me to say nice it was a booming spot and it was right on the next block from the school We had to walk past there in order to get to where we was going for to get home He stayed to my one of my friends. He stayed there Um, he always had these big wads of money, you know, like man come get this money with me, man Now this guy he was actually Advanced I would say for his um for his age. He was more street smart than Than me. Definitely. Um He you know, he was like a broken home. His grandma was dead His cousin was there and they all sold drugs and these these guys were the gangs they were in the lead It was a gang leadership at the time he was you know, he was a bigger guy and he got you know, he wasn't really book smart He would always feel but he is sitting next to me and I help him with this, you know, it's book work And, um, it was that type of thing. But a lot of the guys like me, like I said, I was class president, I was, you know, valedictorian. I had all the, you know, the science projects of the'cause when it came to book work, you know, my mom was a teacher. It wasn't, no, it wasn't going to be. No. You know, you slacking. Right.

Omar: 12:34

Um, so, um, no, I, I know we're talking a little bit before we started recording and you mentioned about that, how that, uh, uh, being smart drew the attention of, of some of the, the guys in the gang. You, you, you wanna talk about that? Absolutely.

Anthony: 12:47

Uh. I'm going to say between 13, when you graduate from grammar school, going into high school. At this time, I was in a mob, I was a GD. At that time, they called them gangsta disciples, they transferred over to growth and development. It was, uh, putting lipstick on the pig, as you might say. Because, uh, it was the same type of thing, but you try to put the, to put the light on it to make it seem like it's not a bad thing. But it's still tearing down the community, all this other stuff. But as you know, lipstick on a pig. Um, and at this time they was taking Larry Hoover to trial. Um, he was going back on appeal. Now for those that don't know who Larry Hoover is, I mean, everybody around Chicago and mostly no, no, but yeah, you want to talk about who? Well, allegedly he's a chairman of the growth and development gangster cycle organization. Um, and at this time they had them, uh, Incarcerated he was incarcerated for years and over decades and they had put a case on them for some some type of chip They put in on the vending machine card when you incarcerated give you a mr. Card to go up there and get your food and stuff like that So you can so they put the feds put a chip in there to you know Get the conversations that you were saying they use that to charge them For, you know, and get them locked up for an extended period of time while he's still in there for the audio, from that, from the audio information they got on that. Um, and he was going back on the pill, you know, trying to get his case overturned, trying to get some rhythm in court, some relief for people. I don't know what rhythm, but, um, and like I said, I was 13 years old and they had came and gathered up all the kids that were, we call, we saying kids, but, um, they look, they look young, um, The pawns, I guess in the mob, you would say all the little 13 for all of them in the area from the 100. So maybe all around the city, but definitely it was, you know, four or five busloads of us that they came and got from all around the hundreds, you know, so I went to Langston Hughes. That was a grammar school on a hundred third and Wentworth, but they had schools all, you know, it was a little schools all over the place where they had GDs and they're grabbing, you know, come with us. And we know where we come and I'm like, man, do I got a strap of it? Like, no, no straps. No, you know, that's gone. No struggle. Cause at this time I'm getting busy already. Um, so no, no guns. I'm like, where are we going? You know, I don't know. I didn't even know where I was going. Okay. Um, I found out later that it was for Larry Hoover. but where, where did you guys go? Like, we went to the courthouse. Oh, no way. Yeah. Where, where we're at? Uh, was it 26th? Oh, no. To Cook County to actually, no way. Yeah. We went to, actually, we went, actually went to the, to his hearing. So, so it was still, it was still local. It wasn't a fed thing. I'm trying to remember what I can,

Omar: 15:38

you know, I don't want to lie and say it was 26. Yeah. Cause I know they have the Dirksen building in downtown. So that's usually where they do the federal stuff. So was it, I'm just wondering if I know

Anthony: 15:47

what you, I know

Omar: 15:47

you,

Anthony: 15:48

I'm certain of that, which is saying, but I just don't remember. But either way, it was a car going to the courthouse and they, they got us all out of there and with posters and just be, you know, starts out free Larry. Ooh, you know, all this stuff, all these kids. And, um, yeah, I was one of them, because we was on that bus. There's a lot of guys that was on that bus that's not here no more. You know, I grew up with, and a lot of brothers that I grew up with. I can only remember a few guys that are still living that. I was on them buses with us. But, yeah, while I was on that bus, a lot of the guys that I was in the classes with growing up, in that public school, they was laughing at me, like, Hey, Benny's got a class president, man. And he on the bus with us laughing, you know kicking him with the other the older guys like man, you know, man What y'all laughing at the guy who was the local gang chief at the time? We called him regions and he say man, what y'all laughing at and he said man man G smart, man He he was a class president, you know, like it was a joke. It was sarcasm Man, he on the bus with us. Ha ha ha ha Like and he and and the reason he like man, what you what you mean? What y'all laughing? Hey, you smart. I said, yeah I'm smart He's like, Hey man, come up here with me. So he put his arm around me and turned me around and looked at all the guys that was on the bus. It's a big school bus. So you talking about, I don't know how many people you can fit on the bus, but it was one of the big school buses. It's 50 people. Every, it was packed. Every bus was packed. And I'm talking about bus at the bus that was packed. So, um, most of the guys from onset was 10 tray on a hundred and third, we was on the bus and he told me, looked around, he said, man, you see all these guys, this is our region at the time. Ain't gonna put his name out there. He's still living doing his thing. But um, he said hey man He said man chief got thousands of these guys And I ain't understand what he was like, man Chief got thousands of these guys, but they could hear what he was saying He said man, you see all of them and you can just look from Seat to seat to see guys two by two like in the bus school bus and he was like man. He got thousands of killers Thousands of these guys he say man But you is what you are. What we need. You different. You, you, you, the different that we need, man, you, you, everything that he talking about, you are, you, you, you, what's happening. So I didn't really I didn't really discern that. I didn't really understand. I didn't decipher that when he was saying he was just like man You different but I wanted to be like the rest of the guys because they was the ones putting in work They was getting all the notoriety in the hood people were scared of them the fear the clout that people chasing now. So, um You You know, uh, how many people you shot, how many people you killed, how much, you know, how much money he was getting. I was, you know, that was what was up in the hood. So I want to be with that because, you know, you know, that was, was popping at the time. So, um, that's the cloud. Like I started the same cloud that's going on today and, um, like I say, man, that didn't hit me till later on till after I was sentenced to natural life in prison and I'm talking about. You know, after all, you know, I wasn't smoking weed every day. I'm on drinking every day. I wasn't in that, I went in that vinyl mode no more as much as I was because I was just running free in the street shooting, doing it. And we know, um, running with the mob and until I'm going to say seven, eight years after I had been locked up, And I had finally got some status in the mob from being a little young guy that was now the smart stuff started coming to play because, um, I knew all my literature. I was real good with, you know, with books. So learn, I didn't know no literature when I was in the street, but when I got locked up, it's like, Oh, you got to know, you got to know this. So we going to violate if you notice that in the third. So, yeah. I got that was like two days like every piece of literature ever written. It was like man Who's the like man what's to do and everybody else was kind of like struggling with and I'm like, yeah, man Um, and I just could just spit it this right No, like saying why I spit poetry and raps and all that the doctor just go, you know front it was backwards and Like I said, I just wouldn't I wouldn't I wouldn't street smart but I was book smart but You add to the book smart with the violence now, I understand, you know, the inner workings of the organization So, um,

Omar: 20:06

you you know what? I know you mentioned a little while ago getting natural life

Anthony: 20:10

Yeah,

Omar: 20:11

let's let's let's go there. So you mentioned you'll be in the streets, you know, obviously guns and drugs So what what happens that lands you with this sentence,

Anthony: 20:20

you know, um, I talk about you know brainwashing People say it's like a bell out a cop out, but I say, you know, I'm intelligent enough to know to say like the difference of When you just doing some stuff on your own, like you just, you know, you're doing it cause you want to do it. But I didn't grow up that way. I grew up in the church. I grew up going to choir rehearse. I grew up going to church every Sunday with my mom. I used to, I grew up in a regular normal household. Like I said, my father was there. He had a job. My mother was there. She was working. I had a brother. He was excellent in school. My younger brother was excellent in school. So the, like I say, it was actually a brainwash to where we understood that man looked them guys were our enemies. So. Going back and forth. You get one of them. They get one of us. It became a cycle of, okay, now we program, not just go to where it was like, well, anytime I see somebody that I didn't even know, man, you, you want some trouble. If you don't cross the side of the street with me, you want some trouble. If I see you in a different color, your hat broke off a certain way. You want some, you done. Like, it's almost the same. People knew like, man, look, when they see me like right now, people see me today wouldn't even understand. The mentality I had only the people that was in that neighborhood. They'd be like, oh no. No, he is he That's the wrong guy. You want to run up across if you was what they call up now Yeah, um, I had long hair used to get all the gangbang stuff spreading you talking about at an early age I was literally in a mob organization from the time. I was 12 to 16 Fars in the street and so within that four year period I called My the case that I got a natural life sentence for was a double murder You I call it a murder and attempt murder, which I, which I beat, but I was catching came in, you know, If you get charged with that just how much other stuff that you done got away with You know what? I mean? So when it's it's always that's just surface Um, and that's what I always think about, you know, somebody said oh, well, yeah, he got caught off for this or he If it's this case, you think that's the only time he did something like that in my mind. It's always well That's just one of you know Robberies or temp murders or how many other guys you gonna shot? And that's, that was just the case with me. Um, um, so I got sentenced to mandatory natural life as a 16 year old boy. And I really consider it a blessing because if had I beat this case, I probably would get locked up in my older years for some more cases. And it is no doubt somebody really get you to kill me or out of medicine. You know what I mean? So, uh, it's actually a blessing that I did, um, get called for the case that I did at that time because I was a Jew now. And, um, God, like I say, I was good with the book work. So God blessed me with some acumen to, um, And a blessing that my parents were able to pay for me paralegal correspondence courses while I learned about law. And um, I worked in a law library for a, you know, a nice amount of time. And myself and one of the other brothers, we just worked and worked until we could just figure out a way to create the juvenile bill to help. You know, we was part of the architecture, the blueprints of creating the juvenile bill. Um, And it's a blessing. What was this bill about exactly? People look at it now, right now, the mandatory census juvenile, it's a juvenile mandatory census. It's called Miller, um, it's a Miller v. Alabama right now. It's the, uh, it's the case law right now. The Supreme Court ruled that, um, anybody that was, uh, 17 and under had a, um, Had diminished capacity you had a nine pronged test to prove where you had diminished capacity to perform these things I didn't have the brain development to commit the acts Right now it's still in effect and if you 18 and over you done Yeah, if you got life you get life They're trying to bring emerging adults into the juvenile saying a your brain has a finish finish developing it to the time You're 24 But right as I'm now You Is 17 and under and thank the Lord that I fit under that I was 16 because my appeals was exhausted. I was fully guilty of the crimes that I commit. I take full responsibility. Um, I'm on plea with the family of the victims. Um,

Omar: 24:27

ask for their forgiveness. Could I ask you how, how, how did that go? Like, did you ever get some response or how was it? It was just letters.

Anthony: 24:35

Okay. Cause um, I don't blame them for one to know, not speak with me. No, right. You know, I understand. Um, and you know, the area we was in, it was violent, but it was also a lot of corruption. You know, police would put a case on you. Um, I don't know if you know about the John Birch cases. Oh yeah. That was in the eighties. Yeah. And that's the poll. That's the area I met. You know

Omar: 24:57

what can you tell me just briefly about that for, for people that don't know who John Birch is.

Anthony: 25:01

John Birch was a police commissioner. He had a crew of people that he trained. He took tactics that he got from war. I believe it was the Iraq war, Afghanistan, one of those wars. And he took those tactics where he would take them to torture, um, so called terrorists, alleged terrorists. And he would take those and get information out of them. Well, he took those same tactics and brought them to the inner city of Chicago, where he trained a crew of underlings on them called that they called yourself the ass kickers. And they will take guys. Find it, if it was a case out, they'll take him, beat him up, torture him, hang him, take a telephone book, beat him with the telephone. And they had this thing called an electric box, the black box, where they would take The wires and attach them to some of the brothers balls and cranking on the side of the cranking and it would give out this electric shock to force them to testify to tell, you know, to force them to confess the stuff that they didn't commit. So I still got friends now. Now my man, Robert O'Neill, you'll see in there is brothers and that I was under those ass kicker crew that he trained. They was under him as he was the police commission that they still locked up right now. People that's actually innocent. And there's been hundreds of people that has been released. Um, the state has paid, you know, billions of dollars on, um, on, on, on people that was actually innocent overturned cases. Um, and John Birch was the cause of a lot of that is people still in there right now that's under the police torture that he's done. So John Birch was an actual, um, he was, he was, uh, uh, he was a terrorist hisself, um, because he didn't. If he thought you was in the game and he had an open case, he would just try to find a, you know, find a way to close

Omar: 26:46

the case. Yeah. And, and then, and, and that's the, the bad thing.'cause uh, they would just wanna close the case and, and not even go catch who actually did it. Just to, Hey, look it, we solved the crime. We solved the crime, let's go, let's move on to the next.

Anthony: 26:57

And, and the truth is, um, you might've not even, you might've not done it. You might've been somewhere doing other cases, but you have to get me for the case that. You know that you say like when I go to when you charge me with somebody's crime It has to be this crime now. I might have been doing all this other stuff, but that's not what the law is Yeah, um and so That's what this ass kicker crew did. And that's what, you know, he was a huge part of why not, not just saying it just happened in area one, where John Burge was, you know, the command and all this stuff, but it happened all around Chicago. But him in particular, he had a specific way of doing this. Well, you know, other brothers being that they get the ass whoop, they get, you know, they, you know, everybody know, man, you get into police stations, they feed you the cold baloney, they take your shoe strings and all this stuff and do this. But he was literally putting cases on people that didn't do the case. And he would, you know, what they call coerce statements, you know, uh, beat you, you know, some people didn't have the education so he would trick you into saying you didn't do stuff or they, you know, they intimidate, Oh, you know, we're going to take your baby or do it, you know, just different tactics they will do. And I actually wrote a script on, I have a, I have a television show that I wrote off of that and hearing of stories of brothers while I was locked up, I called it a crooked city. So I wrote a whole script so somebody listen to this man you want to get with me on the production I got I got a whole script on that that I call called crooked city And it's about John Burge, but I call him burger John burger So to keep you know, the legend thing, you know, but it's really about him and ass kickers, man How they terrorize the city man, it's a trip though. But um, yeah, so what I was in there a Lot of the brothers I know that was in there for stuff. They didn't do but they was there um And some of these were my one of the christian some of the christian brothers that eventually changed their life because I gave my life to christ

Omar: 28:45

in prison You could tell us about that because I know you you said uh, I believe seven years You were still like in the mob. I was still in a

Anthony: 28:52

mob. Um I had you know, I went from being in the juvenile to audi home was in a juvenile audi home and Uh, you know, you got to make your bones you come in you fighting. It's up. You don't even know what why what's up? They over there we over here. You're still the same violent you stabbing you fighting You You're doing whatever else. Um, and get your, you get your gift. Your gift is your birthday present. When you turn 17, you transferred over to the County. Now you around grown men and you around, grow men where it was like, um, you don't know what you're walking into. You hear all the stories, but like you coming in, you say you this, but you don't like, I, like I came in, I didn't have any understanding of the laws or policies. None of that. I just knew I was a GD. Um, So, you know, you know them guys come in they scream. Yeah, what you is where you from? Oh, okay What you don't know your laws? Oh, man, you got this much time to learn them And you know, if you don't know you getting blasted you can violate. Oh, really? But you're not grown man, I Come in and they put me in division one doors open all day first thing, you know, you say you did Okay, they give you a little care package Get you a knife doors open all day. You, it's on, you know, and coming in violent already from what you think, you know, right. Any and everybody can get it. Um, so I got a blessing and I was actually sent to a wing where it was a lot of older guys that was had been through the experience of prison because they was able to prepare them once they found out I was locked up for a case for, for murder. And I was locked up for the murder and attempt. And then they came when I was dead and they came and put the double murder on me. So I had three murders and attempt murder, but I was just different cases. Um, And they just, they just start preparing me like, man, you don't understand what's going on. And I'm like, no, all I know is that, man, we just, they just like, it's up. But, you know, and they like, no, no, no, no, no. They put me up like, this is how this go. They said, if it ain't on, it ain't on. But we on, we on our bed and we on security. Um, cause it's a

Omar: 30:57

whole different mindset. Being in the penitentiary is there from the county? Because I would say the county is more book wild,

Anthony: 31:04

right? And the county mobile. But let me say the home is more. Oh, wow. That's why I came from the home. So I came from the county home in the county division to the to the to the jail. Now, in the jails, you get

Omar: 31:16

chiefs in the jail, too. I had a brother that went from the Audi home. Yeah. And he went to the county and he said right away he started disrespecting dropping. Yeah. Yeah. They told him. Hey None of that happening here, you know,

Anthony: 31:28

like all right if it ain't on it ain't on And that's something I never grew up with because where i'm from in a hundreds. It's always on While hundreds it's all there's no way it was no What

Omar: 31:38

would you mean by if his own meaning if you see like an opposition is always on there's no there's no okay We're not gonna do nothing because

Anthony: 31:46

we're gonna wait right? No, there's none of that. It's always on Um, and that's the difference between the South side and the West side too, because I spoke to you earlier about getting kicked out of school and being sent to the West side to where, when I came from the South side to the West side, them guys out there, they had to tell me, Hey man, what you doing? You, you about to cause a war. I'm like, what you mean cause it's always, we see these guys, it's on over there. It wasn't that way. And over there on the West side, it was totally different. And they had to tell me, Hey man, yeah. When it ain't no war, it ain't no war. This is how they make money. Because if it's a war, they not make no money, but

Omar: 32:20

So it's trying to to keep making money You ain't gonna, you ain't gonna nah. Mess with them if they ain't mess with you. Don't no

Anthony: 32:26

Massachusetts. You see them, they see y'all. If it ain't on y'all, see'em. It is peace. That's what they call like the Peace Street. But on the south side it wasn't like that. The south side where I'm from. Yeah, yeah, yeah. In the hundreds it is no peace Street. It's always on. Gotcha. It's always on. Yeah. So the different ways of making money is different. Yeah. You might be on the corner, you see somebody, oh man, they over here man. It's man, it is all it is up every time. When I went to the west side, I was in the project building. This building over here. That's building over there They you know when they own they shooting rifles from corner to corner going to school coming from school You catch your mom out there catch you at the grocery years up But when it's off man, they could be in your building saying they baby mama They can be over there and they just it's just like it's you know, like nothing after you know But that's where I come from. So when I came to the from the outing home You It was, it was up. They had to sit you down. No, no, no. At the idea home, it was, it was up. Yeah, yeah. They counted. They like, no, wait a minute, man. No, no, no, no, no. Let me show you, man. Listen, this ain't how this go. And that's why I got to understand it from the older guys that were chiefs in their own area. Cause when you, when you in the county, you, you begin to understand that you just not the baddest thing no more. You know what I mean? From a physical standpoint, I was always a scrawny kid. Um, I had some skills that people didn't have but I was just a skinny dude, but I was violent and the mentality uh, always up always up always up put me in positions of Hey, uh, we won't we going with him because that's just how the area I grew up this 10th trade Everybody know man, maybe from 10th man. It's up all the time. This is what we do Always gangbanging, but somebody's like, no, we cool. No, it ain't no cool with us. It's on no matter what's on. So we carry that every, we was carrying it everywhere we went. Um, and they sat me down in the county, like, nah, man, nah, this is how this go. And I got the literature and I got to understand to where now the book smart stuff is starting to make a difference now because now I got the intelligence to go with the laws and this is the stuff that he's talking about. Like, no, we need guys like you resonate back from that bus when he was saying, Oh, we need guys like you got all type of killers everywhere, but we need guys is going, you know, develop fully develop and help us move up into growth and development. Um, That aspect, it carried on for a few years until I got what the, uh, the prodigal son moment where you come to yourself. And I had that come to myself moment after my mom had been praying for me. I've had been good scriptures from grandma and just read my word every day, every day. And I just got to looking around and looking to seeing the guys that I was leading, like, man, I don't need these guys. They need me. And, um, All those things, what that guy told me on the bus at the air, which he was like, it just made so much sense to me because now I ain't smoking weed every day no more. Now I'm not drinking every day no more. And I'm talking about from the time I was 12 to 16 and all this stuff was going on. So I was developing, I had basically had what they call, um, I had stymied arrested development. I was, I was stuck in that time from the time I was 12 to 16 all the way up to, I was like 22, 23 years old. Because I wasn't developing, you know, I wasn't going to church no more. I wasn't, you know, in school every day like I was, um, and Even when I was still in out there in the streets game, I was still going to school every day because it was low. We had to be in school and I was still making, um, I had never made nothing less than an a like people look at my trip. They be like, man, bro, you even, even when I was gaming, even when I was in the game, I was still going to school every day. I was stunned. I got money from selling drugs. We gang banging in the school. It's fun. You know, I'm, you know, I'm just having, I'm a young rider, you know what I mean? Uh, so, um, as I grew up, And you develop more and more and more and more you start to see I ain't got no more this weird It's like it's starting to make sense. So because I don't I've been able to break down the blueprint of the literature now because I know it so well now now i'm looking at it like Oh, man, this mean this this mean this but you the chief doing this This guy over here. He doing he breaking law, but who gonna go up against him because he got all the power You say anything about man, you know how you violate it. Yeah, um You Messing with homosexuals. That's part of law man. They messing with homosexuals. What they doing? They doing dope man You ain't supposed to I've literally seen people Put get bats put on them for doing crack when I was in the streets and these guys doing dope when I'm when I'm locked Up, they messing with homosexuals. Like wait a minute. You ain't supposed to be messing with you ain't fun Cuz this is the law. So I got to understand the the inner workings of it It just didn't make no it just wasn't once you come to yourself and you look at it from a different perspective From somebody that was intelligent as I was, it was easy for me to say, Oh no, man, this ain't what I thought it was. And that's the same thing I wrote in my book called distractions. Uh, a real talk about gangs, drugs, and violence. And it talks about, well, it wasn't what you think. It is not what you think it is. Once you really understand like, man, you in the street, they telling you this, that, no, it's being brainwashed. You don't really understand what you're going through what you're doing Because you're just doing it in the name of something you're doing in this and this you're doing these works and these acts for ideological ideological figure that's not really it's like like when you when you watch the wizard of oz and At the end you find out that you know the wiz This ain't even him There's some there's some pipsqueak. You know what I mean? There's you know, yeah, so um, and that's what the law taught

Omar: 38:09

You know So, so it's crazy how the, uh, the, the gang law, the literature is what opened your eyes to see like, wait a minute. This is, this

Anthony: 38:18

ain't, this ain't not what it's saying.

Omar: 38:19

Yeah, this is not, this is nothing

Anthony: 38:21

about what it's saying. And that drew you back to the Lord? Well, no, actually I'm going to say the script, like even though I was doing that, I was still reading scriptures every day for my mom. I ain't gonna say every day. My mom was sending me scripts. She was telling me she praying for me when she would visit me, we'll pray, you know, and I was still like, I was, I was still in the shock because I'm in there for murder. I'm in there, but it didn't, it's crazy that I had all that on me and it really didn't even faze me. Cause it was just like, I was just going through this stuff like, like nothing. It didn't, it didn't.

Omar: 38:50

It had no effect on me, you know, can I ask you something? I know you mentioned a life they give you life and you're young, you know 22 you mentioned Yeah, was there part of you to say man? I I'm in here for the mob I'm just gonna give my whole the rest of my life to the mob Well, it was that part of it before the change or no, you

Anthony: 39:06

know, what's crazy, bro Like I say it didn't affect me and I tell people I say man I never had in my mind that I was gonna spend life in prison. Like I got sent this to life I was in there. I was I got I got sentenced at 18 You I was one of the youngest people ever in a maximum security because I went from the county to the prison. Now I couldn't even buy a pack of cigarettes off commissary because I was too young. Yeah. I couldn't even buy a pack of cigarettes. It's commissary. They look at your age. It's all man. He, so, um, and them sentencing me to life. It never, it never done. People ask me all the time. Hey man, why you start taking all these courses and why was you educating yourself? Why you was getting all these certificates in this? I'm like, man, cause I, And my man, I was coming home and they said, well, you got life. What you getting all that for? Because you ain't gonna, you ain't gonna need none of that. So all those things that discipline of taking those correspondence of taking this and getting that, it was all part of my mind. I was building myself up to, man, when I come home, I'm going to be ready. But in my mind, I was never spending my life in prison. Um, yeah, bro. So, um, a lot of people that was like an older guys will tell me like, man, you was on it early. But my lawyers and my mitigates, they'd be like, man, I can't believe you did all this. I can't believe you just, um, the director came and testified on my behalf when I was re sentenced. He told the judge, he say, uh, this guy is like a unicorn and the judge was like, wow, this is one of the worst judges in the state of Illinois. His name is Stanley Saxon, Cook County bench. He got all type of, uh, bogus stuff on him as far as being a bogus judge, right? Always sentencing people, bogus, always doing proper improper conducts, bogus statements. He said, well, he said, man, well, what's so special about this guy? And the director told him, say, man, this guy's a unicorn. He said, man, this guy was 17, 18 years coming into prison. He said, man, this guy will be definitely be caught up in some gang stuff. You know, he was going to be stabbing people left and right. He said, this would usually happen to these guys coming in. But look at his record. He said, man, this guy got all these certificates. He said he ain't even eligible to get this stuff. He had a natural life. He can't, he not even able to get these classes is what he was telling him. And um, and you know, he was a bogus judge. So he wanted to make an example out of me anyway. Because I could have came, I could have came directly home when I got re sentenced. But him, he wanted to make sure I spent some more time in prison. Other guys that got, that was juvenile offenders, they was getting straight out. You know, and they didn't have the record I had. Because while I was still gangbanging, I was intelligent enough to keep it under the radar. Uh. Um, I was still doing book work. I was doing school work. I was educating myself and putting on a face for when I did get an opportunity. Other guys had stabbing cases. You know, they got fight cases where they was going to seg lesson, right? Like, I had two tickets my whole time of incarceration. Two tickets and it's this director come up with his name is godinez. He come on. He's testified say man I he said I don't even know how this guy was able to do this And this is the director of one of the prisons the director of idoc the over the whole state. Oh, wait. Yeah Yeah. Yeah, he testified on my behalf like man. It's uh What this guy's able to do is incredible. I don't know how he was able to do it, but he Man, if anybody ready, he ready. Can I ask you, I know you mentioned going back for re sentencing, now was that because of that Miller thing? That was because of the Miller, that was a juvenile re sentence. I worked in a law library with uh, one of the directors of IPP, which is Illinois Prison Project right now. He's studying to be a lawyer. His name is Marshawn Allen. Is that the brother that was there? That's the brother that was there. Yeah, yeah, okay, yeah. He, uh, we worked in um, we did all the pros and cons, we did a lot of the footwork. On why we should get relief. Um, we work with uh, The Blum Legal Clinic Northwest. And we work with um, John Howard Association. And they would come up and give us interviews. And just ask us questions like, Why do you think you should get a chance to come home? Now this was 15 years after that. After I had been resented. My appeals had been exhausted. For those that don't know what I mean. All my action of being able to come home was shot. Like in they mind I had life. Ain't no coming home. And my mind, I never thought I still didn't think that it was over with for me. I was always on to what's the next thing. Um, so yeah, they would come and interview us, talk to ask us about what we're doing. And I was a candidate for speaking. I was well spoken. I had did all the certificates and I was doing everything. And I had some, um, some of the some mitigation to show well, man, this guy, he changed his life. If he could do that from here, what could he do when he get, if he got an opportunity to come home and it came into play about, um, he was a juvenile. I was a juvenile. So they got on board. They helped us. And while that was going on, the Supreme Court was ruling on, um, Uh, on the, on the Miller Miller? Yeah. On the Miller. So the Miller, um, and, um, Louisiana, Ann Montgomery, it's cases all over. Okay. United States with juvenile cases, um, where they was, where everybody was trying to get rhythm. But for Illinois it was creating a juvenile bill and just getting it on the books to where, you know, we can get some, some rhythm. Yeah. Um, so yeah, they, they would come talk to us, they would come see what we was doing, what we got on, what, you know, what are we progressing at. Um. And once it got passed in the Supreme Court, now it's like, Oh man, it's real. It's getting ready to happen. So I was able to get re sentenced and I had to go through basically another trial where the state come on, put their case on and say, well, we, this is why they shouldn't. And my mitigation expert, which is my legal team, my lawyer was able to say, Hey, no, this is why he should get an opportunity. So, yeah, I got a blessing. My case was overturned. I filed my own post conviction and then I was assigned a lawyer and a mitigation expert to help me go through the actual hearing of recent. Man. Yeah, it was a blessing, man.

Omar: 45:02

Can you take us to that date? Did you say the resentencing? Did they let you write or is that when they give you a little bit more time?

Anthony: 45:08

Well, the resentencing happened in 2017. Um, bogus judge, I held sentencing natural life. Yeah. I'm going to say angles. He was basically, he had to because according to Illinois Supreme court, the law was the law. I had to be resentenced as a juvenile. There was nothing he could do. He had to resent him, but his sentencing range was from 20 to 60 years cause that was a statute for that's the statute concurrently. And even then for murder. So he had to be sentenced between 20 and 60 years by me being Jewish out and juvenile. My case had to run concurrent. I mean, they couldn't give me. 120 years. They had to sentence me 20 to 60. Yeah. Um, it was guys that had actually got their case overturned before me. I wasn't the first. So it was over a hundred juveniles within the state of Illinois. Some went before me, some went after me. And some of these guys was getting 40 years. Some of these guys was getting 50 years. Now, if you've been locked up 20 some years, if you get 40 years, you're gone. I had been locked up 22 years at the time of my recent, um, uh, my recent. There's no person in the state of Illinois that had better mitigation than I had I guess I could show him I had been Appraising worship leading the prison choir. I have my bachelor's degree in theology had commercial custodian barber school paralegal for years and barber So many certificates and different work. I had deal with organizations far as young, you know, the big brothers love brothers You know, whatever you could do I was a part of doing a positivity after I gave my life to Christ. And, um, when you're talking about the act, you know, the resources that I could, that I could show of people willing to support me coming home or the things that I have been doing when I was a cop, it was, you know, I wrote three books that was positive. I wrote a book called distractions, giving back to the community, telling the parents what to look out for. Um, I wrote another book called, it's not your fault. Um, dedicated to abuse victims and, um, sexual abuse victims. And I also wrote a book called, uh, Descendant of David, Praise and Worship. I wrote screenplays. I wrote plays. I wrote poetry. I wrote rap. All giving God praise. So it was all positive. There was nothing they could show as far as me not having a reason that I should be let go home. This just sends me to the max. It sends me to 60. So I'm watching all these other brothers getting out. You know what I mean? Yeah. And they got out, but I was still there for five more years. Um, you know what I mean? So I was at happened at 22 at 27, I was released. And if he'd, I got three years worth of good time because of all the The mitigation I had all the certificates those came into play now. Well, the bills changed. Well, now we able to get good time right before we were ineligible for good time. Okay. So now all the retroactive things I did not I came into play. I would have had to do three. I still would be incarcerated now. No way for not. Preparing myself with all those trades and all that stuff that's, you know,

Omar: 48:05

called, you know, mitigation. Yeah. So, so when did you finally get out and how was that day for you when you officially like?

Anthony: 48:13

I got out in 2022. Um, I've been, I've been home two years. I got out May, May 23rd, 2022. Um, it was a blessing, um, because I was just waiting for my good time to kick in. I get 90 days for this, 120 days for this. I got this certificate over there and all these things accumulated into a certain amount of good time. Um, I had been fighting to get that. I had to fight for every day to get, man, wait, wait a minute. I'm supposed to get good time for all this. And you know, I felt like I should have been home, but I had to fight to get it. And um, when it finally did kick in, I didn't know exactly when, but um, When they told me, man, you getting ready to go home, make sure you got a place and I paroled to a halfway house. Um, my mother, my father, they passed since I've been, you know, while I was locked up. That's another thing they don't tell these young brothers. People are going to die while you, while you locked up. I was locked up 27 years. Imagine if you're 20 when you get in. If you're going to do some serious time, people are going to die. Everybody's not going to be home when you come home. Um, Everybody's not gonna be well, you know, it's gonna be some things that's happening at home That you can't do nothing about cuz you're gonna be behind that wall And um, that's a that's a that's a thing. I love to tell brothers, you know If you got kids somebody gonna raise your kids It's gonna be some things that you have no control over and you're gonna wish you was there. So Be cautious with your your freedom Be thankful for it I never had any kids when I was locked up. My mom was big on telling us about contraception, condoms and stuff like that. So I took everything seriously when I was, even in my promiscuity when I was in the streets. I always strapped up, you know, both ways, you know what I mean? So, um, So I didn't have any kids. Uh, I didn't have to watch kids growing up from prison, but I, you know, I had cellmates I had guys that I knew that I heard all the stories of what they was going through They mama drama the kid doing this you can't talk to him or this, you know Whatever happened on the scene and kids grow up to prick pictures or whatever barely getting to see their kids or somebody used to seeing every day now they You know, they gone or somebody, you know, the baby mama girlfriend beating on him. It's not like I've heard all the stories, you know, and I've seen guys cry, seeing guys, you know, stress and be depressed because they can't do what they feel like they should be able to do as a man. These are the walls of being locked up. You're hearing your guys get killed. Some of them coming in and ain't talking about some guys been told on you as my co defendant got on the stand and told on me. Um, You're gonna see some things you just can't believe and then you're gonna be desensitized to it where the psychological aspect comes in to where it's like You can't believe it's happening, but you understand where it's like not even It's not even a surprise to you no more. You find out certain things like, you know, you just become desensitized I would love to say that part of my life has my mental has just gone but You know After you've been, um, exposed to it so much, it doesn't surprise, you know, what people will have, um, discuss or disdain for certain things. Um, I can just like buried if I want to, I can look at some, cause something could happen. I could just look at it as nothing need to happen. Um, you can hear some things that won't have the same effect. Um, as other things will have to other people, people would think it's disgusting or whatever. And it's just like, to me, it's. It's a ham sandwich. Um, and these are the things that you, uh, you develop. You know, it's, it's, it's almost like a survival thing. I

Omar: 51:57

would say, right? Exactly. You develop these things to protect yourself. You know, it might sound cold to people that are listening, but I believe that, I don't know that you need, if you're in that environment, you need to develop those things so they don't overcome you.

Anthony: 52:14

It doesn't, I mean. I talked to people, when I was there, I said, man, brother, you understand, like, I sit at the table, I said, I gave my life to Christ, we used to be at the table for a few of the Christian brothers. We all got 90, 80, 90, not your life. But the people at the next table got it too. All in the chow hall. Everybody got to this time. We in the maximum security penitentiary. And I got my back turned to this person. Like when the people really understand, like, man, this person, he killed people. And go about his day like you know mentally like it's not like there's nothing wrong with them people call these people psychopaths in the street But I'm around these people every day talking to them conversion with them. We working on laws together We trying to fix it. We trying to fix our food. We talking about all you see the game like it's a it's a subculture so When you're talking about that You know that suit that jackets you have to put on well being home I could take that jacket off but Because you could take that jacket off. That don't mean you never had it on because I know what this stuff looked like um I've been around people when they see stuff happen on the news like oh man, that's messed up and to me it's like I don't have to have I don't even have to have a reacting to it because I just I've taught myself that um Now I would just love to say since Christ's been in me that I don't, you know, I have a heart for people Of course I do. Yeah, but when I notice when I know stuff has happened, it's like man, I know it's messed up. But um it's just It's life, you know, people have different react, you know, and that

Omar: 53:50

people have, uh, cope differently, mourn differently, breathe differently, same situation, even people in the same household. Yeah. All of them seen with the same thing. Yeah. And it can have a different impact, different impact

Anthony: 54:02

and response. Yeah. And for the person in prison, he's trained himself. He's trained himself not to show weakness in front of people. Oh yeah. You know what I mean? Like, I don't know if people cry and they bonk. I'm pretty sure someone did, but, I mean, to see people get stabbed and act like, you know, keep on walking like that, to see people get beat up, your head the size of a pumpkin and act like it's nobody's business. Like this, these are the things that you have to, um, tell yourself why you walking around every day that it's just, you know, it's just another day. I go in my cell, I'm going to watch TV, I'm going to make me a cup of noodles, I'm going Eat some chips or whatever and you you living with this every day. So now you come at home and Now you come home and now it's road rage around you. It's now it's people that don't understand the type of life that you grew up with and how Minutes miniscule like Certain things happening to human beings out here. It's just like it's not a big deal. Yeah, you know what I mean? But to somebody else like oh man This is what I had to teach myself so it's already um Built up a callousness in me. So, I have to pray everyday that God just keep me in situations of just giving me discernment and wisdom. To where I never have to act out because I understand that I got a responsibility to all the people that are still in there. That didn't get the opportunity that I have, the chance, the second chance that I have. To the people that helped me come home and say, Hey, um, this guy was a juvenile, he deserves a second chance. Just because of my age. Um, so, um, I carry that, I carry the Um, the honor of my mother, my father, my family members that, uh, did show up to court for me when they, you know, um, when they, when I was being resentenced, um, for all the people that have hope in saying that it's somebody else that deserve a second chance. Um, if they see me mess up, they're going to say, well, hey, if this guy got all this stuff. If he mess up, well, wow, what you think these other guys going to do? So

Omar: 56:06

it's kind of like, uh, to, to mess it up or for the brother. So which is, which is what they use. I know that's one thing you guys were talking about how they could release a hundred guys and man, 99 are walking the straight and narrow and uh,

Anthony: 56:20

the one will

Omar: 56:21

mess it

Anthony: 56:22

up. The one will mess it up. They're going to, they're going to focus in on that one. They're going to have that attention on that one. It happens now. Right now. Um, it's somebody that. was out on parole, you know, got himself in some trouble and they are using that to keep people from coming back on parole. Now, uh, it ain't fair, but none of this stuff ain't fair. You know, people say, man, me being home ain't fair for the accident. I know that like, should I be home? No, but I'm, I'm, I'm thankful to God that I got the opportunity. And, um, and so that's why I'm doing my best to represent the King, you represent. Um the things that I believe, uh got me thus far and that was my faith Um, no matter what situation i've come out since i've been rocking with god I always come out In the best light like it's just like the best situation always came out of even the worst like it might be a mess But man the best The best came out of it. Um, and that's how I just been living my ass from now from the time I gave my life to christ to eat from then to even to now just getting the opportunity to come home Getting out working getting out having this giving out whatever opportunity is. I just I just talk it up to man I pray for I thank god for and the best situation always come out

Omar: 57:39

So I wanted to ask you, okay, you got the second chance. What are you doing with the second chance? I know you mentioned your family, the guys behind. So what are you doing with this new founder of freedom? You know?

Anthony: 57:50

Well, it's a blessing, man. You know, this podcast go for forever, man. So many things I was able to accomplish. I got financial literate while I was there. I had a mentor who, um, he was a stockbroker. His father's a stockbroker. So I learned some financial literacy while I was there and I've been able to help my family with the finances I've been accumulating as being a barber. Um, my show was called to cut a barber's hands. I became a barber while I was incarcerated. When I came home, they didn't want to honor none of the hours. None of the things that I had to do to get, you know, my acumen as a barber, the skills. So I had to take barbering all over, even after I took all the requirements for the state. Um, They didn't want to give me my license without a license in the state of Illinois, you can't You're not supposed to because they're not supposed to hire you in any shops yada yada yada So I went through all these hearings this that and the other and they didn't want to give me my license So until I got a lawyer to come over say hey, this guy's quite a boy. What are y'all doing? This is what the statue say. This is what he's supposed to get What were they using against you or your conviction? They was using my crimes. Yeah. Yeah, they was using my history which um Um I can understand that because it was just so, but you don't know who I am now. Just on paper. It's like, wait a minute, this guy got all this, what are we going to do with this guy? He came from, you know, but according to the law, I was supposed to be issued a license. I went through all those steps and I did get my license. That's what my show is about. I tell it entertainingly with poetry, rap, dance, playing the piano. Um, I taught myself to play the piano in prison with a cardboard box and a keyboard and, um, in a book that my mom bought me. And, um, when I came home, I was able to, you know, songs and all the stuff that I've got so much different content from songs to poetry to screenplays, the stage, just so much books. Um, So much content, so I've just been putting all that together. I've been promoting my books I've been promoting my shows my plays getting out auditioning and just working every day as a barber I work at a barber one of the best barbershops in the Gold Coast area six days a week I do, you know charity work to back to school haircuts to the veterans the migrants to whatever the Hospitals, but I do haircuts all the job interviews. Anybody needs a haircut. I mostly help them out Cause I'm dope. I'm just any and every style. No, for real, bro. Like I'm like, I'm dope dope. Like, uh, hit me up. Anthony Spalding. com. If you want to see some of my work, man, it's there for sure. Um, so yeah, so people riding with my personality because, um, I'm a jovial guy now, you know, I'm happy. Um, We're still just still trying to grow and develop out here, man. Trying to deliver, um, my own, what I said. So like I said, I was telling you earlier about a lot of guys in there, they, they write and they doing these, but they come home, they come home and they come home pushing a broom. Well, I can push a broom cause I'm a light, I'm a commercial custodian, but this is what I want to do. I want to travel this way. I want to go this way. I am a paralegal, but I've been doing legal work my whole time. I was incarcerated. I want to do what I want to do. Yeah. So I want to, I want to be in shows. I want to play my music. I want to, you know, promote my books. I want people to really get the understanding that I have this creativity, that all these master degrees, master degrees and people that came in to the prison for creative writing classes will say, Hey, no, man, this guy got some, I don't know what it is, but when you see him perform, when you see his work, it's like, man, you just need to get out. So now I'm out. So that's when I'm promoting the most now. I'm pushing that and I'm pushing my plays. I'm performing. I'm auditioning I'm going whatever I can do to get my foot in that door to show the brothers and represent them guys to say man Look, no one of us can do it. We can do it too and not just push brooms and not just be Factory workers cuz they end up writing they writing right now somebody right coming up with a genius, you know but They just not pursuing it because they just going for the first money they can get when they come on. So now that I got this opportunity is flexibility. Okay. Somebody else can do the speaking. Somebody else can do the legal work because It's not many of us that's able to do what I'm doing. So y'all do that. And if you need me, I'm helping. I get calls from guys all the time. Can you do this? I'm doing legal work, post convictions, clemencies. I'm still doing that. Wow. I talked to the brothers, different guys, roughly 20 people, different people all through the week. That's incarcerated still. I need help with commissary. I need help with their legal work that they, man, can you do this for my daughter? So I'm still connected with so many people because I just knew so many people out there. Um, I worked in a law library. So you meet hundreds of people going to a law library every day. I was a praise and worship leader. And so the people that come to church every Sunday. You know all them I was in a barbershop. So how many people care you so it's just so many people and then you're talking About over 27 years. Yeah, I forgot more people than I can. Oh, yeah right now, you know what I mean, man? Yes, sir. So, um, it's just a blessing to be home, man And like I say, i'm not gonna waste this opportunity A lot of people tell me they proud of me and work i'm doing. Um Been honored for doing all the charity work in the community work Um, i'm active in my church You Monday, you know, prayer, prayer, prayer, walks, violent prevention, Tuesday, Bible study, Wednesday off, Thursday, prayer walks, Friday, uh, off, Saturday night church, Sunday, Bible study, it's like, and whenever they call me, when I'm not working, I'm there, so, you know, spend time with my family, the young people that didn't know me, growing up, like, I'm like a big cousin to them, but getting to know them, trying to be there for them, you know. Uh, and every aspect that they can, they've been coming, supporting me in my shows, uh, and going over to family dinners and all that type of stuff. My uncle called me over for barbecues, just trying to live, not trying to get my foot in. I've been home two years. Okay. You know what I mean? People say I've been doing great, but, um, what the things that have, they got me. To the point where I feel like um, I'm able to accomplish things is being disciplined getting up in the morning I'm up in the morning. I still do the same thing get up in the morning pray read my Bible exercise This is this is what I do still every day Now I'm playing my instruments cuz I got my keyboard. I got my guitar and I so and then I'm writing Up to the end might make me something to eat then I'm going up going to work from work back home Well, I do the same thing over and over and over again So I'm keeping that discipline and um, you know setting up shows and just just chasing the dream staying disciplined dedicated staying focusing the words stay and focus on the Lord and um, just keep keep um, Doing the things that I can do I would like to do more, but we only got 24 hours in a day, man. You'd like to do more, man. You just gave us your schedule. I mean, man, you're doing a lot, man. What are you talking about, brother, man? You know, you have expectations. And my expectations are different than others. Some people have Expectations, but they don't understand the process. Like I thought I'd be in movies now I thought I'd be in films now, but I understand it's a process so Um to be able to do my own productions to go from the goodman theater to do my own productions and to see okay This is the route. I need to go just it's a blessing to be here with you today, brother I mean i'm doing pocket. These are things that I thought about doing so, um in order to build that Uh the net name recognition and for people to understand your story so you can build off that um You know, someday I want to have a family. I mean, that's another thing to, you know, have a wife and um, You know god wouldn't have a you know, a shorty or some but it's just things that i'm just still developing Still learning myself out here Uh, but I know just staying focused on christ, bro. That's the one thing that's keeping me sturdy, man That's not keeping me going keeping me focused. Um, i'm just i'm just i'm looking at brothers that Came out before me some brothers struggling. I'm looking at you know family members some of them struggling Uh And we all got a path. And like I say, since I've been rocking with God, I just never came up short. Like I say, even with them trying to not give me a lot, I got my license. You know, I couldn't get an apartment. I got a part and got my place. I got my own stuff. I got my car. I got the, you know, and I'm blessed. I'm able to do some, put some of those, implement some of those things that I was doing in costume. Now I can do them now that I'm home, you know, um, and I just end up in a better position that some people that's been out here. Um, and I give God the glory for all

Omar: 1:06:19

that, man. Amen. Amen, bro. Amen. Thanks for sharing all that. You know what, brother? Uh, I know we, we talked about time, but I don't know if you still want to play. I know you gave me a little sample. Yeah, we're talking earlier. He said he got some music and we want to share with you guys.

Anthony: 1:06:33

This is my song was entitled. I'm called. Um, but yeah, bro. He helped me mix and master. I had did some work for him. And as a blessing he told me he was gonna make some master song for me So it was a blessing. I had never been in the studio before like I said, I had been in there I had been writing songs um You know, so Yeah. The song. Yeah. Yeah. We're gonna

Omar: 1:06:55

play it right now. Song title I'm called. So, hey, we got permission. You know, I, I dunno how it works. So Podcast. Yeah. You permission know You got

Anthony: 1:07:00

permission. This is, this is my song title. I, I'm called

Omar: 1:07:03

Don't make sure don't, don't mute this man's song. You know, it's all, it's it. Well it made

Anthony: 1:07:06

Spotify most played with C Music. Yeah. So we'll see. It's on, um. It's on all of them, all the platforms. Mm-Hmm. It's ait. I'm called. Yeah, go auto tune y. God gave me the song while I was a sag. I wrote this song. I'm s is the title. I'm called. Check it out. Listen, I got a. In the middle of the night, yeah, He said to get up, get out, get to and get moving. Oh, he called, he called, He woke me up and changed the way I thought. Give me a sign to know it's you. He took my heart and touched it with new life. I never felt this in my life. I gotta preach this word to everybody. Teach this word to everybody. I'm called. I'm called. I gotta preach this word to everybody. Everybody teach this word to everybody, I'm called, to spread the gospel and the truth. And all the ways I praise his name, I can't count, I gotta keep on pushing through. Said I can't wait to say another lesson found. I'm giving all the glory to you. I gotta preach this word to everybody. Teach this word to everybody. I'm called. I'm called. I gotta preach this word to everybody. Teach this word to everybody. I'm called. I'm called. To spread the gospel and the truth. All live instruments too. You know what I mean? All live instruments. I'm on the keys. You feel me? You ready? I'm on the keys. You feel me? I'm on the keys. You ready? I'm gonna pray for the people. Yeah, bro. That's my joint, man. Thanks for sharing that. It go on a little more, but that's, you know what I mean? But that's, that's, that's a blessing, man. Like I say, uh, I wrote that song. And um, in seg, bro,

Omar: 1:10:27

those are moments of reflection. You know, I got a notebook upstairs. I wrote some prayers slash poems while I was in there.

Anthony: 1:10:35

Yeah,

Omar: 1:10:35

man. So, yeah, something happens when you're alone with

Anthony: 1:10:38

God only, you know? Yeah. But that song, it's on all our platforms, bro. It's the A. M. Spartan I'm called. And, um, it's a play on, it's a play on my name. My name is Anthony Mackie Spartan Jr. But I call it is A. M. Spartan because I used to be up in the morning just writing. So, A. M. Everybody know what a. m. Morning light. And um, like I said, I got so much material. I implemented in my shows. Um, my lab, like I say, this is the show what I'm doing called entitling cart, uh, entitled, uh, to cut a barber's hand.

Omar: 1:11:04

You know, what, what, what could people see your shows? Like, where were you at right now?

Anthony: 1:11:07

My next show is in lifeline theater. I'll be opening up the festival. Um, that's happening November 9th and on the 17th, I just performed the LG LG community college where I had the kids, uh, perform for that. Um, you know, I performed at second city. I perform better, all the good men, all the churches, all that, wherever I can get a stage. I've been performing, bro. So, you know, I bust man, wherever I'm at, like I'm ready. Like, you know what I mean? Somebody, man, we need this man. Look, you got to get an instrument. You got a guitar. You got to keep, I perform on the spot, you know, um, rap, sing, dance, whatever, you know, like I'm not, I'm not. I'm not stage shy if it's a stage i'm trying to get up there, you

Omar: 1:11:46

know Amen amen brother, but you know what? I want to be respectful of your time brother. I know you gave me a time limit Yeah, we're right on the money right there, man. So that yeah. Hey, I know man, trust me. I got plenty of more questions Maybe another day we could do part two brother But uh, usually ask our guests if they could I know in the song it sounds like you were getting ready to pray at the end Okay, yeah perfect opportunity right here, man.

Anthony: 1:12:06

Yeah. Yeah All right. Do you have any father? We just thank you for bringing us together Lord God the fellowship Lord God We just thank you for the things you have done. You will doing that you are doing in our lives Lord God We just know that you're so awesome Lord God For the change brother for the change For the hope for the faith for give us greater measures Lord God We just pray for For the peace in our, in our areas, our neighborhoods, Lord God, it's a lot of violence going on. We just, we just, we just ask for peace right now, Lord God, for, uh, deliverance of minds. We plead the blood of Jesus over those areas, Lord God. We pray that, um, somebody hears this message, Lord God, and doesn't, doesn't take it like we're trying to glorify any violence, Lord God, but that we're just giving you praise and just show you where we came from, um, and the things that you brought us to through, Lord God. To where they can go to, Lord God. If they give it all to you. If they praise you, Lord. If they focus on you, Lord God. If they change from their old ways and look towards the heavens, Lord God. Stack their treasures in heavens, Lord God. We actually just, um, deliver anybody from any strongholds they have right now. Any of their brothers that's going through some strongholds. That they need deliverance from, Lord God. We give them to you, Lord God. We praise you and we thank you, Lord God. We praise you that we go through these days, Lord God, and that we get through this day, Lord God, and that we, um, we still represent you in all our ways and all our dealings, Lord God. And when people see us, they see you, Lord God. They can see the Christ in us, Lord God. We just thank you for all the things, Lord God, for all the blessings, Lord God. And we thank you for the, the trials and the tribulations that, uh, we go through, Lord God, because we know they're going to make us stronger, Lord God. Don't give us more knowledge. Give us more wisdom and it's going to give us a testimony. Yes. Just praise you Lord God. We thank you for this time, Lord God, for this fellowship, Lord God. And we pray that somebody hears this Lord God and they get to understand the Lord God, that they need you Lord God. And to confess you Lord God, to lift you up, to build you up Lord God. Cause everything that is perfect is in you and through you Lord God. I pray for my family. I pray for the brother Omar family. We pray for every situation they're going through that's trying to Set up a barricade against them Lord God, we we know that you could tear it down Lord God, tear those walls down Lord God And just just let us flourish Lord God We just thank you Lord God, we praise you, we give you glory, all the glory Jesus name. Amen.

Omar: 1:14:59

Amen. Amen, brother, man. Thank you very much for your time for being here, brother You know before you close out, uh, share your website again and any maybe social media people could find you on

Anthony: 1:15:08

Yeah, you can check me out. Um My website is it's still being developed now. It's called it's anthonyspalding. com. It's facebook anthony spalding um Instagram Spalding with one and seven zeros, but anthonyspaulding.Com I'll take you to all the other places. If you want a haircut, if you want to book me for a show or speaking engagement, you want to buy some more books. You want to get the song, everything. It be will be on anthony

Omar: 1:15:32

spalding.com. Hey man. Hey man, brother, you know what? Hey, thanks for being out here. When I release this, I'll put it in the show notes. Yeah, I'll put links that could just click under and be able to, to go to, to whatever links you share with me. I'll definitely share'em with the people there, man. Yeah. Well, God bless you, man. Any

Anthony: 1:15:46

sisters out there Anyway,

Omar: 1:15:49

looking for a beautiful wife that want a

Anthony: 1:15:51

family, you know,

Omar: 1:15:54

Hey, that's the first request I've had out here, man. So, if it happens because of my show, man, you know, man, make sure you got to come to the window. Thank you very much for your time, man. With that, we're going to get ready to sign off. All right. Let's see. All right. Um, Matthew four, 16 reads the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned alongside my guest Anthony Spaulding. I'm Omar Calvillo and we are wrong too strong.

Anthony: 1:16:26

Bro.