Stereotypes hit teens hard, especially in moments struggling to follow their heart.
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When people pass by Venice High, they stereotype the students: students ditching, students doing drugs, students doing all the wrong things. What they don’t know is that there are students like me who love school. Every day I relish the opportunity to learn and better myself in all ways possible. They don’t know the teachers who are amazing at what they do, and most importantly, they don’t know that many of those delinquents were led astray. They were never shown the pond of water from which to drink. School here is amazing, but sadly many people don’t know that. — Angel Guererro, POPS Vice President.
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Ghetto by the Sea
by De’Jon Jones
I come from paradise on one street, to the ‘hood on the next.
I come from not staying out too late, cause that’s playing with your life.
I come from being an athlete by day, and a gang member by night.
I come from where if you make it to see age 18, you’ve hit a milestone in life.
I come from where guns are an accessory to your outfit.
I come from where sirens and helicopters are a normality in life.
I come from where if you ain’t got it, you got to go get it, by any means.
I come from where 90% of us don’t have a father figure, and 100% of our mothers worry about if we’ll make it back home once we step out of the house.
I come from being harassed by police for being on the good side of Lincoln Blvd, the east side.
I come from where if the police interrogate us, we forget how to speak English.
I come from where we push Venice ShoLine Deuce Gang Crip, that’s VSLC 2x and we rep either 5th, 6th, or 7th Ave.
I am from Venice, CA, 90ZOO91, The Ghetto by the Sea
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Please check out the other POPS Updates:
California Students Transform Through Art With POPS
Teaching Kids to Open the Tap on Creativity
If You Wrote Someone Who is Incarcerated
There aren’t Fathers Where I am From
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