Garrison Johnson

Eastside Garrison Johnson

?East Side? is a story about a young boy from a good family who got involved with gangs in Los Angeles. The story tells how the boy goes from good to worse because he did not have a father to set rules in the house. When he went to school he was introduced to gangs, Crips on the west side, Bloods on the eastside. They were rivals, but only over territory at first. Then drugs came into the scene, and the young boys used the drugs to make money. Then they saw how much money they were making and wondered why people were buying them. The young boys became curious, so they also began using the drugs. Then, they ended up stealing, robbing, and even killing for the drugs. This habit of allowing chemicals to alter their mindset and destroyed family, people, and many lives. The drugs took control.
The gangs had other gangs fights over who could sell drugs and where at. The Crips started having division within themselves. It was like a drug war, a family war, and war within yourself. So many kids had their lives ended: buried, in jail, or in hospitals. This went on for a number of years, and it is still happening to this day. East Side tells of the reality of drug use and gang affiliation.