I was born in east Los Angeles June 12 1984.I grew up in the san Fernando valley I grew up as a PK a pastors kid. Growing up in ministry had it’s up’s and downs. Somewhat neglected in a way my pops was really busy with his ministry. I seen many things at a young age, even though I wasn’t in a street gang the life was around in our neighborhood. You would think id live up to my dads life.
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As I was growing up I faced many situations that I put myself into our just happened to be at the wrong place wrong time type scenario. Introduced to weed at a young age. I found myself trying to make a name for myself in the graffiti world. Didn’t know how crazy that could get.
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Then I experienced my first arrest GTA a friend stole a car and we went out for a joy ride. A few miles later and a whole squad of cop cars a helicopter and a k9 were looking for me. We where caught and went to the station where they grilled us but let us go after our parents came to pick us up.
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Later one of the most tragic thing happened I lost a good friend and that opened my eyes to see that real life hit home. That’s when me and a really good friend/brother wrote and produced a drama depicting real life stories of addiction a street life a drama about young youth trying to find a purpose in the very streets I grew up in.
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I later became a at risk youth intervention specialist. Where I mentored and worked with young teens headed towards a life of possible jail and or prison that was on the verge of being in gangs.
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Even though I was doing this at a time I was being harassed my cops detectives. They where trying to get information on a shooting that happened just steps from my front door. With nothing to give them they threatened me with charges of firing a weapon. They claimed the victim a person I knew and had no problems with just a homie from the city. Well they said he was hit with two different calibers, but they found three different casings at the scene. They claim I fired the third in order to save my friend, which was not true.
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Later I would get married have kids, years later with a divorce and past drug use and depression I thought about ending my life for a split second. After quitting the drug use I found myself going back to church and this is where I Had the desire to share people stories and that’s how the podcast came to be.
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You can find James here:
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Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/fromthedustpodcast/
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