I got drunk one night (back when I still drank in 1985), and the next day I was on the bus to TCC (Thornton Community College) to register. I had an ugly hangover! I was completely sick to my stomach! My mother was on the bus too, and she was talking to Candy. We pulled up to the TCC bus stop, and as soon as she tried to introduce me to him -- I Threw Up! Some got on his shoes! The bus hit a bump and it all started draining to the back of the bus. People were raising their feet and trying not to vomit themselves! I said sorry to the bus driver and Candy and got off. Everybody else had to get off too and wait for a clean bus. Never did get to say hello to Candy!

Word is, Candy was killed when he was hit by an 18 wheeler. What a sad end. I can imagine him struggling to cross a street and being hit! Sad.

I couldn't say it at the time, but it was nice to meet you Mr. Candy. Sorry that you had such a struggle in life, but you didn't let your disability keep you from living. May you Rest In Peace (R.I.P).

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When love is found strive to keep it because,

When love is lost it is gone!

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October 1982, my friends and I were determined to make it to the haunted house this year. We decided to roll deep (take extra people) in case anything happened. As I remember it was me, Mark Fourte, Aubrey Fourte, Rufus Chambers, Anthony Jones, Frank Johnson, Tim Collins and more. Tracy Dyson might have been there too. We were walking and joking and having a good time. We made it a block away from the haunted house --AGAIN! This time we were right in front of Thornton Township High School, when a car full of boys drove by. One of the boys yelled something out at us, and Frank replied with "Yo Mama!" Right then it looked like a scene from the movie "The Warriors." All of these hands came out of the car windows holding bats and chains. The car turned up on Thornton's lawn, pulled a U turn, and came right at us! We took off running! We made it into the parking lot on 151st when the car came speeding up behind us. We took off across the field! Mark and Anthony were gone! They were already ahead of the group by a block! The rest of us were still in the field when Frank yelled "I can't run no more! My stomach is about to fall out!" We stopped running and started heading back towards the car in the lot. The boys in the car piled out with their weapons, and we were about to bump heads, when one of them recognized Rufus. The tension broke, everybody laughed, and we went home. Once again we failed to make it to the haunted house.

October 1983 was Senior year in high school. We'd gotten used to the excitement from the past two Halloweens, so we decided to skip the haunted house all together. We were going to go out to find some more adventure! The group got together and we headed out to walk around Harvey. We were having fun as usual, walking past Ashland Park this time. All of a sudden a person in a window started shooting at us! Having found our excitement we took off running. No one got hit, and we ended the night in one collective piece. And so it was...

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A few nights later me, Parrish Walker and Tony Jones walked to a store across the street from our school. On the way we passed about 30 boys on the basketball courts. We got to the store, shopped for candy, and left the same way we came.

When we got back to the basketball courts all of those boys came at us! Parrish went one way, Tony went another, and I went a third. I was never a long distance runner so I got caught -- AGAIN!!! Luckily it was by someone I knew. They looked at my head, said "we already got you," and they let me go home.

A group caught Parrish on a dirt mound in back of the school. They beat him so hard that the dirt went through his overalls --and other clothes-- and covered his body! Another group caught Tony in front of the school. He pulled out a knife of his own, but they jumped him and took it. Then they hit him in the mouth and busted his lip! By the end of the night Parrish was dirty, Tony was bloody, and I was just as scalped.

That was only the beginning in Harvey. That Summer we started to see the city change. We also started to hear stories of worse gangs that hung out near the high school we'd soon be attending. In a few short months we'd see. for ourselves..

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