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Do you know the reason why fellas liked hanging around me? It is because I made them feel appreciated and respected. If you were a scary fella but you are good at stealing cars, then be good at that. This is where your respect is coming from. Scrooge, former leader of the Rebellion Raiders street gang that once boasted of having some ten thousand members.

Drexel Deal , in The Fight of My Life is Wrapped Up in My Father
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I asked Troit, ‘What was it about the gang leaders that made you want to be more like them?’Troit answered, ‘To be truthful, I used to feel good in their presence. I used to feel wanted in their presence. I used to feel appreciated in their presence. In their presence, you can sit down and talk and you can feel that they appreciate you. Troit Lynes, former death row inmate of Her Majesty Prison in The Bahamas

Drexel Deal , in The Fight of My Life is Wrapped Up in My Father
appreciation rebellion presence feel-good rebellion-raiders thug-life street-gangs sense-of-belonging wanting-to-belong feeling-wanted feeling-appreciated street-family at-risk-young-men reform-gang-member roll-models