Mother Wants To Save Her Teens From A Life Of Gangs & Violence | KARAMO

According to Ronesha, her kids have grown up into troubled teens who are smoking weed, fighting at school, getting expelled, and facing armed robbery charges. Take a look at Ronesha's story. I wanna talk to you first of all about the police. Why did you have to call the police on your daughter?

The reason why I called the police on her is because as we see, she did try to fight me. It was like about 2 months ago, She had friends over that night and I had to work the next day. So I was like, in the morning I woke up cuz they was up all night. So I woke up in the morning like, I need to go to work, so please keep it down. She was like, okay. And I'm like, Janaria, you don't have to say that, you could just be quiet. You have friends here, out of respect, just say all right. She's like, okay, okay, sass me. So I have this little stick that I kinda scare them with cuz they bigger than me or whatever, so I kinda bring it out. So I'm starting to pop her with the stick and she backing up and then she just start kicking her feet on me. So I'm like, okay. "Okay, that's how you wanna be?" And then it was getting real heated with me and her.

Yeah, it escalated quick.

Right, it start escalating real fast. So we calmed down or whatever, you know? So I was like calling her probation officer 'cause she was on probation at the time with a house arrest ban. So I'm calling her probation officer.

And let me get this straight, how old is she?

She's 16.

16?

Yes.

She's already on probation. Mm-hmm. She's already in these states where she's angry all the time.

Right.

So once you called her probation officer, what happened?

No one answered it. So I'm like, wow. I called the man who runs the house arrest band, 'cause she was on house arrest as well. Nobody answered it, so that's what made me call the police itself. I'm like, well, you know, my daughter, she's fighting me or whatever. They came out, and I explained to them what happened. You know, she was still acting her sassy ways, not— 'cause I'm a parent. I wouldn't wanna call the police on my kid. You know, I love her. So why would I wanna do that? But to teach a person a lesson, you have to take an extra step.

Was there ever a time when you and Jay were the best of friends, had a good time?

3 or 4, when she was more little and I had more control over it, we were more tighter as a family. We used to do our Sundays in our prayer circles in those type of ways. That's what kept us tight. But then as the pandemic was over, it was like new friends, new environments, and that's when she picked up all of that.

Got it. Well, so when CPS got called, what did they do?

She was with CPS when they took her, they took her to the little shelter. So true the way her attitude is, she didn't comply good to go to the next steps, which is the group home where she can get visits. So she had to stay there about 2 weeks before she started actually answering their questions.

So she was 2 weeks in a shelter? Yeah. So what was it like when Janaria came back home?

So she do just enough for me don't have to get on the phone and call.

So before this fight, when you called the police, I know she had a run-in with the police before then.

Yes.

Can you tell me about that?

So the first time I got a call, they was like, this Detective Woo, we're calling about Janaria. We had her at the train station. She was having, beating up an older guy at the train station. So I'm at work, I had to leave work because she's having a fight with an older man at the train station. So when I leave work, they say pick her up. I go pick her up. She, you know, kids always say something different besides what the next person says. So that was the first thing. So now I'm at work again, I'll say about 3 weeks later. We have your daughter Janaria, I don't even know if she's telling the truth because she's telling so much. He was like, but she got caught with a gun, that's GTA, Grand Theft Auto. So it was armed robbery, Grand Theft Auto. They said she was robbing on the north side and got caught on the south side.

Was that her gun? Where did she say she got it from?

I don't know where she got it from.

She never told you?

No, because when I asked her, she said it wasn't hers.

So because she was a minor, she didn't go to jail?

She went to jail, but they gave her house arrest and called me to pick her up. Don't get me wrong, she's a real smart girl, so that's why I'm really here, 'cause I don't want her to go down that path. She have a couple more years in life, and let me be the one to help her, you know what I'm saying?

I wanna know, how worried are you about her as a mother?

I can't even sleep until they come in the house. I don't wanna get a phone call when they be like, "Janaria's dead." I love these kids, that's why I'm here, for real. I really wanna get them some help. And I wanna let, you know, I want people out there to know that I'm the parent of them. I don't approve of none of that that they're doing. You know what I'm saying? People probably think like, oh, these kids, where the mama? I'm the mama of these kids and I don't approve of those things that they out there doing.

So I wanna talk to you, Jay. I know your mom called the police on you. What's going on? What happened?

We got into an altercation and then she came in there again with the broom. A little stick.

And then she was, "Oh, whoa." That got you when she came with the stick?

Yeah.

I wasn't like trying to hit her for real, but I was trying to block myself, so I put my feet up.

Okay. What was it like for you being in the group home?

Normal.

Normal? Were you wondering why you couldn't be home?

No, I knew why I couldn't be home.

Okay, and from your perspective, why couldn't you be home?

'Cause the altercation we had and my behavior.

Mm-hmm. What are you thinking about, Vonisha?

No, it's just funny 'cause this is what I gotta deal with when nobody never thinks they're in the wrong or don't know where to man up and say, well yeah, this is what I do and this is what I'm doing. It could get better. But if you always sit and say, I don't know, and you don't know, it's gonna make it hard for us to get you to some, the help that is needed.

Renisha, would you be okay with me talking to Jay alone?

Yeah, sure, without a problem.

Yeah, if you could just step backstage for me. All right. Okay, so we gonna have a real conversation. So I wanna know how you really feel about your mom not bringing you home sooner.

It's normal.

You can play tough right now for me. You can play tough and like, I don't care. I feel normal. And I'm chillin', I felt normal. There's no way a young 16-year-old felt okay being in a group home. I've worked with many kids.

Normal.

What's going on with you right now? Why do you think that you're getting into these situations?

I don't know.

You don't know?

Getting what situations?

You've been with the police twice. You were on house arrest. You got caught up with a robbery charge.

'Cause I got caught.

I know you got caught, but why were you doing it in the first place? Hmm. Hmm. So I know that on social media you've been posting photos of you with guns. Where you getting the guns from?

Mm-hmm.

So you're not gonna share that?

Mm-mm.

I understand that. So then why are you posting them knowing that you could get in trouble?

Not really.

You don't think you get in trouble from that?

No.

You can. How? Well, if the guns are not registered and you're posting guns or soliciting, first of all, Instagram or any social media platform will take your account down. But then somebody could say you harassed them or hurt them with that.

If you put props, they can't, 'cause it's a prop.

So they're not real guns?

On Instagram, they're not real.

Let's not forget you're a minor, so it's illegal. Are you in a gang? Mm. I already know the answer's yes. And how were you initiated? Were you jumped in? And was that a fun moment for you to be jumped in by dudes? Into a gang?

I mean, it's not like fun moment. What you mean by that?

I can't imagine someone saying to me to join their club or to hang out with them, they gotta beat me up. I just would be like. So I'm saying something in your mind must have thought like this is okay. So I wanted to ask you point blank, was that a fun moment for you?

I mean, I guess it wasn't a bad moment.

It wasn't bad. No.

Okay.

Do you think that your actions are helping or hurting your brother?

He don't gotta follow me. He knows right from wrong himself.

Do you know right from wrong?

Yes.

You do? Do you think guns is right or wrong?

Right in some cases.

I wanna figure out how to get to you and figure out what's going on. And I see there's still a block here. So I'm gonna invite your little brother out. Tajae, how old are you? 15?

15, yeah.

How's everything going? You look smooth. Ah, thank you. You're welcome. So I wanna ask you really quickly, you see the things that Jay's doing, how you feel about that?

I mean, it's like, I be knowing this people like bad, but like it's be the things that she be doing. It's like what we grew up doing type stuff.

Yeah. So. Are you scared for your sister's life?

Yeah, but I'm scared for like everybody life around us 'cause like, It's bad where we live at.

Yeah.

My mindset, I be thinking like somebody finna drive and just start shooting at me for no reason.

Are you scared that one day Jay could end up dead?

Yeah, but that's with both of us.

Yeah.

Like with everybody.

But don't you believe that even though the circumstances, 'cause I grew up in the hood, like it's just 'cause you're in the circumstances, if you're trying to do things right, if you're trying, there's a way that you could make it. But if you're posting guns, if you're in a gang, that leads you down a path that's like even easier to get you caught up. You're not holding guns, right? Hmm? Are you holding guns?

Not right now.

Not right now. Jay, do you love your brother?

Yes.

With all your heart?

Mm-hmm.

Do you wanna see your brother caught up?

No.

So then how do you feel about the fact that you hear that he's saying that he's carrying guns and all that now?

I don't know.

I'm trying to figure out how I can help you both, but like there's a block here and I don't know what it is that y'all not telling me. Like, because I see two smart young Black folks and I don't understand what's happening right now. Why y'all are both like, you know what, forget it. I asked your sister this question. How long do you see yourself living to?

A long time. I don't see myself like passing anytime soon.

Good, good, that's good. Where's y'all's father at, do you know?

Jamaica.

Jamaica.

Yeah.

Okay, are y'all close with him?

Yeah, we kind of close with him too.

Okay, and what does he feel about how y'all act?

He said he mad that I got caught up.

Yeah, and what do you say to that? You just smile and laugh it off?

Yeah, I just laugh.

Okay, so your father wrote me a letter that he wanted me to give to y'all. Can someone bring that letter out? Y'all knew that he did this?

No.

I haven't read it either yet, so we'll read it together. "Jay, I want you to stop what you're doing. Please listen to your mom. I know you are a talented little girl. You can run, play basketball. Please do the right thing for your mom. Stop following those friends. You know that your mother and father love you. If you're right or wrong, we love you and we're 100% behind you." Tahazi, be good. I love you and you know that. How do y'all feel about that?

He know we love him. We be talking to him every day.

All right, we're gonna bring your mother back out. I need some perspective here 'cause I really thought that if I talked to them, they would kind of open up to me. They're both very casual. Like, I got guns. Yeah, we fighting. Where did this casual behavior start from?

That's the problem right there that I'm having. So I moved them from the hood where we grew up at to a better place as I would thought. But it seemed like when they got there, they just turned it to the hood. Yes, I know when you go to different places, They have those type of kids there, but if you involve yourself with them, that's when you get involved in it.

So why are you involving yourself with those kids? Why are you involving yourself?

I took y'all out the ghetto.

Look at your mother.

I took y'all from the hood, so I'm not understanding where y'all saying that y'all in the hood and in this environment. If that's the case, I would've left us in the hood.

Why did you run away?

'Cause I ain't wanna be there.

Do you know why your sister left home?

She didn't wanna be there.

Why?

She was probably getting tired of my mama just yelling and—

Do you understand why your mother yells though?

Yeah, sometimes, yeah.

Is there some other reason you want to leave? Do you just, are you really want to be grown and on your own that much? Do you know how hard it is to be on your own and grown? Why? Tell him, tell him. Do you know? Have you ever had to pay a bill?

Nope. The rent.

Have you ever had to keep a job to survive?

Nope.

So right now everything just seems very easy because you get to go hang out with your friends. You have these cool-ass shoes on, you got these nice jeans. I almost know the person who provided that is right there.

Not everything. I do my mom and stuff too.

Y'all have a mother that loves you. Do y'all know how lucky you are? Yeah. Talk to your mom because I see for you, I see that you are not in this space where you actually want to go down this path. I really feel it in my heart.

He in the middle.

We gotta stay together. What do you wanna do with your life? What do you wanna do?

I ain't gonna lie, I don't know, but I wanna have a good life, but I don't know what I wanna do yet.

But do you believe you can get a better life?

Yeah, I'm already knowing I'm gonna have a good life when I get older. I already see myself having a good job, good family.

Good, that's good. Good, but do you think that you're gonna get there? You too, Karamo. Do you think you're gonna get there by doing any of these things? Like fighting? Keeping up with your sister, do you think you're gonna get there?

But it's not like the fighting, it wasn't even really that big of a deal.

It is.

It is.

To you in this moment, it doesn't feel like a big of a deal because you feel like you're defending yourself. But one fight could cause you to end up going to jail, could cause you to end up, we live in a world right now, we just seen it on social media, we Black folks. It takes one cop who's hardheaded and hotheaded to come and shoot you in the middle of the street. And all of a sudden, all of us got your name on our t-shirts. We've seen this before. I don't ever wanna be wearing a t-shirt with y'all names on it. Your mother is pleading for you to not go down there, to not die. I feel like you have a pretty good grip on your house, so I'm proud of you. Good job. You just listen. You're doing the best you can.

Thank you.

And you got a young soldier here in the middle who is ready to help, who's ready to, who's stuck in the middle, but is ready to step up and do what's right. I think you need some help. You need somebody who you can talk to about what you're feeling, about what you're expressing. So you're angry about something. I don't know what it is that you're angry about, but we gotta figure out where that anger's coming from because you got a bright future. And I promise you, if you really wanna be in WNBA, I will help you get there. I will personally help you get there. But in return, I'm gonna ask you I'm asking you if you'd be willing to talk to somebody about what you're feeling.

Mm-hmm.

You are?

Mm-hmm.

Thank you. Yes, baby. That's all I wanna hear.

Whatever is holding you back, whatever is making you angry inside, we gotta release that anger. And I promise you, the lightness that will come to you, the life that will open up to you will be so much better. You shouldn't be getting jumped in the gang. You shouldn't be going through any of this. You should be doing exactly what you love, playing basketball, and watching your future soar. All right? Yes. Hold on, where you going? I'll tell you where you're going. Right here to subscribe and right here to watch more, period.