Bill Lee's Story Of Gang Life

A man named Bill Lee had graduated college with honors and was able to leave the gang life. He lived in California his whole life, however it was not always a smooth road to travel down. Bill Lee’s story begins with: “I was just eight years old when I got into the gang life. It was around the time I witnessed my first shooting, which occurred during a rumble between Chinese and black gangs….basically grew up living a double life (Lee, 2015).” Bill states that “The streets were unsafe and unpredictable, but it still served as a sanctuary; essentially, the lesser of two evils (Lee, 2015).” Bill was engaged in the most violent Asian gang which took place in San Francisco Chinatown. He goes on to explain how he began his gang career by starting out in low-level gangs; Bill would steal, gamble and bully other kids. “I learned early on that in the streets, it was dog-eat-dog and survival of the fittest (Lee, 2015).”Bill writes how he had escaped the gang life for years, however it would eventually be inevitable because his friends were continually joining. “We recruited kids beginning in middle school, offering quick cash, guns, cars, girls, money, muscle; essentially, a (false) sense of empowerment. Many guys were bullied and turned to gangs for protection and revenge (Lee, 2015).”Bill’s story ends with his words: “Physically, I may have left the gang, but the gangster was still inside of me.