T. Rodger

T. Rodger

My definition of a hero is not just someone who had a stable childhood and affluence, nor a person who has grown up with everything handed to him, but instead, someone that came from nothing. Society might assume that there is no hope for that person, but a hero can a dramatic change in his life. My definition of a hero is someone who overcomes obstacles and is an inspiration.

T. Rodger came to L.A. from Chicago in 1969. He said of that time, that “It was a time when the Black Panthers had just fell off, dissipated, city life was laid back, you can be “flower Power,love, peace and hair grease...” Those are the things that were going on at that time. People were afraid of a man who acted "wisely," as T. Rodger noticed. T. Rodger had a knowledge of hustling. He knew what he needed to get done in the summer to be able to feel comfortable in the winter.

He said that things jumped off in 1971. At that time, he was affiliated with the gang Black Stones, which itself was affiliated with other gangs, and later became known as Blood, the opposing gang of Crip. He lived the violent life of gang war. His older brother had been in the penitentiary for about 20 years, and his little brother, who had somehow become a Harlem Crip, had gotten life in prison.

T. Rodger wanted to move on in his life, and separate himself from the streets. He wanted other people to do the same. He started to appear on T.V. and movies, just to let people know what was going on in the streets. He appeared in “Crack House (1989)”, “21 Jump Street (2 episodes, 1989)," “Colors (1988,” “Project X (1987),” and had a small role in "Training Day”. He appeared in the magazine “F.E.D.S,” and is now the author of two books: “50 Most Asked Questions About Gangs,” and “Lies My Homeboys Told Me.” T.Rodger went from running the street to running across your television.

T. Rodger is someone that I can relate to. I'm not saying that I've been through what he has been through, but I have been through a lot, or should I say I am going through a lot. I see that it is not impossible to get where you want to go. You might take the hard way, but sometimes the hard way is what you need to get on track. As you see, T. Rodger is my definition of a hero.