Transcript
0:00 - We were kids. We were (indistinct) kids. They had a neighborhood swimming pool that we all used to swim in. Car wash was right behind the swimming pool. This where all the men were. They were dope dealers, they were drug dealers, and they had nice cars. - I'm smiling because I think the car wash that I drive through is the same situation. - Yeah, yes, the car wash. - There's always like, is that a tip that you?
0:24 I don't think that's a tip they're dealing with right there. - Yes. So the car wash had all this activity going on. Like, this is the hub. There's all this activity. Drug dealers, we didn't know they were drug dealers at the time. We just know they had a lot of money, and they had nice cars, and they dressed nice. You know, they say the traditional stuff, "Hey, stay in school." And they pull out this big wad of money and hey, make sure you stay in school, you have good grades.
0:44 They would do that. But they would also say, "Hey, you get you some SOS pads, you scrub my white wall and I can pay you." And we started doing their white walls 'cause back then, it was a gangster white walls, right? Back in them days. And so we were doing their white walls and we started washing their cars, right? They pay us like $20 to do that, you know? And we're like, whoa. And so we started doing that favor.
1:12 After the swimming pool, car wash. That became our entrepreneur spirit. You know, we started working. That was our job. We would race to the car wash to wash their cars and they were just giving us money. - Yeah. - Then eventually, we were watching, just like you said. You said it made tips. Something else happened in here, right? And so then, the drug dealers started saying to us, because we were kids, they say, "Hey, we want y'all to stand at the end of this street.
1:44 And every time you see a police car, we want you to scream as loud as you can 5-0." - Subtle. - Subtle. So here we is at the edge of the car wash riding our bikes up and down the street. And every time we seen a police car, we would scream 5-0. And they would pay us for that. They would pay us. So now, $20 is now I'm giving you $100. - Oh wow, yeah. So you're getting into some serious money for a kid.
2:16 - For a kid. - So now, you're in contact with these guys and now there's money starting to change hands. And you feel like, okay, you've got money in your pocket now. This is a good situation. - Right. And because we were there as frequent as we were, quite natural, we developed relationships, right? - [John] Yeah, yeah. - So now, they're saying, man, this little kid, he down. He get it, you know? 'Cause we were picking it up quick.
2:43 We was catching on quick. And so then the next question was you can sell. Now, as as opposed to making a hundred dollars, that could be four, that could be $500, right? We graduated to selling. Then, we was making money. And I'll never forget, John, my mother caught the bus to work and from work. - [John] Yeah. - And the bus would come down that street past the car wash every day at 4:50, right?
3:16 So every day at 4:50, I had to run and hide because when she passing by, she is looking at that car wash, right? So I had to hide. So for a while like clockwork, 4:50 hit, I'm hiding because I cannot let my mother see me at the car wash, right? - At the car wash. - And then one day, I had been saving my money, the money that I was making because now school is like outta my mind.
3:43 Like, school is like this. The lure is the money that got me. And I came home one day, right? My mother was cooking, right, 'cause again, she was totally oblivious to what was happening once I-- - Right, so she doesn't know to like intervene or to separate you from the situation? - She don't know. She work, she work a lot, she only have so much time with. And so one day I came in, she was cooking.
4:13 I had a wad of $100 bills. - That's gotta raise questions. - I had a wad of $100 bills. And I felt proud, I felt like a man, right? I felt like I was a man, like I'm finna go hand her this money and say do whatever you want with it. I felt good, I was happy. When I got to the house, she was cooking. She wasn't paying attention and I put the money down on the counter, right?
4:41 And when she turned around, she looked at that money and she went ballistic. - Yeah. - She went ballistic. - So now, she's like uh-oh. - She know. She went ballistic, you know? She was like, get it out my house. I mean, it went bad. It crushed me 'cause I was going in it thinking like, oh man, I'm finna-- - Yeah, you're helping your mom. - Helping my mom, you know? I'm the man, I'm the man now.
5:07 And she went ballistic. Get out my house! And she, because she was always, like I said, she was very righteous in terms of everything. But I felt like I was helping, I just wanted to help. But she went ballistic and that's when everything hit the fan. - If you enjoyed this clip, be sure to check out my full conversation with Antong Lucky. One of the best ways you can help support us is by subscribing to our channel and clicking that notification bell so you won't miss our interviews and short videos as they come out each week.
5:37 (upbeat rock music)
Summary
- The car wash was a central location for drug dealers, where kids would wash cars for money.
- The kids initially earned money by cleaning cars and later by alerting dealers to police presence.
- As they became more involved, they were offered opportunities to sell drugs, significantly increasing their earnings.
- The speaker's mother was unaware of their activities until they brought home a large amount of cash.
- The mother reacted strongly against the money, leading to a confrontation that made the speaker realize the gravity of their situation.
- The experience highlights the allure of quick money and the challenges of navigating childhood innocence in a risky environment.