by Mark Anthony
“What did he do, Mark? Why did they need all of those cops to arrest him?”
“I don’t know what he did, Paula. But whateva it is, he probably didn’t do it. Yo, Paula, Randy is the man, though! Did you see how he bopped in front of those TV cameras? He was proud as hell! He wasn’t like all of those other fake thugs that get arrested and then try to hide their faces from the news cameras. Nah, none of that! Randy walked proud with those handcuffs on. He was full of ballsiness. And he was definitely representing Fourth Crew to the fullest! Did you see that cat?”
“Mark, what are you talking about?” my sister asked in disbelief. “And why are you so proud? What is wrong with you? Randy is in trouble! Big trouble! They don’t come with all of those cops for nothing. And that makes you happy? You lost me somewhere.”
I realized that Paula just didn’t get it.
“Do you still wanna go shopping?” I asked. “Yes or no?”
“No!” she snapped.
“A’ight, cool, ’cause I gots to be out. I’ll be by here to see you before you go back to school. When do you have to go back again? About two to three weeks or something like that, right?”
“Yes, Mark,” my sister answered, sounding very defeated.
“OK, I’ma see you then. Bye. Paula, stop crying. Randy’s gonna be a’ight. This ain’t nothing but a G thang. Do I look worried or upset? Did Randy look upset? No. So stop crying. What are you crying for?”
I kissed my sister good-bye and I darted out of the house. I quickly jumped into my car and sped over to our apartment.
When I arrived at the apartment, I burst in yelling.
“Yo, yo, yo! Randy just got pinched!”
“What?” Dwight asked.
“Randy just got bagged! He got arrested! Five-O came to his crib and snatched him up. Yo, it was ill! I mean a whole swarm of pohleece flooded the block and were outside his joint. They were rolling about four hundred deep. Cops were in helicopters, on rooftops, they had the K-9 units, and all that. It looked like every cop in the city was on 234th Street.
“But for what? What did he do?” Dwight asked.
“I don’t know,” I said while focusing my eyes on Latiefe. “I don’t know, yo. But, yo, every TV station and their mother was out there, so it has to be on TV.”
Dwight quickly instructed Wiggie to move from in front of the TV and to turn it on. No sooner had Wiggie completed his task than we saw Randy’s body bopping across the TV screen. With the volume turned up on the TV, words from the anchor woman’s mouth echoed throughout the room.
“Today police ended a week long manhunt for a suspect in one of the city’s most gripping, grueling, and devastating crime’s ever. With the arrest of a suspect allegedly believed to be the gunman who gunned down and murdered two New York City detectives in cold blood last week on a Queens’ street. Police arrested twenty-year-old Randolph Allen this afternoon at his home in Queens. Police were led to the suspect by an anonymous tip which was supplied to them apparently by an eyewitness to the horrific shooting. The witness’s name is being withheld at this time.
“Police apparently surprised Mr. Allen, who hampered their efforts in arresting him by holding his younger brother hostage for some time in the basement of his family’s two-story home.
“Police also are believed to have recovered the weapon which was used to slay the two detectives. A Calico automatic gun is believed to be the murder weapon. Two other guns were recovered in the basement, along with a large amount of cash. The amount of cash is not yet known at this point in time. Neighbors that we interviewed from the quiet, middle-class block in Laurelton were shocked by the arrest. The alleged suspect was said to be an ideal young man, one with promise and no previous felony arrest record.
“So again, to recap the latest development in a story that has gripped this city over the last week, police have arrested the alleged gunman believed to be the killer of two detectives that were gunned down last week in Queens. Police are said to still be searching for at least one more suspect in the case. Mr. Allen is being held in custody and he is being questioned by police as we speak. And at this time there is no word on whether bail will be set. We’ll have more details on this tonight at eleven.”
“Yo, turn that garbage off!” I ordered as everyone else sat there in disbelief.
“Yo, how did they bag Randy for that?” Erik yelled. “I know that he didn’t do it because he would have told us about something that ill.”
“Word, he would’ve at least told one of us,” Wiggie agreed. “Man, this is all jacked up! Of all people, why did they arrest Randy for this, yo? I’m really trippin’ off this, because if they can arrest Randy for this, that means that they can arrest anybody that they want to for whatever they want to.”
Dwight tried to put a grasp on all of the shock.
“A’ight y’all, we just have to find out the truth about what happened so that we can see how to figure out this whole thing. We gotta speak to Randy’s moms and see if they give him bail or not. And if they do, no matter how much it is, we’re gonna have to do whatever we have to do to come up with the bail money.”
Erik pessimistically added that although it was Randy’s first major offense, he was skeptical about anyone getting bail after murdering two cops in cold blood.
While the crew mulled things over, I quietly pulled Latiefe to the side.
“I think we’re next,” I nervously whispered. “We’re getting locked up too.”
“No, we’re not,” Latiefe confidently whispered back.
“Why not?” I asked anxiously. “Are you thinking like I’m thinking, as far as skipping town?”
“Nah, we don’t have to do that. The cops won’t catch us. Trust me.”
“Tee, how do you know that!? That’s exactly what I told Randy, and look at him. He got knocked.” Latiefe began to giggle softly.
“What the hell is so funny?” I whispered angrily.
“Nothing,” Latiefe replied, still giggling. “It’s just that I know how Randy got caught, and that’s why I know we can’t get bagged.”
While making sure that I didn’t raise my voice above a loud whisper, I eagerly questioned Tee.
“What? I’m sayin’! Tee, how did he get bagged? Speak to me!”
Latiefe’s giggles had just about turned to laughter as he tried to calm down and explain.
“OK, OK. Holz, calm down, I’ll tell you . . .” After another quick chuckle, Latiefe paused, then continued. “Now, Holz, you know how my temper is, right? I mean you know how quick I am to get upset? Now last week when Randy played me out at the Red Zone I got pissed off . . .”
“No! Latiefe, wait! Wait a minute,” I said in a very serious tone as I started to realize where this was going. “Don’t tell me that you ratted on your boy!!!”
“Yeah, Holz, I told . . . but . . . but I didn’t mean for him to actually get caught.”
“Man, what do you mean you didn’t mean for him to get caught? You go and sing like a canary-rat-stool-pigeon and you didn’t expect for him to get caught!? Latiefe, that’s your boy! Randy was down with all of us from day one. Latiefe, we’ve all known each since we were three-years-old. Three-years-old, man! Latiefe what the . . . how could you rat Randy out like that?”
I was really stunned. I felt like unleashing tears of anger and frustration.
“Holz, I’m sorry man,” Latiefe repented. “I was just upset and you know how I get. Man, after I left the club that night, I drove around for a while trying to calm down, but I couldn’t. Randy shouldn’t have played me out like that. We were both wrong.”
“Latiefe, so what if he played you! Why did you short him his cut of the money? We’re all in this drug thing together. You don’t jerk nobody in the crew out of their money! See, I knew that this drug thing was gonna do us up somehow. I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! Latiefe, man, I don’t know . . . So what did you do? You just marched into the police station and told the cops that Randy did the killings? What’s the deal?
What’s up?” Latiefe bowed his head.
“Nah, see, that night after I left the club I saw this sign. Well actually it was on a billboard or something. I don’t know, but anyway, the sign stated that the police would pay ten thousand dollars for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone killing a New York City cop. Holz, I had to call! I was so ticked off and vexed that night, and after I made that call I felt more relieved and more at ease. I felt like I was on top!”
“Latiefe, why didn’t you just punch a wall? Or kick somebody? Or fight somebody? I mean you could have done anything like that. But, Latiefe, the bottom line is that you don’t rat on your boy like that! Matter of fact, you don’t rat on anybody! That’s the code of the streets, and you know that! Ah man! Latiefe, you know that Randy ain’t gonna see light for maybe fifty years? Two dead cops! Man, he might get double life. If they had the death penalty in New York, he would probably be headed straight for death row. And for ten thousand dollars! Latiefe, you didn’t want the money, did you? No my fault, twenty thousand dollars. I forgot, it was two cops, so the hero’s reward is doubled. Twenty Gs—do you know how quick we could’ve made that? Latiefe, tell me what makes you think that they’re even gonna give you the twenty Gs anyway? Remember one thing—not only do they have to arrest Randy, which they already did, but they also have to convict him before you would ever get your money. And that could be like six months to maybe even a year from now. In that time, who knows, Randy could be dead. Or he could beat the charges. Slim chance on that happening, but if he does beat the rap, you won’t even get the twenty Gs.”
“Holz, you know what? I could care less about the ten thousand or twenty thousand dollars or whateva it is. All I’m sayin’ is Randy embarrassed me in front of females, and for what? If we use your same logic, then that means that Randy embarrassed me for only five thousand dollars! He didn’t care, so why should I care!?”
“Latiefe, you still don’t get it, do you? You just don’t get it! Yo, I ain’t even gonna try to figure you out no more. What’s done is done! And to be honest, I hate you for this! I mean, you still my man and all, but ratting on your boy, singing like a stool pigeon, dropping dime, I don’t know! Latiefe, all I’m sayin’ is you better watch out ’cause I know that those police tip hotlines don’t make you give your name. They give you an ID number and all that protect the witness milarky. But you can bet on one thing, and that’s that Randy is gonna talk. He ain’t gonna do time in the clink by himself. He’s in the joint right now! And you better believe that when they start questioning him and threatening him and putting all kinds of pressure on him, he’s gonna drop dime, especially if they work out some kinda plea bargain with the district attorney. You and I will be looking at more time than he is.”
Although Latiefe knew what I was saying made a lot of sense, he tried to downplay it.
“Randy won’t drop dime. You know and I know that he won’t. We’re still Fourth Crew for life! Besides, Randy will never even know who told on him. Even though we had that little squirmish, if I personally told Randy that I ratted him out, he wouldn’t believe it. He’d just believe that it was a very smart police department that nabbed him. Plus, after today you probably won’t see me anymore ’cause I’m outta here. I can’t stick around. I mean, it’s time for a change.” After a pause in his speech, Latiefe laughed. “As a matter of fact, you know what? You’re right. Randy isn’t as stupid as he looks, he just might rat us out. But, yo, like I said, I’m outta here. It’s time to start all over.” Latiefe then began laughing like this was all a game, or like it was all just one big joke.
“So then leave, man! I’ll take over the money from now on! I’m sayin’! Man, where the heck are you gonna go anyway?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you need me to send you your loot or what?”
“Nah, Holz, I’ll be a’ight. With the changes that I plan to make, I won’t even be worrying about loot and women and stuff like that.”
“Yeah, a’ight, man. Whateva. But wherever you go, just remember, Fourth Crew for life. Even though you are wrong, you still my man for life! And yo, I’m gonna still keep my mouth shut about our part in the killings.”
“Yeah, yeah, Holz, do that,” Latiefe said as he grasped my hand and pulled me close for a quick ghetto hug. “And, Holz, do me a favor, kid, don’t ever let anybody know that I ratted on Randy. But if it happens to come up when you speak to Big Randy, tell him that I’m sorry . . .”
Jail House Talk
Many days had passed since Randy had been arrested. I hadn’t spoken to him since he’d been locked up, and neither had anyone else in the crew. I just wished he would call me. I prayed regularly that he’d maintain his sanity throughout his ordeal.
With Latiefe out of sight, it was now my responsibility to collect the loot. No one had seen or heard from Latiefe. I guess he was making good on his promise to bounce and start life over somewhere else. With all that we had gone through in order to get where we were, I couldn’t believe that Latiefe would just walk away from it all just like that.
The crew was shrinking with each passing day. Our drug business was hurting due to the increased police presence, which hadn’t died down even though Randy, the murderer, had been arrested.
I had been trying to save the money I was making for Randy’s bail. I didn’t even know if they had given him a bail, but I knew that if he was fortunate enough to have bail, it was bound to be a tremendous amount. Regardless of the amount, with the other crew members chipping in, I was sure that we’d raise whatever amount was necessary.
But even just trying to pull the crew together for a cause like raising Randy’s bail would prove to be hard work. It was like Dwight, Wiggie, J.P., and all of them didn’t even really care that Randy was locked up. Then again, caring was not in our repertoire of feelings. We were B-boys.
But for real, it was like the rest of the crew was going on with life as if everything was normal. I guess, though, considering everything, things were pretty much status quo. But I mean the crew wasn’t even questioning Latiefe’s whereabouts.
At times, man, I would just be sitting and thinking about my life, and more specifically, thinking about how screwed up it was. I just wanted the drama to end. Word.
More days went by without any word from Randy. I didn’t hear from him until I answered the phone one day and an operator said, “You have a collect call from Randy. He’s calling from the Rikers Island correctional facilities. Will you accept the charges?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll accept the charges,” I eagerly replied.
“Thank you. One moment please.”
After a clicking sound I heard Randy say hello.
Man, that was the best sound that I’d heard in weeks. It was like I’d been hit with a shot of caffeine.
“Big Ran! Is that you, kid? What’s up, dog? What the hell took you so long to call a nigga?”
Randy replied in a low, monotone voice that wasn’t nearly as excited as mine.
“Yo, I’m sayin’, I’m on Rikers Island just tryin’ to hold it down. Yo, Holz, I’m on Rikers, man! It ain’t no joke in this piece. It’s mad hectic up in here, word! I’m sorry that it took me so long to call y’all, but whenever I did get to a phone I would have to call my mother or my pops.”
“Yo, Randy, you ain’t gotta apologize or nothing like that. I mean I understand where you resting and all that. I was just crazy worried. Word! Yo, where exactly are you at?”
“I’m in C-74. Some people call it ‘The Bing.’ But you can’t come check me until Monday. Don’t ask me why. There’s just some bull going on in here. You know?”
“Yeah, I’m digging you.”
“Holz, this jail is way overcrowded, so I’m only allowed visitors on Mondays and Tuesdays.”
“Yeah, that’s cool. But you a’ight, though, right?”
“Yeah, I’m chillin’, man. But I ain’t exactly smiling on Rikers Island, you know what I’m sayin’?”
“Y
eah, I know. Yo, oh! Listen, Randy, did they give you bail?”
“Yeah,” Randy answered with a renewed spark of life to his voice. “And, yo, you won’t believe it, kid. It’s like God laced me lovely. They only set my bail at one hundred thousand dollars! That’s what I’ve been talking to my moms about. Her and my pops are going to take out a second mortgage on the crib. But even with that, all they could come up with was about sixty thousand. The lawyer fees are hitting them lovely. But it’s a’ight, though, ’cause I’m sayin’, my lawyer is mad smart, so it’s definitely worth paying him his loot. But yo, Holz, man, try to get me up outta this joint! I can’t take it being in here.”
“Randy, we’ll get up the rest of the money for you. Don’t worry.”
“A’ight, Holz. And, yo, don’t forget to come see me on Monday. I need you, kid. Word! When you come, I’ll tell you the dirt that went down with me and my bail and all of that. A’ight?”
“Yeah, no doubt. I’ll be there on Monday. The Bing, right?”
“Yeah, that’s where I’m at. Holz, like I said, I need you man . . .”
“Randy, I’ma hold you down. I’ll be there, kid. Peace out,” I said as I hesitantly hung up the phone.
It was time to get busy. I had to get on top of our workers to make sure that they were selling the work right and efficiently. We couldn’t afford to let sales slip any further, not at this crucial time. No way. I had to convince myself to take care of business.
You’re the CEO, Holz, so run this operation correctly, I told myself.
Frantic was the best word to describe my life over the next few days. Trying to raise Randy’s bail money had me hustling like a maniac. But after taking a step back and examining everything, I realized that things had worked out pretty cool. I mean with all my hard word and all, before I knew it, it was Monday. On Monday I was off to Rikers Island to see Randy. No one else in the crew was around to go with me to visit him, which I thought was a damn shame! But then again, they probably wouldn’t have gone even if they were around. It just seemed like almost overnight, the crew was all about self—every man for himself, no more croneyism.
