Replacing Hurt With Hope
Three weeks ago today, God took away a piece of my heart when he called back my lil’ cousin. James “Jimmy” Darnell Johnson would kill me for putting his fed name on the Internet but now that he is gone I feel it is my responsibility to introduce him to the world. At 20 years old, Jimmy still had a lot of life ahead of him but it was cut short by gun fire. Jimmy was caught up in the vicious cycle of street enterprise were he found himself engaged to an extent that I believe he was deeply troubled by. However once a person has created a reliable source of income and a comfortable life, it can be hard to turn away from. Unfortunately, when you accept that type of lifestyle, you accept all that comes with it.
Jimmy was deeply troubled by the loss of his older brother Michael “Mikey” Lamont Johnson who was murdered five years ago at the age of 18 in an eerily similar manner. Mikey was also a thriving young street agent who was not afraid of confrontation and was more likely to attack it head on. Both of them were very well known, loved, and respected by many and will be dearly missed. Jimmy was not only disturbed by the loss of his brother, but more recently he witnessed the murder of our close friend Ryan “Ross” Riggins by a gun shot to the head. I had the pleasure of knowing all three of these gentlemen very well and I will forever seek to find strength in my memories of them.
I was once a thriving young agent as well. I am deeply troubled when I consider that Jimmy looked up to me when I was participating in a lifestyle that would later claim his life. I find a small solace when I consider that I was also at that time immersed in a lifestyle that satisfied my needs for a source of stability. Since those days, I have been able to discover the limitless possibilities that exist outside of the hood mentality. I have been fortunate enough to be able to surround myself with like minded people and in what would be the final months of his life, I was really trying to get Jimmy to come around see that life is truly what you make it. I believe that he experienced compassion in his final moments as I can feel his energy coursing through my veins. I just hope that his death and all of the pain that is being felt by so many will serve as a source of inspiration for someone who is looking to make a change in their life.
R.I.P. Lil’ Cuz
