Before i was incarcerated i owned my own clothing business called Put Yo People ON clothing LLC (pypo) i enjoyed being an entrepreneur and loved having the freedom to raise my son Kj,whom i shared joint physical and legal custody with along with 50/50 parenting time. Being a single dad my previous profession as a certified tree artisan employed with The City of Detroit in the departments Forestry division,became too much a hassle being i had find someone suitable to babysit my son while at work. Though i loved my job trimming and cutting trees down in my city which i had to go to trade school (The Greening of Detroit) to become employed, the time i didn’t have to spend with my son became unbearable,though i made a decent living having being promoted after receiving the position once i attained my commercial drivers license,aerial platform permit,and my certified pesticide applicators license through the department of agriculture,al things needed for the position of a tree artisan from a tree artisan helper. Wanting more father and son time i pursued my dream as an entrepreneur,and to my success it turned out to work out great. Already having a charitable spirit i was able to give back in a major way organizing and participating in several community give back where i dispensed directly from my company coats,hat,gloves and other clothing to the homeless and needy. My long term gang membership really had me struggling for balance because i nolonger was a teen as i was when i joined the gang and the birth of my son sparked something in me that made me wanna give up the life of a gang leader and truly be there for my son in every way possible. Another personal situation that caused my to doubt my allegiance to my gang was when in October of 2018 just ten months after my son was born my sister Starkisha Thompson, was tragically killed by gun violence from a gang member retaliating against my sister for her testimony against her perpetrator after being held by a gun and carjacked. The murderers where caught and brought to trial but it would be proven the car jacker found my sisters home info throughout his court papers and sent his gang friend to kill my sister,because of my sisters murder and tragic loss a bill was named after her in Michigan to protect witnesses and victims personal info. The loss of my sister/bestfriend made me think differently about my own membership in a gang that perpetuated violence,i struggled for balance trying to distance myself from negativity while still holding on to my membership and it wasn’t until my arrest that i finally called it quits and disavowed my membership,because i couldn’t further allow myself to be taken away from my son and freedom.
Also i plan to become a gang interventionist and use my book as a basis for a platform that i could really be of service and duty to the same kids in poverty stricken environments like in Detroit. Heres a flyer divisied to promote my new role as a solution to one of americas problems especially in urban cities- From Author, Kurteiz D. thompson was born and raised in Detroit,Michigan and wrote his book in federal prison while facing up to life in federal prison for conspiracy racketeering and drug charges.He experianced a remarkable transformormation that changed him from a gang leader to a respected gang interventionist. HE published DROPPING MY FLAG,PICKING UP MY LIFE to inspire those who want to stop the destructive cycles that lead to incarceration and premature deaths.
