Gang Life in Baltimore | The New York Times l Almost Whole

Nathaniel Batty III is a member of the Black Guerilla Family. At 25, he has been in jail every year since he was 11 years old. He is finding a new sense of purpose after the death of Freddie Gray.

Produced by: A.J. Chavar

Subtitled by: Sarah E. Eaglen and Editors

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Gang Life in Baltimore | The New York Times
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheNewYorkTimes

Everything is a fight. Everything
is a fight. Everything is a fight.

No one knows the feeling of love here.

Everybody's been being mistreated
for so long that love is just unheard of.

Everyday is just the thought of:
"Am I gonna make it back home tonight?"

"Am I gonna make it back home tonight?"

That's a crazy thought to deal with like...

...and just our emotions are just balled up
inside of us.

We're angry, we're angry and
not at anyone in particular...

...just coming out angry.

Since I was eleven,
I've been getting locked up.

I'm 25 now. Every year since I was eleven.

Central Booking was the worst place
I've ever been.

It's overpopulated,
non-working facilities,

you got inmates sleeping
over top of each other.

There's been people who'd ever protest.

And Monday, they were arrested.
They still not let go.

And it's just a mess, dirty, filthy...

Even though they are criminals,
they're still people...

...and we don't need to treat them
like animals,

but they are caged in like animals
down there.

Yeah. I really am kind of nervous
about going down here, you know.

Why are you nervous?

Because I don't like seeing the building.

I hate going down here.

Sure. I just hope everybody comes out.

I want everybody to come so bad.

I just don't want it to be a pee-pee,
you know?

There's gonna be a lot of us.

Everybody I talked to said
they're coming out.

I mean, we should call it a family,
black gorilla family.

And we all spring out the Black Panthers.

You got some people that perceive it
as a gang because they don't understand.

People fear things they don't understand.

So their first thing is to say,
"All right. They are gang.

They're doing criminal activities."

I've been like the sore thumb here.

When I was younger,
I was more like a nerd.

I liked to read Harry Potter.
It was my favorite book.

And I was picked on when I was younger...

...cause I stuck out.

I was a little bit smarter
than everybody else.

So I found myself dumbing
myself down to fit in.

My last current charge is that I've been
in full violations of probation...

...for charges that I court in 2014...

...dealing with my children's mother.

Second degree assault,
I got plead guilty to that.

Just to hurry up and get out of jail.

Put your hands up.

(Shouting)
Already.

Already.

"Already."

Ya'll gonna go home soon, too.

"This is an incredible day for those of us who
have been protesting for the last two weeks.

It is a sigh of relief for us.

A day of joy and
a day of a pleasant surprise."

"It was only grown from dust...

...as the newest residents they are,

they'll be exchanging blue uniforms
for orange ones."

Indescribable, indescribable.

I just felt goosebumps everywhere.

I just felt good to know that somebody's
at least being charged.

Somebody's at least
being held accountable

I think the whole city shared
that feeling...

...Goosebumps.

"Colored have justice!"

It begins with bridging the gap

Bridging the gap to the regular citizens

Interviewer "You don't consider yourself
a regular citizen?"

Hum... and it's crazy that I don't,
it's crazy that I don't.

I don't know why I don't.

But I am a citizen here though.

I am a citizen here, I am a citizen here,

and I want to be treated like one

I definitely want to be treated like one

I've always had a feeling that
I was meant to be great.

"You do have given new energy
to people

that are people called thugs,
that are people called gangsters

but you have called them righteous..."

I dont like to be seen like my ego is big

but there is just something
inside of me that...

War.

(shouting)

And finally for once, just being active
with those, I feel whole...

almost.

Almost whole.

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