The mentor
gang-de-rue-rapper-general-hip-hop-gang General was part of a group of about 40 young people. "We had a godfather. Our live veteran. From the first generation. He gave us orders. We followed him. If he had to get rid of a stolen stock, it was sold for him. If he had problems with the Mafia, we would set fire to Italian bars for him. We broke people's mouths for him. He was not a good man! "General speaks of his initiator, Teken, with admiration. The older one impressed him. "We saw him as an idol. And he always took care of the dirty job. "A leader who sets an example to his young recruits, pushing the limits of violence.
"Once, in his jeep, while smoking joints, he stopped dry. He got out of his car and we saw him go out his revolver to shoot someone in a car. I was 16 years old! My first live shots! I was excited and nervous. We were proud to be there that day. We boasted about those who were not there! "A leader who takes things in hand, who acts without fear, makes General's friends bolder to earn his respect. "We wanted to show him that we had balls, too. So when he asked us something, we did not get caught! We did it! "
Small traffics of a street gang
General abandons some frontal war with the Blues. He starts selling potty at school and downtown. He develops his network with some friends. "We did not have to be accountable to the older ones. But we took our drugs from them. "Teken is his supplier. He sells him his goods and General sells him. He does the same with the stolen goods that their godfather provides them with.
Between his little trades, General releases his violence to help Teken in his business. And he continues the war against the Blues. He swims between two waters. "I saw some things. That was my daily life. I did not ski, me! At my friends' house, I saw the older ones arm themselves to go on a dirty job. I was dipping in! Every week there was a story. Someone was beaten, another was shot. "These events warm the spirits. Street gangs are getting more and more serious. The violence is increasing. Between them and in crime.
Declaration of war
Between 2000 and 2005, the war reached its climax. The police impose a curfew in Montreal North and Saint-Michel. "We did not have the right to be 3 guys walking together in the street otherwise we were considered a gang. And the police could search us under this pretext. But we, at the height of the war, could not be alone. I lost 4 close friends. Friends who regularly came to my house, "he said, naming them, his fist on his heart. In the early 2000s, General is very active. He actively participates in this war but prefers not to talk about it. He made gestures that he regrets today without being able to go back. He has lost friends and he understands that, on the other side, it's the same thing.
War is declared. There are no rules. "Every week, there was a death," says General, who suddenly becomes emotional as he approaches one of the turning points of the conflict. "Our veteran is dead. I was smoking a joint with friends in Henri-Bourassa Park. We walked to join the older ones. There were twenty of them, there were women. They were partying in the street. In the distance, I saw a parked car start to roll. I saw everything in slow motion. Teken came out of the pack. They put him a dozen bullets in the body. And they left at full speed. Everyone rushed to our leader. It was my idol. And I saw him make his last breath. They came to us, in front of us. And they killed one of the bosses. We respected him all. He said that Montreal North is our place, it's ours. They did not want to know anything about bikers and Italians. "
The conflict escalates
General has wet eyes. It shows a sensitivity that fits poorly with the image of a hard-hearted heartless. "When he died, the same day, we had a dozen cars that were walking in the blue neighborhoods. Afterwards, there were many deaths on both sides. "There is escalation of the conflict. The links between generations are tightening. They fight together.
"The more we grew up, the more friendship we developed with our elders. We were no longer little brothers. We were part of the same clan. "General is no longer a recruit. He has gained experience. He is ready to take over from his mentor. "At first, I was going to take my drug in the godfather's hands. But soon, I had my kids taking their drugs from me. Quickly, I formed my own gang, my kids. The little brother of so-and-so, the neighborhood guy. What I did for Teken, my kids did it for me. "The wheel turns.