Amateur Hour! The Block Gets Hot

Family! What's good? Your Hustleman had an up and down day today, but I'm feeling great. I sincerely hope you'll (ya'll?) are doing well. I had scheduled a different post for you today, but in light of recent events, I had to let you all know what happened today.

I arrived at the block on time. It was hot outside too. More humid then anything else. I expected a slow day today. It's wednesday for one and smart people are putting money up for rents and mortgages. I was focused but relaxed as always. I thought it would have been an average day of me running my mouth piece to the locals and my hustling partners, but it didn't turn out that smooth.

Not too long after I pulled in to set up shop, New York shows up with a couple of his people. We conversate on the usual... money, females and people that piss you off, i.e. dumb niggas. About 15 minutes after that, Mike shows up. He's a fellow hustler. He shows up from time to time. He always shows mad love so New York and I didn't trip on him showing up. And about 15 minutes after that New York had some other business to attend to, so he left with his boys. Mike and I chopped it up for a sec and we got on to focusing on work.

Now I respect Mike, he's an effective hustler, although I don't agree with his methods. At least not at my spot. My spot is a little tricky, you really can't be all out with your shit, feel me? You need to kind of play the low brow game. But this dude doesn't. I've checked him on this before but he never made attempts to correct it. So I left it alone. He's already been locked up for doing things the way he does, so you think a dude would learn something. No, not really. Damn us hustlers are some hard-headed peoples. Most of the time that's good thing, but it does have it's drawbacks. Now peep this.

Mike had products out all over the place, plus he's yelling through the parking lot. I'm playing the low brow game in the shade on the wall. A couple people walk up to Mike's vehicle to see what he has to sell and out of the corner of my eye to the left I see a Georgia State Patrol car. Damn! I yell out a couple of Yo's to get his attention. He doesn't hear shit. Probably because his customer just happens to be a fine looking sister. I can't just walk up on this dude because then I'll be tagged by the state trooper you follow? The State Patrol does a circle and pulls their car right in front of his and parks. Damn! I sit back and watch the whole scene play out. Now in my mind I know the State Patrol can't directly do anything to Mike, but they can get someone to do something to Mike. By this time Mike is aware of what's going on so he plays it cool and continues to speak to the female at his car, he hit's mack pose and plays it off. The female follows suite. Smart female, she knows the time, she didn't get nervous, flinch, run-off or anything funny acting, she just keeps talking like nothin is nothin.

I wait and soon the trooper pulls away. I walk towards Mike to tell him to cool out for a second and that's when out of nowhere the trooper pulls back around, this time behind Mike's car. Damn! the trooper went on to ask what is it exactly Mike is selling. He tells her (yes a she, a black woman) but her reply was that she thinks he's selling something else... aka narcotics. He shakes his head no and she said something to the effect of he better not be and drives off. I make sure she leaves this time and I approach Mike.

"So what do you think about that?" he asks me. I told him I'm not quite sure, but I wasn't feeling her tone or her attitude. He wasn't either. He shakes his head and says I should get away from him because he's hot right now. This was a joke so we both laughed it off. "She really thinks you're a dope boy." I said. He just replied, "Come on, did that girl at my car look like she uses dope?" We laughed again. I then told him to be careful and to watch out because that trooper had him on camera. If you didn't know, state troopers have cameras attached to either the dashboard or near the rear view mirror of their vehicles. She parked in front of him and all that was caught on camera. And I made one last point, "She'll be back" I said as I walked back to the wall and Mike went back to doing his business.

About 10 to 15 minutes pass and Mike is at his car again with another customer, this time an older lady with two young ones. As I'm walking back from my car having just made a sale, I approach my favorite wall again, turn around and look who comes creeping up. That damn State Patrol again. WTF! I knew she'd be back, but not so soon. I yell out Yo one time. Yo two times. Yo three times. He doesn't hear me. Motherfucker! I lean back again and watch the scene play out. There was nothing more I could do without incriminating myself or looking guilty. This time she was on the far end of the parking lot, just watching. In my mind I thought, ok, she sees him at the car with an older woman and two kids, surely he can't be selling dope. Maybe it's cool. He then turns my way, he yells across the parking lot to ask if I have something he doesn't have on deck for the customer. WTF! I nod in the direction of the Patrol car and make a subtle pointing motion. He's oblivious, I just shake my head no. I'm feeling it's amateur hour now, Mike was just not on point. I make a mental plan on how to get the hell away from the spot. The State Patrol stays motionless for about a minute then pulls off again.

I walk back to Mike's car. "Yo! You didn't see the State Patrol!?" he gives me a confused look and says no, where is she at? "Dude! I was trying to yell out to you and when you looked my way I tried to point her out!". "Where is she?" he asked again, I simply replied she's gone now. His demeanor was definently shaken now. I motioned him to come to my car, we talked for a second as I prepared myself to get the fuck out of dodge. And sure enough a black Fulton County car comes rushing into the parking lot. He makes a quick loop and parks alongside Mikes car. We both watch closely while acting like we're just making conversation. The cop gets out of the squad car, walks past Mike's car then past mine (Mike and I were parked in the same row with about two parking spaces between us). Mike says enthusiastically, "Hey whad'up Sarge!" to the cop as he continues to walk past my car. Inside of myself I'm like, dude! Shut the fuck up! But I maintain composer. The cop stops, yells something into the radio on his shoulder, turns around and addresses Mike. "What are you selling out of the back of your trunk?" Mike gives me a nod and I tell him to hold it down. He proceeds to walk with the cop to his car. I walk back to the wall calmly and at a normal pace. I could not feel any pressure now. I had to be cool. If Mike snitched on me, which I expected him not to do, I still had to look cool and damn near disinterested. Getting in my car and leaving now would have made me look guilty too. I stood against the wall and watched as another squad car pulls in, and then another, and then another. Can you feel my stress at this point?

Rest of the story short, they ran his ID and let him go. Mike left the parking lot in a hurry. A homegirl of mine who works in one of the stores in the plaza said better him than me right? I said yea, but he's still cool with me, I didn't want to see him get pinched. Luckily he didn't. I patiently waited for all the squad cars to leave and then I made my exit. I returned later on to the spot to inform New York about what happened. It's always best to keep fellow hustlers informed about shit like this so they can be on gaurd, and it's also equally important to do it in person if at all possible. It's just a stand up thing to do.

The block will probably be getting some unnecessary attetion for the next week or so, which means I have to play my game largely on the phone in a meet and greet fashion. It's sad that a sister cop dimed Mike out, but then again, I'm not surprised. At least the brother cops were cool and let him go. He could have got hemmed up real good. I made a mental note to stop working with amateurs on the block, or at least with niggas who aren't on point when they do work. Anyway, that was my day. How was yours? LOL. Much love Fam and until next time, as always... keep it moving.