In the game of life, politics is the ultimate hustle. Civic engagement is the difference in being a player versus being played. It’s about stepping into the streets, owning your voice, and flexing your power where it counts. The nation runs on votes, not just dollars or backroom deals—though plenty of those happen too. When you don’t participate in the political process, you leave your hood open to vultures, power-hungry politicians, and the underworld of gangsters in fancy suits. They’re out here playing chess, stacking chips of influence, and running the game behind closed doors.

The struggle to vote wasn’t handed to us—it was fought for on the streets in Alabama and won! Blood, sweat, and lives lost from church bombings by the Ku Klux Klan, police dogs, and fire hoses in Birmingham to state sanctioned vicious violence against the people by State Troopers in Selma now known as “Bloody Sunday”, brutually shutting down the first attempt to peacefully protest by marching 52 miles to Montgomery. After garning support from community leaders nationwide, the march was reorganized. This was the protest by the people that helped influence the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. All so we could have a say. And yet, when we don’t use our voices, it’s like handing over the keys to our block to be run by the opposition.

The consequences are real—crooked laws, unfair systems, and generations of lost opportunities. The players in power know this, and they’ll do whatever it takes—dark money, dirty tricks, you name it …including insurrection —to keep their positions.

Let’s be real—politics isn’t just about policy; it’s about power. The turf wars you see on the streets aren’t so different from what’s happening in city halls and capitol buildings. Politicians are like gangsters fighting for control, using their influence like currency. If we don’t get in the game, we’re letting them run the table without a challenge. That’s not Gangster. So, step up! Register, vote, and run for office. Because real power is earned, not given—and the streets need real players who know the real game. Get active!