Lesson 2: Peer Pressure Put this Teenager in Priso n

A Cautionary Tale

• I told you this earlier and I’ll tell you again: If you’re planning on committing a crime, you are about to commit the dumbest act of your life. Let me tell you a true story that will help you see just how dumb committing crime can be.

•  There was a teenager, who I will call Whopper. Sometimes I call him Whop.

• I’m going to tell you Whopper’s story because I want you to recognize how much crime costs criminals, their families, and the community. Whopper’s story teaches you the meaning of two words that will affect you throughout your entire life: 1.) Consequences and 2.) Ramifications.

• For everything that happens, there are always consequences and ramifications. Think of these words in this way: If a student attends a high school that requires students to pass a final exam in order to graduate, but the student does not study well enough to prepare him or herself to pass the test, the consequence will be that the student will fail the test. The ramification of that failure will be that he may not graduate and will not be able to further his education  unless he attends summer school or retakes the exam and passes.

• In summary, a consequence is the result of an action. A ramification is the impact of that action. It is crucial that you fully understand these two terms and that you think of them before making decisions. If you do that, you can keep yourself out of trouble.

The Consequences and Ramifications of Whopper’s Big Decision

• When Whoper was 15 years old, he fell in love with Air Jordan tennis shoes. But he didn’t have a pair of his own. One day, he saw a friend of his wearing a beautiful pair of the tennis shoes and he became extremely jealous. He said to himself, “I want me a pair of Air Jordans, too!”

• He excitedly asked his mother for the $120 cost of the shoes, so he could buy his own pair.  She told him, no.

• “Please. Please. Please Ma! I know you have $120. Please give it to me.”

• She explained, “Baby, I’m sorry, but I can’t  afford to give you the money, because your sister is leaving for college soon and I have to use all my money to pay everything she needs. You know your sister will be the first one in the family to go to college! Aren’t you happy for her.”

• Whopper began to cry. “Yes, but … but Ma. I need those tennis shoes!”

• His mother gave him a big hug and told him, “Shhh. Don’t cry, son. Don’t worry. I have an idea.”

Whopper Could Get a Job and Earn Money to Buy the Shoes

• Whop's mother reminded him that Mr. Bob around the corner was still willing to hire him to work for his lawn care business. But Whopper had already decided that Mr. Bob was too cheap to pay him much money. He would have to work for a month to make enough money to buy the tennis shoes. He wanted his Air Jordans now! “I’ve got a better idea, he thought to himself.”

• The next decision that Whopper made not only changed his life forever, but so many other people's lives were drastically affected as well. What happened is a perfect example of consequences and ramifications.

• Around midnight on a Friday, Whopper left home to go meet a 14-year-old friend.  Although curfew was 11:00 p.m., his mother allowed him to stay outside later than that on weekends. She knew he was a good boy and she presumed that he was smart enough to keep himself out of trouble. She was so wrong.

• Whopper had devised what he thought was a really smart way to get the $120 needed to buy a pair of Air Jordans.  He planned to rob a neighborhood corner store with a loaded .9-millimeter handgun that he borrowed from a neighborhood drug dealer. 

The Night that Ruined His Life Forever

• Whopper and his friend put bandannas around their faces and busted into the corner store.  He pointed the gun at the cashier and shouted: “Give me all the money in that cash register!” His friend snatched the money from the cashier, then turned and ran towards the front door with Whopper running right behind him. They did not realize that the cashier had turned on the automatic door lock, which prevented the door from opening. 

• Whop's friend tried to pull the door open, but was running so fast that he crashed into the door and fell down. Whopper tripped and fell on top of him. BOOM!  The gun went off.  A bullet was in the chamber of the gun and the impact accidentally caused Whopper to pull the trigger.  The bullet hit Whop's friend in the back and pierced his left lung.  Due to internal bleeding, blood filled his lungs. He took his last breath in Whop's arms.  To add insult to injury, the cashier had only handed over $92.  Whopper would have still been $28 short of buying the Air Jordans, had he and his friend gotten away with the robbery.

• Whopper was arrested and sentenced to life without parole for the murder of his friend, plus 50 years for the armed robbery of the store. He was charged as an adult.  All that happened in 1990. As 2024 when this book was published, he was still in prison; and he will surely remain in prison until the day he dies.  While only a teenager , Whopper lost his freedom and his friend lost his life. All because he wanted a pair of expensive basketball shoes.

 Whop’s Entire Family Was Affected by the Murder

• If you think that this is the end of the Whopper story, you are mistaken.  You see, when you go to prison, you lock up your whole family with you, because they will have to send you money for the commissary (prison store), pay prison telephone services so you can call them and pay travel expenses to visit you. They will cry in agony because you are locked up. Think about this also: If you take someone's life you will create lifelong victims of everyone who lost their loved one, including their mother or father, sister, brother, son, daughter, husband, wife, cousin, neighbor, co-worker, etc.   Can you imagine trading places with them?  Certainly, you will agree that what those two teenagers did was just dumb.

• Whopper would love to start his life over.

• But, he did something bad, and he was sent to prison.

• HE CANNOT PRESS RESET OR START OVER.

• THE DAMAGE IS FOREVER.

• Unfortunately, Whopper learned this the hard way.

His Saga Continued

• When Whopper first went to court, he couldn't afford a lawyer, so the court appointed him a lawyer paid for by the court. But the unwritten rule is that if you are not paying for a private lawyer, the lawyer will not fight hard to win your freedom.

• In hopes of getting a private lawyer, Whopper begged his poor mother to hire one to represent him. Because she loved her 15-year-old baby boy and wanted him home, not in prison, she used her daughter’s college money to hire a lawyer for him. Having a private lawyer might be the best way to win a court case, but it does not guarantee that the accused will walk free! I’m sure your parents have told you: “Trouble is easy to get into, but it's hard to get out of.” And it’s very expensive, too.

His Sister Suffered for Lack of Money for School

• Now, with his sister's money going towards Whop’s legal fees, his sister could not attend college. She found a mediocre job and had a boyfriend who sold crack cocaine. She and her boyfriend ended up smoking more of the crack than he was selling. Crack is highly addictive and causes you to reduce yourself to the lowest of the low. Whop’s sister became a prostitute. All of this because of Whop’s dumb, petty, and costly decisions. His friend lost his life. His sister never made it to college. Instead, she became a drug addict and prostitute. Despite hiring a private attorney Whop, was convicted and sentenced to life +50 years without parole.

More Tragedies from Whopper’s Mistake

• There’s even more to Whopper’s  story:

• Soon after his friend died, the friend’s mother had a nervous breakdown. Decades later, she wants to forgive Whopper for accidentally killing her young son, but she can't find the strength to do so. Whopper can't even forgive himself. He tried to commit suicide twice but failed. He will have to continue living with the fact that he took his friends life

•  This story continues, for the cost of crime is never-ending. The funeral for Whop’s friend cost the boy’s mother $15,000. She had to get loans and donations to pay for it. She is still in debt today.

• Had his sister graduated from college, the salary for her career choice would've started at $45,000 a year. Add that up: $45,000 in 20 years would've grown to $900,000. For 20 years, Whop's mother sent him $50 a month for canteen and hygiene necessities. Let’s add that up as well: $50 a month for 20 years equals $12,000. Keep in mind that the cost of food, deodorant, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. is very high in the prison commissary. Only basic items are sold there, so if you end up in prison, do not expect to enjoy any of your favorite name brand items.

• For the past six years, Whopper has received no money, because his mother died. Losing your mother while you’re locked up in prison is surely the worst feeling you could ever experience. Pouring salt into his wounds, so to speak, the prison did not allow Whopper to go to his mother’s funeral.

Add It All Up

• Now, let's add up the cost of Whop’s crimes. For the 26 years that Whop’s been in prison, it has cost hard-working taxpayers, including you, your parents and others about       $650,000 over 26 years..

• If Whopper had taken that part-time job that his mother told him about, in 26 years he would've earned $260,000. And just think, had he received a college degree, he could've tripled that to about $780,000.

What About You?

• If you make a dumb decision and get sent to prison for a long time, and then go back home, you will have to start your life all over, which will be extremely hard to do because you would be an adult by then. Very few people are willing to feed, clothe and pay the bills of an adult.

• Getting a job will be complicated, because most business owners do not want to hire an ex-inmate. They will not trust you. If you cannot find a job, you cannot earn money; if you cannot earn money, you cannot take care of yourself or pay your bills; and when you cannot buy the important things you need to survive, then it will be easy for you to be tempted to steal or rob.

• If you succumb to temptation, get caught and get thrown back into prison.  You will be labeled a habitual offender, meaning that the legal system will consider you to be the type of prisoner who will commit crime again and again after being released. Therefore, you will be sentenced to serve extra time in prison to protect the community from you.

• Be honest. Is the cost of crime worth it? Do you want to be like Whop?

• He let jealousy, envy and peer pressure make him take a foolish and dangerous risk. He desperately wanted to be like his friend with the fly new tennis shoes, instead of being satisfied with what he had and willing to work to get what he wanted.

• Don’t risk your life or someone else’s life trying to gain acceptance from your peers. Too many teenagers want to take a short cut to happiness or pride. Shortcuts can be very risky and stupid. If you don't know that something you are about to do is risky, that's ignorance. But if you know that you shouldn't do something, but you do it anyway, that's worse than dumb. That's stupid.

• Don't be stupid. Be solid. Be the real you. Hold onto the goodness inside of you. You know in your heart what’s right and what’s wrong. So, don't do something stupid

• Think deeply before letting the actions of others affect what you do. Be careful what you say to yourself, because your “self-talk” can lead to actions that will get you in Big Trouble.

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