Today I'm on the blog tour for the incredible One Chance: Surviving London's Gangs by Terroll Lewis* (I received a proof copy of the book to enable me to take part in the blog tour).
“It’d be easy for me to go back to my old life, but I know where that old life leads you. You’re either behind prison bars or six feet underground.”
Born and raised on Brixton’s notorious Myatt’s Field and Angell Town estates, Terroll Lewis has lived a crazy life. Surrounded by gang culture from an early age, like so many other young inner-city people, he found it hard to resist the lifestyle.
By the time he was 15, he had already joined a gang, been stabbed, shot at, and was selling drugs. A chance to play professional football at Stevenage offered him a way out, but the short-term allure of a glamorous street life — the promise of girls, money, and cars —compared to the £50 a week he was being paid to play football, led Terroll back to South London and the notorious OC, or Organised Crime, gang.
Violence and drug dealing were the norm in OC, and in 2009, aged 20, Terroll was accused of being involved in an extremely serious crime. After spending 11 months inside Thamesmead’s Belmarsh prison, he was acquitted of all charges and released back into mainstream society, which signalled the start of a new life.
Having used fitness, and calisthenic exercises in particular, as a coping mechanism while in prison, Terroll soon realised that there were other people like him who couldn’t pay for a gym membership, but still wanted to keep fit. Determined to spread the word further, he created a YouTube video demonstrating his workout regime. The views and messages quickly began rolling in, which encouraged Terroll to start conducting classes in local parks. As his client base grew, so did his ambition and self-belief. Leveraging his rapidly growing social media fame to reinforce his case, Terroll was granted a spot – a converted depot on Somerleyton Road in Brixton – to turn the newly titled Block Workout into a fully-fledged street gym.
Through Block Workout and Brixton Street Gym, Terroll is now able to give something back to the community he was raised in, offering young people an opportunity to follow a different road to the one he took during his adolescence — helping them to develop their minds as well as their bodies — and the chance to live a better life.
Not only is One Chance a truly authentic guide for the urban youth, steering them through the world we live in today – from education and relationships, to jail, social media and mental health issues – it also has the power to educate wider society on the experiences that this frequently demonised demographic face. Whichever form it takes, the aim of the book is to increase understanding on both sides, leading to a more harmonious, progressive, and positive society.
About the author:
Terroll Lewis is the founder of the Brixton Street Gym, a charity-based community gym that has gained a huge cult following in the short time that it has been around. He also founded the BlockWorkOut Foundation — the charitable base that supports this amazing gym, making it accessible to everyone regardless of income — and The ManTalk, an online platform that promotes male positivity.
Terroll had been embroiled in some of the most serious street gang warfare even seen in London, leading a band of armed and dangerous young men through the streets of the city, a wild time that ended in him being accused of murder. He was eventually acquitted of the crime and proven innocent, but is thankful for his time in prison, as it enabled him to re-evaluate his life and come out a better man, the man he is today.
My thoughts?
I was totally engrossed in Terroll's story from the very first page. He grew up on tough Mayatt's Field North Estate in South London (otherwise known as Baghdad!) Luckily for us, he shares a much needed glossary of gang speak at the beginning of the book.
His younger years were spent with his drug addict mum Jakki (who has been clean now for years) and her chaotic lifestyle before he tells his grandparents he can't cope with that life – he moves in with them and lead a reasonably normal life – going to school, playing football and meeting up with his friends.
Always on the fringes was their awe of The Olders (older gang members) and what they got up to. It seemed to be such an exciting life – the lure of easy money, respect, cars, guns and girls is what drew Terroll and his friends into the feared OC (Organised Crime) gang. He gets a tattoo “OC” One Chance when he becomes a fully-fledged member of the gang, which he still has to this day.
Terroll had the chance to get out and become a professional footballer and he gives it a shot but finds he misses the estate, his friends and having money in his pocket. He shares with us anecdotes of gang life, vicious fights with other gangs, the drug dealing, day to day life on the estate and the tragic loss of friends.
It's the loss of a really close friend which makes him decide he wants to leave the gang. He's going straight when he's arrested for a crime he didn't commit and does time in HMP Belmarsh. Upon release, he's determined to turn his life around. He used fitness as a coping method in prison, even using furniture in his cell to help him create a routine.
His YouTube video showing his workout routine goes viral which in turn sees him taking classes in local parks. As his client base and his social media profile grows he's offered space in Brixton to create Brixton Street Gym, which helps young men choose a different path, developing their minds, bodies and giving them “the chance to live a better life”.
I found Terroll's story absolutely fascinating. It's a powerful read which I recommend to everyone.
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