Victim or Villain

Chicago's Teen Takeover Organizers Speak Out!

• Sabha • Season 1 • Episode 2

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0:00 | 35:07

This week on Victim or Villain, we're sitting down with some of the teens behind Chicago's controversial teen takeovers; the events that sparked headlines, political outrage, police crackdowns, and endless social media debates.

Why do they do it? Is it really about chaos, or is there something deeper going on?

From grief, trauma, and losing a parent, to going viral, gaining hundreds of thousands of followers, dodging arrests, and navigating life in a city that many young people feel has forgotten them, nothing is off limits.

We talk about:
• The real reason teen takeovers happen
• Violence, shootings, and who should be held accountable
• Why some organizers say there’s “nothing else to do”
• The parent fines and curfew laws making headlines
• What police, politicians, and community leaders keep getting wrong
• The opportunities that actually stopped takeovers
• And the one thing they say could change everything

This conversation challenged a lot of my assumptions and it might challenge yours too.

So tell me: are they victims, villains, or something in between?
🎧 Listen now and decide for yourself.

SPEAKER_00

Hey everyone. So a dumbass man child tried to legally shut me up because I hurt his feelings. So sad. So now I'll have started a podcast and it's called Victim or Villain, where you, the audience, get to decide: is this person a victim or are they a villain? Tune in. Welcome back to the Victim or Villain podcast. Everyone has thoughts and opinions on the team takeovers. And I actually have some of the organizers here today who are going to fill us in on why they're actually doing the team takeovers and potentially what can get them to stop doing it. Daryl, no, no, welcome to the show. I'm so happy to have you guys because I have known you guys for a couple of years now. So you guys made my life hell for the summer. We spent a lot of time at 31st Street Beach until 1, 2 a.m. in the morning. Daryl. So for context, I was working at the city of Chicago's chief of staff, and 31st Street Beach was in my ward, and we were inundated with teen takeovers and violence. Because at some of your events, you have kids that got shot. And I think one of your cousins had gotten killed at an event.

SPEAKER_03

One of my cousins did.

SPEAKER_00

Eight young people had gotten shot within a three-week period. We started figuring out a plan of how we were going to stop the teen takeovers. So we started talking about doing fencing perimeters, closing the beach early. And there were so many different things that we were looking at. And a lot of it was just band-aids on a much larger situation that was happening. And so I was getting snacks and drinks for all the CVI workers and CPD. And then I got to a point where I'm like, this is ridiculous. Like, I'm not going to keep doing this. I can't be out till one, two in the morning and then get back up to go to work at 9 a.m. And I was like, this is not conducive to anybody's health. So then I talked to John Jones, who I love dearly, and he's doing amazing big things now in North Carolina. I had talked to him and I said, John, who is leading these teen trends? Like, who's in charge here? And John said, Go talk to Daryl. And so then we met. And I went up to you and I was like, Hey, who are you? Why are you doing this? And you were like, Who are you? Yeah, yeah. This is who I am. This is what I'm doing, blah, blah, blah. And then we got to a point where I'm like, why don't you come back to the office? And then I hired you to come work on our staff. And you helped us put together this huge music festival. And everything was free. And we had over 5,000 people that showed up to this free festival. It's called Peace Palooza. Vic Mensa headlined it. And that was how our friendship began. And then when I hired you, all the team takeovers stopped. Why did that happen?

SPEAKER_01

Well, I feel like I remember that they just like it was just I was super excited to come to the office because they showed me a whole different experience that I wasn't used to. But like she said, at first, I'm like, who is who is this? Because I'm like, I don't know this lady. So she could be the police or something. But I feel like it was a great experience. And they taught me really how to do things and what was wrong. Like the we're hosting events, you know, the consequences for planning these events.

SPEAKER_00

And now, Nunu, you're still doing the teen takeovers. I messaged you on Instagram and I said, Hey, can we can we meet? And you were very apprehensive at first, because you thought I was the police. And you're like, no, you're trying to set me up. And I'm like, I'm not trying to set you up, I promise. So we met up after you got out of school. We met up, we got lunch, and we talked. And the whole time you thought you were gonna get arrested. And then what we started doing was we found out who your mom was. And then anytime you would start posting a flyer, I think it's the first time I'm telling you this, but whenever you would post a flyer that you were doing a teen takeover, we would have the commander call your mom. And then your mom would make you take down the posters, but you were still doing them anyway, because you had a large following. And whenever you're like, hey, there's a party, they knew it was gonna be fun because Nunu was gonna be there. The problem is the violence that happens, which I know it was not your guys' intent. So the question that everyone wants to know why do you guys do the teen takeovers?

SPEAKER_03

We do teen takeovers. Well, I'm talking about me because I don't know about nobody else on the street, but I do it because like I feel like it's nothing for teens to do. I was never famous until after my daddy passed away. And that's when I start poop going to jail, doing all this, and that's not cute to do.

SPEAKER_00

Your dad passed away because he was sick.

SPEAKER_03

This was back 2024. 2024. Okay, so two years ago.

SPEAKER_00

Okay. I'm so sorry for your loss. I know you were very close with him. I love always seeing your posts with you and your father. So after your father passed away, do you feel like you spiraled?

SPEAKER_03

A situation happened where I didn't get a chance to really say sorry to my daddy. He had called me and told me I should stop doing this at school. I'm like, stop talking to me, I don't care. And I was planning on trying to choke this boy out. He was trying to tell me to calm down. This was his last day on earth, which is March 14th. He was just saying, like, come on, what would you do without me? Calm down. You just need to be cool. I feel like ever since that day, I never got a chance, you know, talk to him and be like, Diddy, I shouldn't have been fighting in school. And ever since after that, I did my first teen takeover.

SPEAKER_00

So were you able to get grief counseling? Would you know how to get grief counseling?

SPEAKER_03

No.

SPEAKER_00

Did the school, because you went to perspectives.

SPEAKER_03

I'm 36.

SPEAKER_00

Did perspectives uh offer you grief counseling?

SPEAKER_03

No, it seemed like they didn't care. So for me, it's like I just started acting a fool. Like I felt like people looked at me the wrong way. People used to play with me. So I used to bring my name up there. Do teen takeovers. I used to do a lot, like when he first passed.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

When I look back, that shit ain't cute to do.

SPEAKER_00

Because you went viral during the Pride Parade. And you gained a lot more followers after that. You're on top of the cars twerking. Do you feel like at the Pride Parade when you were having fun? That was an outlet for you to go through the grief of losing your father.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, it made me like if I just sit in the house, it'll just make me think about it. Like, think about it, cry. And I I don't want to keep crying. Then when I cry, I get mad at. Like, I kind of question God like, why did you take him? I was a little confused. Why you couldn't take somebody else's daddy? Like, I ain't trying to be funny or nothing. It's just kind of like, hmm, you didn't have to take my daddy. You could have taken somebody I didn't care about in my family. But you took him out of all people. So me going outside, me being on type of cars, getting my name known, it took me off the man of thinking about my daddy. So when I go outside with my friends and my group chat OCF, and it's like I was relieved. Like I took a break from being in the house crying all day.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. And people that are listening are gonna sit there and say, well, that's not an excuse for twerking on top of cars or I mean you never know who car it was who I was twerking.

SPEAKER_03

I really don't care. Like me, I'm at a careless point now. Yeah. I'm at a careless point. Like, as of now I got a job, but I have to fight my way in there to get in there.

SPEAKER_00

Like, what do you mean you have to fight your way in there?

SPEAKER_03

Kept calling, kept doing this. We shouldn't have to keep doing it as teams. If we're trying to make money and chill, but the city don't want us to. I feel like they don't really want us to make money and chill, be cool. They want us to fume. Why do you think that? I that's just the way I feel.

SPEAKER_00

So you feel like the city doesn't provide opportunities?

SPEAKER_03

No, it's not enough jobs, it's not enough things for kids to do. It's too many kids getting killed.

SPEAKER_00

What about one summer Chicago?

SPEAKER_03

That's for the summertime. That's not for the winter. Spring. We need something. Something needs to happen.

SPEAKER_00

So do you feel like if the city gave you year-round jobs, then you wouldn't be doing the team takeovers? Is that is that what I'm understanding?

SPEAKER_03

I mean, yeah, but like I feel like they need to give us a better space than teen takeovers, because like if they could give us something safer to do.

SPEAKER_00

Do you feel like if the if the city or a private business gave you a space where you could be able to throw a party and provide you with the security and logistical aspect of helping you plan it? Is that something that you would be interested in?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I would.

SPEAKER_00

Because you can make money. Because right now, you guys don't make money off the team takeovers. Now, Daryl has accumulated a massive following because of the team takeovers. Because you went from like a couple hundred followers to how much?

SPEAKER_01

I'm sitting up there around like 150,000 followers right now. So definitely gained a lot, like a lot of attention and like a short period of time. Well, when I was hosting team takeovers, I could tell the truth. Like I was seeking validation or trying to get known. And I was gonna make sure I was gonna do anything to make a name for myself, you know what I'm saying? Because it's not just about the fame, but I feel like it's like when you want to be successful in something, and you're gonna do whatever it takes, you know what I'm saying? So I just hosted it, but I also wanted to go see the ladies, you know what I'm saying? So that was a part of it.

SPEAKER_00

When I had talked to you, I had asked you, how do you guys get so many people to come out there? Obviously, you have a large following, but these flyers go viral. Is it the fact that oh, there's something fun to do? Is it oh, we can go meet girls or boys or whatever it is?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I feel like people can be more sociable, like in an open environment. And then like some of the people they never seen, they haven't seen some of their friends in a long time, so they can kind of gather up there. Because it's not like a lot of bowling alleys in Chicago, it's like not really a lot of places that you can like literally like go in, even though the kids do have money. These kids are wearing designer now, they got some money, they ain't broke. So I feel like if we did have a space, I feel like it'll it'll be booming.

SPEAKER_00

So, do you feel like there's a stereotype? Because majority of the kids that are going to the team takeovers are black kids.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Do you feel like there's this negative stereotype that the media, the city has created around the team takeovers?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. I feel like just the team takeovers, like the media's feeding off it, all the news, they making a lot of money off this. It is really, they saying that they don't how they stopping it, but they can it ain't been nothing that was to like happening to stop it. We just keep you keep seeing 57 beats.

SPEAKER_00

But when we gave you a job, right, then what happened?

SPEAKER_01

It had slowed down, they seen decreasing numbers, it was getting dry, weren't a lot of teen trans no more.

SPEAKER_00

You didn't have a single team takeover in 33 beach, and I have been harping this to everyone. I'm like, you guys need to find the organizers and give them opportunities because these guys are promoters, they need to be shown, like, hey, here's how you guys can make money. The city and everyone who keeps complaining about this needs to all step up and figure out opportunities for these organizers. That's been my take on this. Everyone wants to politicize it. Knew you and I were talking about this on the way over here, and you're like, oh, I don't want my my mom to get fined.

SPEAKER_03

I just feel like the parents not really out here the ones that's doing this. So they can't really say they want to charge parents because that some parents don't have it all.

SPEAKER_00

So, but so people are saying though that the parents are responsible for their kids.

SPEAKER_03

To me, I feel like some some parents can't control their kids. Like some don't have no say so what what they do. Like, I just I don't know. When I seen that on the news, them saying like they charge their parents, I don't feel like they should do that because I mean shit teen takeover still gonna happen. It's still happening as they put a new law in. It's still happening.

SPEAKER_00

If a parent does get charged the $5,000 fine, I think that was the fine that they were saying.

SPEAKER_03

Or one year in jail.

SPEAKER_00

So do you feel like that is going to convince you to stop doing them?

SPEAKER_03

I mean, it it has, because like I'm not finna see my mommy in jail or pay no fat thousand dollars.

SPEAKER_00

Do you feel like other organizers will feel the same way?

SPEAKER_03

No. Okay, so you Some people don't care about their parents as much as I care about mine and about mine's.

SPEAKER_00

Okay. So you feel like them enacting this $5,000 fine against parents would stop you from doing it?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, because who parents are gonna pay that? Okay. But like before y'all get on the news and say I'll let y'all want to charge parents and I'll let y'all need to do some as well. Cause it's just not the parents' fault. It's not, we just can't sit here and say it's the parents' fault. Because the parents are not the one making the flyer. The parents are not the one that's gonna be attending it. So I feel like y'all just don't need to hold the parents accountable, hold us too.

SPEAKER_00

People are arguing that we should not criminalize youth.

SPEAKER_03

I feel like if you start criminalizing the youth, we'll stop. Like jail time, you think these kids won't stop? Who wanna be in jail their life?

SPEAKER_00

I don't know. I don't think locking up people solves the situation.

SPEAKER_03

I don't say locking them up, but like threatening them with that.

SPEAKER_00

So who should get arrested? The organizers or the people who are bringing the weapons?

SPEAKER_03

The kids that's bringing the weapons, because the organizers plan it to have fun. And here come these dirty kids wanna bring guns and hype their homies up. Let's shoot up the trend. And everybody got a dump and run, switch out.

SPEAKER_00

I don't because they're always calm until the fights start.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Soon as the fight starts, that's when the trend, the takeovers really get wild.

SPEAKER_01

I ain't with the youth like getting locked up. Anybody that brings weapons, I think they should go to jail. Pure time. Fighting. I mean, you know, you can't 100% stop fights because it's just always gonna be some either some jealousy or something. And then they're not gonna stop them. They're not gonna be in there for that long because that's pure misdemeanor, so they're gonna be right back out.

SPEAKER_03

Or get us to a safe space where we could do something to come out and do. Like, instead of us meeting up at these beaches, because like me personally, I'm tired of meeting up at the beach. Like, all we do when we meet up is fight, fight, fight. Who wanna keep fighting? Yeah. I'm not finna keep fighting. Then the fights begin so wild to the point where people get junked. It should be too much. And guns come out. Gun and I'm definitely, I don't got time to be running, ducking, switching, sobbing, none of that.

SPEAKER_00

I remember one of the team takeovers that we were at 31st Street Beach.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And gunfire rang out.

SPEAKER_03

And somebody got shot right there on that bridge.

SPEAKER_00

Right there. I was there. Yep.

SPEAKER_03

People always came to me like one girl got shot, and her people started coming towards me, like, yeah, we want to figure out what's going on. Like, and that's why I kind of been clueling down because somebody gets shot, that's really back onto you. Because you the one that's organizing all that.

SPEAKER_01

Because if you never organized it, it would have never happened. So you're so far. But not not as like you the one that's doing the problems, but the planner, the always a planner gonna take the most heat. You the one that organized it, you know what I'm saying? Set it up and yeah. Go ahead. I was gonna say too, I feel like the CBD, they they getting exhausted, like the uses of CPD, because now you know the crime rates can become higher when it's trans because people know that all the units and stuff is going towards their. So a lot of crimes happen still, like you know, people know when they can go outside and do stuff. But also, CBD's been confiscating a lot of weapons that they probably be happier about. Yeah. And going to these team trends, so they be taking a lot of weapons away.

SPEAKER_00

You guys both agree that your intentions for doing these teen takeovers was never to create violence.

SPEAKER_03

No, nah.

SPEAKER_00

So, to your message to people who are saying you guys are creating violence, and I'm not.

SPEAKER_03

I'm just trying to have well, I'm grown now, like I'm 18, still coming to be grown. But when I was 17, 16, 15, no, I never had a teen trend to make it feel like, oh, this person gonna die.

SPEAKER_00

The amount of violence that has happened at these teen takeovers is very important, and we cannot negate that. And so I appreciate you guys acknowledging it. How do you guys feel about the curfews?

SPEAKER_01

Um I feel like curfews is good. Because I actually I agree with curfews because I'm actually on the side of CPD when they showing up and like shutting down a lot of parties because them shutting it down might say lives before something happens. You know what I'm saying? Get the crowd moving, get them going home, get the buses out there. Because usually what happens is when parties they go on, drama start to happen, that's when shootings start to happen. It starts to happen towards the end. Yeah, you gotta stop the problem before the problem, you know, happens.

SPEAKER_00

And so when you guys are out there and you're doing the team takeovers, are you keeping an eye on if something's about to pop off?

SPEAKER_03

I'ma always keep an eye like the last team takeover that me and him did, I knew it was gonna be a fight because all the girls is walking around with their hair tied up and boom, that they got the fight. And here come the police. Like, they couldn't really do nothing. Now I feel like the police really cannot do nothing because they like being dangerous. Shit, they human beings too, and they could die just as well as we can. Yeah. So they really can't do as much. But now how my mama was telling me they should bring the National Guard down here.

SPEAKER_00

Do you believe that Trump should send the National Guard to help with the teen takeovers?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, you know how wild is getting too many kids out here losing their lives.

SPEAKER_00

Right wing media is gonna love what you just said. Because you're saying bring the National Guard.

SPEAKER_03

Somebody suck these kids up. But it's like my mama said to a point where when she seen it at 57 Beach, my mama's like, baby, it gets wild. Like y'all out here running people over, doing all this. Bring the National Guard out. They running over police officers, and I don't feel like it should happen that way. Just come out and have fun, twerk, you know, dance. You don't have to fight. That's what I don't understand with our generation. What motivates these bad actors at the team takeovers? I mean, like, you know, some kids say they got ops. They see their ops. Like, you know, it's it's the new generation.

SPEAKER_01

They know that somebody that's not supposed to be there is going to show up. And that's why they go. But I also feel like not to chime back on something, like if we were to go in City Hall or somewhere where elected officials, would they really understand where we come from and they'd be like, we need to lock them up. What's they get their names? You know what I'm saying? Because they don't always understand. They've been kids before, but they don't maybe don't see, they probably see in why they don't go to the library, why they don't do this, you know what I'm saying? I don't think they would really understand like us from a certain standpoint.

SPEAKER_00

So for me, before I worked at the city, I was always of the tune, there's nothing to do, there's no safe spaces for kids to go to, there's nothing fun to do. But when I worked at the city, I learned about all the cool stuff that was going on. But I think what the issue is is people don't know about it. Because I didn't know about it until I worked at the city. The only reason I learned about things was because I worked at the city, and so we had access to those resources. And I think one of the biggest issues is the dissemination of the information. Because do you guys get text messages or do you see social media ads of stuff that's happening? Because everyone's on their phones.

SPEAKER_01

No, I don't think they're running good enough with pushing it out. Like no, like you know how memberships at Planet Fitness, like they push out. Yeah, I have not seen nothing except for like the new library that's gonna come out. Yeah, no bomb. But I don't even really think, to be honest, I don't really think a lot of people finna be there like that.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, so I have some questions from people that are really interested in the teen takeovers. We took a selfie earlier. I posted it, I said, hey guys, send some questions in because again, everyone has opinions and thought pieces on the team takeovers. But has anyone ever sat down with you guys and asked you why do you do the team takeovers?

SPEAKER_03

No, this would be my first second time, yeah. But this like the real time.

SPEAKER_00

But are the people who are making these decisions on if there should be a curfew in place, if there should be tickets, have they sat down and talked with any of you guys about this?

SPEAKER_01

No, I ain't gonna email, I ain't getting nothing.

SPEAKER_00

So why do you think that they're not engaging with you guys on this?

SPEAKER_03

To me, I feel like they go on the like the people like Brandon, he goes on the news, and it's like if you really want to reach out to somebody, like it's not that hard to s know who do the team think over.

SPEAKER_00

Just show up and be like, hey, who's the organizer here? Yeah. And so for us, we always met you with grace and with love, and it was always no. Because I would call you and you'd be like, That's not me. I didn't post a trend. I'm like, I'm looking at your post right now on Instagram. But yes, the thing is, is like I loved working with you because you would always you would play with me, but you would always be like, Okay, fine, like help me do this, and I'll stop doing the teen takeovers. Like, that's what you would do, which is like extortion, but I respected it because you were like, No, if you want me to stop, this is what I want. It was like, help me get a job agile, or I want to get on WGN, or I want to do this. And it was very simple asks. And that's what I have been harping on everyone. You need to sit down, talk to them, ask them what they want. Like the kid from Chicago, and I talked to him, he told me he wants me to get him to the NBA. I said, baby, I can't help you with that. But if you want an internship somewhere, I can help you get that. You know? So, okay, so I have some questions from some folks. Okay, so do you feel like more community programs would actually solve anything?

SPEAKER_03

A little bit.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, what community programs would you guys like to see?

SPEAKER_01

Keep the basketball program. Well, like they had like some stuff for the basketball. I feel like that's good.

unknown

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

A lot of people like art. What is that foosball?

SPEAKER_03

I said flag football. If they give us a safe space to do something at, like, not no wow party. You know, we could twerk, but like a safe space. Police at the door checking, not just no random boys being securities at the door. No, we need somebody that's actually being for real. We can have a safe party because anytime like I go outside, first thing that comes to mind is I'm gonna make it back home alive.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. That's it.

SPEAKER_03

And that's not that's not how sh that's not how I should think.

SPEAKER_00

What about, for example, in LA, they have a meme house for content creators can come and create content? Do you think community center where kids can come in, get the space for free? Because the city offers resources, they have a budget for youth engagement where you guys would get to budget and then kids can come and like party there. Do you feel like that's something that would work?

SPEAKER_01

I think that'll work. And the budget wouldn't be too large because the biggest problem is just the space. Yeah. If you want to bring like some snacks and stuff like that, that's pretty, that's pretty basic for them to do, you know. I just feel like why is it not happening? Like, I feel like they always say they want to see team takeover stop. I ain't seen nothing happening for it to stop it.

SPEAKER_00

But they're just politicizing it.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so I'm saying they're making money. Yeah, the companies is getting skyrocketing off this because people that, oh man, they acting chaotic, you know. They're getting a lot of views off this, I know. Because I can't go as far as like engagement. But I feel like I want to get something going probably this summer, though, probably.

SPEAKER_00

So, okay, so we have some other questions. So Brandon Johnson has been on the news saying, parents, be accountable for your kids. I know where my son is at, 1 a.m., 3 a.m., whatever. The parents need to know where their kids are at.

SPEAKER_03

I feel like some parents don't be knowing where their kids be at. And like my mama was telling me yesterday, she hate for me to have a teen takeover and she get a call saying that they found her child dead. That's mostly what be going on that teen takeovers. Either they parent get a phone call, their kid got jumped, this happened to their kid. Don't don't no parents want to see their kid go down bad.

SPEAKER_00

So do you feel like the parents don't know that their kid is out at a teen takeover at one?

SPEAKER_03

Some kids be lying, like I know, like one of my friends lied to his mama to him about he was going to go to the library and ended up at the teen takeover.

SPEAKER_00

At one in the morning?

SPEAKER_03

No, it was before one in the morning.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03

And then his mama came and embarrassed him, and it was just a lot. Like it was a lot, like.

SPEAKER_00

So what about other kids that are out at one, two in the morning?

SPEAKER_03

Some people, moms, like I just said, don't have no control over their kids. Right. Some mamas just don't care.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Some do. Like, you got some that know what their kids are. You got some parents that'll pull up on the kids. Like Mines, for instance. Yeah, she did.

SPEAKER_00

So, okay, so we have some other questions. Do you care about all the social media discourse of what people are saying about you guys online? Because they're framing black kids as troublemakers. What do you say to those people?

SPEAKER_03

Um, I don't feel like we troublemakers. I feel like we just young kids trying to have fun. Like they need to give us something like a better space to do it at police checking us at the door. Something safer. I feel like they could do that. We'd be Chicago, I'd be pretty.

SPEAKER_01

Um I got something to say.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

You know, I'm into social media, man. So I see a lot of stuff, like people do be using derogatory terms against the black kids and youth. They call them out their names. And you know, I feel like it starts too at mental health, because like what he said, like a lot of people, a lot of these teens go through stuff. Like, even maybe him and me, certain stuff, like you just don't talk about. Like in therapy, you might don't want to talk to that person because you, you know, some people don't ain't willing to open up to like to like a person like what or with therapy, you know. But I I'm I'm pretty sure a lot of these teens definitely go through in-house stuff.

SPEAKER_00

And so you live on your own. The alderman and I helped you get housing, and I mean it was an amazing opportunity for you. And now you're working at a property management company and then also at a grocery store. And when you got those opportunities and you were able to have your own housing, do you feel like that helped you stabilize your life where you're like, all right, let me lock in now and start focusing on content creating and not takeovers? Talk us through that.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, more like I feel like being me being isolated now, like have my own space, I can really just be creative now, you know? I feel like that definitely open like every day. Like I have a schedule to post like three videos a day. Like it's been people that have seen me, they be like, well, you post more than me, you know, because I have to, I feel like if I miss a day of not doing something, that's a day waste. You know what I'm saying? So I just feel like the team takeovers, I'm definitely gonna try to get to host them like structured events. I'm gonna have to try to discuss or talk to somebody. Because like I feel like what you said, if they really want it, they supposed to be contacting the people that's doing it. Yeah, you know, yeah, instead of you trying to go all around and trying to talk about holding parents accountable, this and that. Why you just don't change the way teen takeovers is how they have in it and just find an organizing and do it a better way, you know?

SPEAKER_00

Because you guys know almost all the team takeover organizers, and do you feel like they all have a story similar to yours?

SPEAKER_03

I don't know. I can't say yeah, but you would never know what's going on with somebody unless you really sit down and talk to them. Like you would never know. You would never know if they just love somebody, if they're going through depression. You would never know what's really going on. They might come to the team, take over cheese. Hey, everybody, this me. And they're not really they self.

SPEAKER_00

Right. Yeah, 100%. And so, Daryl, you grew up with your grandma, correct? Are your parents involved in your life?

SPEAKER_01

No, I you know, it's crazy. Like, like in and out, like well, my father, he was never in my life, but like my mother, she suffered from depression and stuff, so she really be like she's all over the place. So, yeah, I was raised by my grandma, but I was more so like a pioneer for like for my family, because like it's really hard. I I appreciate my grandma because what she what she did. I we might not see like eye to eye with certain stuff, but I really feel like a lot of stuff I learned by myself as far as going outside and having to be going to block parties and seeing that it's not safe. But also, too, like I suffer from like something gonna happen, I'm not going because stuff that happened to me in the past, you know. That's what people ask, like, why you don't go outside? I don't go because I don't know as I can't take a risk, you know. Some people as risk takers, they feel like I just had this situation with this young lady that came out of town. She well, she walked, she walked somewhere, like pretty far, whatever the case may be. I try to tell her, like, it's not that safe to be trying to walk by yourself. You know, just you don't never know what can happen, you know. Just because you came back home untouched don't mean the next time you go outside, something can happen. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_00

For sure. So I have someone who works at CPD who's usually that's teen takeovers. He commented and said, during these takeovers, how can we as police officers engage you all in a way that's not seen as confrontational?

SPEAKER_03

Boom. I feel like when they come, like some police officers come on board, like bull crap. Like, come and be cool, like try to, you know, get us to calm down. Like, I know at the last teen takeover at 57 Beach, baby, they was wild. But like the police always, you know, they they feel like they got so much root in the room. I feel like if they be cool and calm, and I'll I feel like I'll let women never happen at 57 Beach.

SPEAKER_00

Do you feel like the CVI workers, the ones who wear the orange shirts, do you feel like they have been helpful?

SPEAKER_03

They always helpful. I got two people that I talk to, and they know I got something coming up. And it's like now they talk it to the police. So now it's like the police are gonna be checking people's bags. You can't enter nowhere in 31st Beach without you getting checked.

SPEAKER_00

Like, same thing from the police officer. What can your peers do better to make sure that it's no police to youth interaction that becomes negative?

SPEAKER_01

I'm also on like, you know, some of the people that I know they don't like the police. Like, you know what I'm saying? It's more teens and more people than the police. So we gotta kind of think for the police. They get overwhelmed. Yeah. Some of them police officers got kids too, but like, yeah, it's all these kids we'll run around and running around. You don't know what's gonna happen because you don't know what who got and what weapons they got. So it's like definitely they just trying to make sure nobody don't get hurt, then they them making sure they don't get hurt, you know. And then they human they self.

SPEAKER_03

It's a lot though for CPD. I feel like y'all getting ran up about cars, and I'm not gonna say like the when they did the village takeover, which is our west. That was crazy. They getting, I literally watched the video that I think uh somebody from shit like it was a famous page that posted them flying a car and literally hitting. Oh, crap. I saw the police officers like, and I don't think one of the officers can't walk now. I feel like officers shouldn't have to go through that. We should also be, you know, careful because officers don't gotta be there to protect us, they really don't.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and I think that one of the things that people don't talk about enough is that there are people who come there to instigate. We actually partnered with Lyft, and Lyft was giving us codes. Remember when we had those ride share codes? And we would make sure they get home safely when there would be teen takeovers. One of the things that I noticed was a lot of kids coming from the suburbs, a lot of kids that were coming from Indiana. And I was so shocked by that because I'm like, wait, these aren't even kids from Chicago.

SPEAKER_03

It'd be so many different kids. Kids from the West, kids from India. It'd be so many kids. I'd be like, Where are you from? Yeah. And they had to say, Where they from? I'd be like, You're not from here.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

They want the experience, I feel like. They just want the experience from Chicago, but Chicago really needs to help.

SPEAKER_00

Because the kid that ran over the police officers, he wasn't from Chicago.

SPEAKER_03

No, he was not.

SPEAKER_00

Last thing message to Brandon Johnson, all the elected officials. What's your message?

SPEAKER_03

They need to put more work in.

SPEAKER_00

What does that mean though?

SPEAKER_03

Help these teams out. Like, just don't think we all bad. Like, that's what they're trying to say on the news. We all bad. On social media, like, even though like they be like, oh, these kids are freaking wow. Oh my god, don't think we just bad. If y'all give us some help and talk to us, maybe I feel like that'll work.

SPEAKER_00

Do you feel like if you had gotten grief counseling when you lost your father, that could have helped you and not end up getting in trouble and like getting arrested?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. I just feel like if I feel like I was able to talk to somebody instead of being in the dark, and first thing my man says is, I want to get my name known. And that's what I did after my dad did that. Got my name really known. And yeah, I just feel like we the teams like us, we need more help.

SPEAKER_00

Okay. We really do. And what's your message?

SPEAKER_01

Well, I would tell whoever on Brandon Johnson's team, hit me up personally at my Gmail. I'm gonna let y'all know exactly what need to be done to make because I feel like I got real like ambition. Like, I would really like get it down to like we might not stop the city parties like the people hosting. You know, people still do parties, but I guarantee the team takeovers, if we throw like once a month type parties, or like, you know, it'll work. I want to talk to somebody for real. Like, I won't just be talking to talk. Like, I'll really talk to them and really try to make something happen if they're really down and not just doing it for like, they just down and think we bad.

SPEAKER_00

But you we did a we did a whole music festival together.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, we did. It went well too.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. That is not a you cannot do that every month kind of a thing. Right. But you're saying we need to have something that is, you know, on a smaller scale and have something fun for the kids to do. And then also job opportunities year-round. You said your year-round was not perfect.

SPEAKER_03

I just feel like there's not no summer jobs, not just summer jobs because kids still need to work in the winter, spring, if they don't got nothing else to do.

SPEAKER_01

There you go.

SPEAKER_03

Teen takeovers back.

SPEAKER_01

I was gonna say this before we what I do notice is that Brandon Johnson, he hosted some some of these events for the youth to come. But guess what? The numbers is not doing the takeover numbers because they know that they're not going to be able to have fun the way they want to. And that's not saying fighting. Because everybody knows you're not having fun trying to fight. No. But they just know it's not going to be like the scenery is not going to be seen like fun, you know.

SPEAKER_00

So you're saying it should be youth-led events. Yeah. Youth should lead the event.

SPEAKER_01

Well, we're gonna we're gonna limit out, it's not gonna be no poshes and none of that. You can't have, but I guarantee it's gonna be music, it's gonna be food, it's gonna be it's gonna be social. We're gonna be able to have fun.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, I really appreciate you guys. Anyone that wants to reach out to them, you know, feel free to reach out to us at the Victim or Villain podcast on Instagram. We'll get you connected to them. We're streaming on all platforms. Thank you.