Christopher Ransom and Kemali Green

00:00 Hi, my name is Christopher Ransom, age 29. I know Kamali from program to downstairs are on Rikers Island. My name is Kamala green and I know Ransom from downstairs programs. OK? Google get us started.

00:19 First thing first,

00:22 So when and where were you born when and where I was born?

00:27 Let me see some of July 1991 and Manhattan.

00:40 And what did you grow up? Grow up in Brooklyn?

00:44 What was life like, growing up in Brooklyn?

00:50 I will be in a bad neighborhood. So it's like,

00:57 Survival like no. You can't go out there to be. No. Punk know. Sometimes people going to try you. But you know, you got it. You got to Rise Above It, Crown Heights.

01:14 So,

01:16 You said it was rough? ER do you mind sharing?

01:21 How about a flipping? What's, what's your favorite thing about Brooklyn?

01:30 The culture.

01:34 Does the stop the style of how we dress, the food? We eat the things, you listen to stuff like that.

01:48 Seafood, Dixie 54 fan. I go out by. When I go out with my girlfriend whatever like she always get a attitude with me because I'm always order the same thing. Salmon and seafood fried rice, no matter where we go. Like, it's always the salmon. I want salmon. What will come with the Potato Famine?

02:23 You know, it really hurt your pockets when you when you order in the seafood cuz you know that do most of your childhood.

02:37 Oh, and I was adopted out and I was like a little boy when I was a baby, but my my my biological mother was using drugs, so

02:46 So, when I came out late, they just took me from her right away and get in, and I wasn't supposed to see if I can couple of weeks. And then, I'll come lady. That wasn't familiar with my family. Took me in, and then she adopted me when I was 10.

03:05 A lot.

03:09 So, do you remember that feeling you got, when, when they, when she came in and got you and then how could you tell me what a feeling somebody wanted me to be?

03:22 Soca before you got adopted. What was it like in the group home? I was always in the house. But when somebody trying to adopt me to take years for that, actually go through because sometimes your body family trying to fight to get you back. And inside a lot of procedure, lot of paperwork. They got to be filled out. So it took like 10 years for them to finalize it, but I was with her since I was a baby since I was at 6 months old.

03:51 That's really all I know. So like she's that the best thing that ever happened to me.

04:00 And that she passed away when I was 11, but before then I was able to get to know her by visiting her and stuff like that. I don't have that much to lease a new relationship, but I know her before she passed away. I knew what you was.

04:17 Yeah, sorry for your loss. How did you feel when you got the news that he passed away? But it was at fault for fax. My mom is not here no more, but I didn't get that. That, that pain that you feel when your mom passed away, cuz I didn't really know her. As my mama. I'm not knew she was my mom when I didn't have that mother-son relationship, it hurt though, but my other brothers, that was older, that knew her soaking my heart and I took it so I was really more trying to comfort them.

04:56 So, how many siblings do you have?

05:03 I'm not the baby, but I'm the next to the baby. Some of the youngest is 28 + 29.

05:15 I mean, I'm cool with two of them one and one of them is the oldest one is my primary supporter. While I'm in here right now. I eat put money on my books and, you know, buys me things that I need to survive in this place to eat is good. But some of my brothers I haven't we talked to like that lately. They living their life.

05:36 I can't get mad at them for that.

05:40 Yeah.

05:43 I'm doing alright, Greg and Brooklyn.

05:56 How was that? It was good and bad.

06:03 No, the gutters. I messing with lifetime friends. I learned a lot about the books and also the real world by socializing with people.

06:15 And the bad.

06:18 Like I said, you know, broken of the Doggy Dogg Pound, so I was like, at first, you going to a school especially High School.

06:28 You know, people already been there for years already and I you got to got to get in where you fit in and I first it wasn't easy for me.

06:38 I want to tell them the Caribbean school is from Jamaica or some type of Caribbean island. How many football into it was good?

06:53 Got kicked off after while, but I played to my junior year.

06:59 Play safety.

07:03 So yeah, you may

07:05 Brooklyn is very Multicultural, you know, place and it has a lot of Caribbean roots. She's on the south.

07:20 If he found a town over in, with my parents, whoop, you is, he was with me. Why are you not know who's all? I was bad? So I needed that. I don't want no cops coming to a child abuser.

07:36 Yeah, I'm doing good. I don't make sure that's when they charge. I'm not trying No More by the way.

07:50 You. So do you have any sisters? Cuz he mentioned some brothers. Like she's not my sister, but she's she was delighted to my mouth. My adopted mom.

08:06 So that I can fill out my sister then, you know.

08:10 What about you have a relationship with your biological father. He just passed away. Like I don't know if I'm locked up right now. I know that I have to go to the funeral from here by so, you know.

08:30 Different because I wasn't really able to be around my family. I have to leave on my own but I'm glad that the deals he took me there, you know, they aint have to do that. So they do have to do that, but I appreciate them for doing that.

08:46 I wish I was, I was free. So I could you know, be able to grieve with my family would have been better.

08:58 In recent times covid-19 has like shifted the Paradigm of like, life in general in this country, you know, in this state to be exact as City, how has covid-19

09:14 Employment package your life, man. I miss going to the barbershop. I mean, I know you guys can't see you guys. You can only hear me, but I need a new haircut, right? How has it affected me? As an affect me much. I mean, I'm not allowed to go to court, which I need to. I need to do to finalize my case. And, you know, people are other people ask where we have is a social distance to try and people have to wear a mask at certain places and it is what it is.

09:48 And I'll sign people passed away that I know of. I don't really know them like that, like that. So I didn't really affect me much, but I know I packed a lot other people.

09:58 More. A lot of people lost their lives to this. I don't take it as a joke.

10:04 Did you ever catch covid-19?

10:09 Negative all the way.

10:11 I asked you to call Hitman.

10:20 Covina ready for Christopher. Ransom used to say that physical visitations. Yeah, but we can still see how people do video anyway, but you can see them but you can see them on the video. So it's not that much of a big deal. It's just

10:51 You wish they was dead, but that's about to come back soon.

10:56 I think the numbers are going.

11:01 Yeah, it is. So I got vaccinated and stuff.

11:08 Who has been the most influential person that you met?

11:13 Most influential person that I'm at.

11:18 I like a person that, you know.

11:21 Impacted your life somehow that don't, you know, you could have looked up to

11:26 All my life. I ran into certain people, that, that, that, that helped build my shape, my character.

11:35 You know what high school do the dean that used to always look out for me. Cuz I like I said, I was bad and he looked out for me in and made sure that I stay in the classroom and I wasn't around people that was going to give me in trouble. Then we graduated high school. I mean, I give a lot of credit because a lot. So the fact, the fact that I finished a lot of credit to him, you know, I did some college too and I miss them people in there that taught me a few things and I are friends that told me some things to, You Know, Each one teach one.

12:19 Some positive, some something, the positive, a lot of things and negative, but it's all. It's all a lesson.

12:27 And I know it's all a lesson.

12:31 Where did you go?

12:33 I want to make 1000 schools, take me to go to college of the scan to get free money. So they used to give us for that too.

12:45 I was I was going to Kingsborough and went to the car. I want to the college and I went to the College of New Rochelle and I went to NASA and then I guess I was just doing too much at the school to kick me off the team and I just stopped going to class. Then I went to Kingsborough because it was in Brooklyn and it was girls there. So that all. Wow. I want their I kicked out and I went to college New Rochelle and I finish their got my bachelor's. That's cool.

13:23 What was your experience?

13:26 Getting that degree cuz I know it wasn't. It wasn't easy. Especially you moving around a lot. I Was 80. I mean, once I got to ask my mom, just wanted me to graduate college. You took care of me, Imma do this for you, but I treated the whole way through it, but I used to play on my paper. So it's a sight, you can go on where they got mad papers. That's at the paper, but it was worth it. I graduated.

14:05 I got my bachelor's for this place around and go on at 5.

14:12 And that's pretty interesting. But yeah, there's a whole Black Market in college.

14:18 Oh, yeah, it kind of threw me off a little bit by getting kicked out of those other schools out. I got to hurry up. I'm not I'm going to be studying at times to be. I just got to just find the quickest way out.

14:43 So what made you decide to go with Communications as a as a major, easiest criminal justice and Communications into easiest majors in Liberal Arts. And I was trying to do sign in the science. Majors are biology Majors going to like that.

15:03 I apologize to you.

15:13 That's pretty hard.

15:15 Getting a degree or kind of automatically, get liberal arts.

15:20 And lipgloss is good cuz you get to study everything. You get to know a little bit about all this subject and mages and stuff.

15:27 And so will you plan on going back to school?

15:34 I answered that. You got any career goals. Yeah.

15:41 And I want to have my own business primarily in the film filmmaking industry. I like to, I want to make movies and I did a couple of short films before I got locked up.

15:53 You got a favorite favorite director.

15:57 A person that you really admire and Tyler Perry, because he was homeless and

16:06 And I hate you worked all the way from the bottom and Rose up, you know, he didn't give up on his dream, you know, he was doing theater than I think. Yes, the madiha Shah. He was trying to use trying to question. What happened was he was?

16:23 He had like six or seven shows and he was expecting to turn a certain amount of a certain person to come and for the first time so they didn't show up. So he was going to give up like maybe I might not get the funding. I need from this person. He is. He's not showing up on my shows in the last one. He showed up and then the guy fell in love with his, his theaters Madea shows. And he responded. And he gave him the fondant.

16:49 He could have gave up after the 4th or 5th show cuz the guy wasn't coming. So they what? But he kept going, except he kept going and at first it was discouraging because he wasn't showing up.

17:00 So he's at he kept doing it. So that was big for me. I Was A Life Lesson. Just have you. If you want something you got to keep pushing.

17:10 Feasibility.

17:12 I admit it. I know that either.

17:24 Gotcha, so,

17:28 You plan on having kids?

17:31 Yeah, it was funny that since I've been here. I've been thinking about that in the streets. I have to admit, I was thinking of us on the family. I was worried about me. You know, I'm still worried about me, but I do, I do want to have time for somebody else. I got a family, I want that.

17:51 And so, you know eventually when you when you start a family and let's just say down a lot 10 years from now your future children to get access to this interview. What message would you have for them?

18:08 A message with a half of them.

18:15 Future Generations as well. Work hard for what you want and try to try to do it. Delete try to do it the legal way and follow the rules. Follow the rules meaning

18:29 Not paying for school. Yeah, basically, you know, like, you know, start that he got jokes. You can be whatever you want to be, just put your mind to it and stay away from them. Stay away from find. Stay away from breaking. A regular school is the seed to breaking news at home. Breaking news in school is going to lead you down the path to eventually break and breaking the law. So just follow all the rules.

19:00 Just got out of the following, all the rules to Breaking the Law Adventure, me.

19:10 Yes or no, but you don't follow those rules and you go to school. You don't follow those rules.

19:21 You go to work, you keep being fired for not following those rules, and then eventually he's going to lead you into the streets. And you ain't got, but you're not going to follow those rules and then you going to be in jail.

19:35 Tell my kids not to and I'll just have to follow the rules.

19:39 In the go about it. The legal way, though. The jail way to the right thing.

19:45 How would you like to be remembered?

19:49 I thought deep restaurant. How do I want to be remembered? Like I'm not no longer here, right? I'm only 29.

20:08 I don't know.

20:15 What are some things that you you would want to be known for?

20:22 I'm being a leader for being a good person, for providing for his family, for living his life, having fun.

20:34 I guess it sounds like something.

20:43 I want be a legend talks about long after death, you know, people still, look, look up to the person, trying to imitate imitate. His lifestyle is listening to it from their cars outside today because they can't come in no more. So many people in this is over capacity. I've been looking like if I can get the about you and time, I can't get into it to overcapacity and I'm outside. He's crying over him jealous like

21:37 I think it would just be weird though, right now. I'm jealous of the Dead dude.

21:45 Well, the rapper Fabolous and a couple other people pull up with me. I'm just jealous of the Dead. Do not catch mice.

22:07 And it's crazy. You better know this because when I asked you that, you know, how you want to be remembered as being. Okay. Cool. Yeah.

22:23 Can you name some people? You think of Legends Legends? Recently, Kobe Bryant when he died like the world show that you felt like I was in population when he died to all the indicators isn't people with you all know him and I are you affecting my growing up. Like that's why I watch some TV and router for that was my first life for tea room.

22:56 Kobe, every time I make a shot.

23:00 So are you. Otherwise?

23:05 Today's date.

23:17 You, when I found the news, my mom called me. She was.

23:21 Call Brian. I am like my signals.

23:25 Google it and I couldn't believe it. I just like it's so unexpected and he's like such a big star and a lot of these guys like, you feel like they're Immortal Kobe Bryant. And honestly, I'm Allen Iverson fan braids. When I was younger. I was my God. It was a call to set up.

23:54 Andouille. Sausage.

23:59 On and off the court, he's been, do you supposed to do you too talented, to to waste away the way he did?

24:08 He was doing too much like the interview you made it and people looking up to you A lot of people down man, but he was ready to beat himself. So he kind of opened Pandora's Box old basketball players. Could be them self. So, you know, you have a man in person.

24:57 What do you call a person? But my girl, my girl. But the girl I was with wanted to say hi to him and that's hard not to laugh. When I go over there and she was like, I'm going over there and didn't get a chance to Hollywood.

25:30 I just sat down and watched her not to do it. I'm not going to get out there and I told him to go to other than Kobe. Bryant. What are some other legends that true?

25:47 Legends President Obama like to see a lot of history being made. First black president. Recently have a first black female vice president. That was good to watch on TV.

26:17 Law.

26:19 A lot of people I gave you three.

26:27 But this, this might be another interesting question. What does your future hold?

26:35 My future.

26:37 It depends on how my present is. It is it?

26:42 It depends on how my present in a situated. Because can I talk about the case or no? What's the weather right now? I'm currently incarcerated because

27:04 The officer was killed in the line of duty while responding to armed robbery. I was a part of and

27:13 Now they shot a lot of bullets and I got shot by the time school, but the officer got shot and killed.

27:18 But not by me, of course, but by Friendly Fire, the offices of shooting me and it accidentally shot the other officer, so he died. So right now like I'm facing a long time in jail. So if I can get out of jail, you know, I think I'm learning my lesson and I'm going to go straight in the world. Even if I don't and I wind up staying here for a long time.

27:51 Live and see my purpose being fulfilled. I'm still going to do great things, no matter where. At where I am. I'll find a way to live my life, you know.

28:00 Yeah, just in just by judging on your story in the conversation. We have it. I'm confident that whatever your journey goes. Like. I know you're going to make the best of it for sure. I know that for sure. And it does that sounds like a very traumatizing, you know, events that happened in you being shot 8 times 8, times the same borrow Queens.

28:38 But yeah, that's. That's a lie and

28:41 , miracle that you survived. That's a lot of a lot of times, the person who get shot one time and password.

28:52 So do you feel that a lot of people they judge you just based on your case about some people do ya?

29:01 But you know what, I'll be doing the outside. It really doesn't matter. As long as it's not something too crazy. I don't want to get into that. Do but for what I'm here for a case, but

29:17 You know, they judge you based off in the how you are when you here. So you start reputation and all over when you get here. They don't care what it in the street. They care about what you do here. So.

29:30 For the most part charges that people do care about when you get here, but for the most part you start your, you get a chance to start over. Once you get here, people don't judge you off of what you did out there too much.

29:44 Start the basics to make a name for myself.

29:49 All over the all over again.

29:56 Do you have any regrets?

30:03 You only mean now you don't have a lot of regrets and I did some good things about it. A lot of bad things.

30:11 So, lot of regrets, what are some of the good things you would like to do in the future?

30:20 What about my mama house before she died? And now she a doctor when she was on 50th, and now she's at 70th and she's going on, 80 this year in May.

30:30 I want to be able to get out of here, you know, if I can't get out of here, when I want to get out of here. I want to be able to finance her house from wherever I'm at. Get get, get her out of that neighborhood in her last. Good years. Not worrying about bills. I want to be able to be the one to do that for.

30:51 Least, I gave us something, you know, met the problem.

30:55 Yeah, it sounds like The Honorable thing you have any last words of encouragement to, you know, anybody listening in the future?

31:03 Like I said before, you know, you can be whatever you want to be.

31:08 Heathen.

31:10 And I believe in yourself. Go to school.

31:14 And I stay out of trouble following and follow the rules to those rules is what trips do. You know, if you don't follow them eventually you're going to end up in a bad place where you don't want to be. So just follow the rules and to try to do.