God Show Me How to Raise this Boy! 

"If I can keep you out of jails/prisons, and no teeth decays, I believe in my heart, I've  done a remarkable and phenomonal job."

On October 25, 1999, at about 6:00am in the moring, I received a call from a Ms. Coretta James, a prominent Black worman who worked in the prison system in Huntsville AL.  She Said, "Ms. Joe Ann Davis, "I said, "yes."  "It doesn't look good for KK.  I asked the judge to give her a month for her to get her business in order.  I didn't know the judge had so much illegal activities on KK.  He brought out many folders on her."  I said, "How long do I have until I can come and get the children.  She said, she didn't know, and asked if KK called.  I said, "no."  Thereafter the telephone buzzed from the other line.  I said, "hello.  It was Kalah, my grand daughter, saying, "grandma, come and get us."  My heart melted.  Although I was in the last semester of graduate studies, I w as still willing to take on the added responsibilities.  So, I rented a van and drove to Huntsville, AL all alone.  When I arrived, I noticed KK had none  of the children's clothing together for their stay with me.  Even after knowing the judge sentenced her 18 months in the Madison County Jail Work Release Center.  So we signed a notroized binding agreement that I keep her children together for eighteen months, until she was done with here sentence and that sentence was for the Work Release Center from the Madison County  Jail, in Hungsville, AL.  Where she was working as a cashier for Wendy's.

At any rate, KK was to report to Jail the following Saturday.  I drove her there along with her two children, because the children and I were leaving Alabama on our way back to Chicago, after we dropped her off.  Bare in mind that she was to be parolled the following April 3rd or 4th 2000.  In the interim, I fought againstKalah's father to keep both brother and sister together, until their mother came home.  Well, I lost.  I had no money to fight my grand daughter's family.  And Kalah's father took her back to Atlanta, GA., on June 16, 2000.  I was devastated because Kwiesi, who was only two years old, had to grow up withoug his sister.  I called KK, my daughter, their mother on her than job, at Wendy's.  Telling her what had happened.  All she could say was, "Moma don't cry."  Even then, I knew she was helpless.  So I didn't press it too hard, knowing my daughter's situation with the law.

In July of 2000, I took Kwiesi to see his mothe.  She was being released from the work release center downtown Huntsville, AL., every morning to go to work at a nearby Wendy's.  Although, I'd failed my last semester's finance class, because of her situation, I still was nice enought to bring Kwiesi, her son back to Alabama to see his mother and my daugher. 

Kwiesi and I stayed at the Laquinta Inn in Huntsville, AL for one week.  Then I grought him back home with me.  After that visit, KK told me she wold be home the following April 2nd or 32d of 200, because she had been in the Madison County Jail in Huntsville, since October 30, 1999.  Well, I called Ms. Coretta James to see how KK was doing.  That lady sid to me, "she was ashame to go by KK's cell to see her."  All she knew is that KK had assaulted a guard there in the Madison County jail, and they sent her down to prison to Julia  Tutwilia Prison in Montegomery, AL.  Then from there they sent her to another Work Release Center.   As shocking as it seemed, I was too shock to be shocked.  I could not believe she would do this to her children.   I needed her home to resume her responibilities as a mother, and hopefully get her children back together again.   Well, it didn't happen that way.  This all happened in the  year of 2000. 

In August of 2001, I wanted to visit with her and bring Kwiesi.  So I called the Work Release Center in Montegomery, AL., and spoke with a Correctinal Officer, who informed me that KK could not have any visitors, because she ahd done something and to be reprimended for it, and her visitation priviledges were taken away from here.  She blew that visit!  At this point, her out date was suppose to be December 5, 2001, months from April 2nd or 3rd 2000.  Now I am furious.  Twice I'd packed Kwiesi's clothes to give him back to his mother.  Twice I had to unpack because his mother wasn't coming home from  prison.  Yet, the real blow came when she didn't come home December 5th 2001.  This is what happened.   I called down to the Work Release Center to see how my daughter was doing, because I couldn't get her off my mind.  The switchboard operator switched me to a Warden Little.  Who has since retired.  I told Warden Little who I was,  and why I was calling.  Immediately, the Warden said to me, "KK needs to stop some of bad habits around here."  I was so frightened, until I didn't concern myself with asking the question, "What bad habits?" She asked me to call back in twenty minutes.   When I called back in the timeframe she requested, she had KK sitting near her dest, and she put us on a sepaker phone.  I said to her, "Can we get a phone call?"  Meaning I will accept prison phone charges, if only she would let Kwiesi and I hear from her.  Kalah, was already living with her father at this point.    Unbeknowing to us, she could not call, because she was in trouble inside the prison.  I never asked her what "bad habits" the Warden mentioned to me about her. I just wanted and needed her to come home to her children. Incidently, whatever the bad habits were, delayed her out-date once again, and she was no longer coming home December 5, 2001, according to Warden Little.  Before this happened, I'd blotted out everything, except saying to myself, this girl doesn't want to come home to her child, and I had to unpack Kwiesi's clothing for a third time.  I was so upset and angry at her, until I and Kwiesi became and Inter-generational, educational, motivational, and inspiring performing arts team.  A union had developed.  Something negative was becoming a postive concept for all grand mothers and/or grand parents and grand children to visualize.     We had just become "voices" for grandmothers raising grand children.  After three major disappointments and my daughter not knowing when she is coming home, I began training Kwiesi for his future.  I didn't know or have anything specific for the child.  After all his mother had told me she is not coming home again until February 23 2002.  I could not believe what I'd read.   I shouted February 23, 2002. A few more months from December 2002.  when she did come out of prison, she and Kwiesi's father came to Chicago to get Kwiesi.  I didn't want to let him go, but his overall excitement after seeing his mother for the first time in almost three years, helped me to stay back, not speak and let nature take its course.  This way I wouldn't be hurt for letting him go, with no fighting or arguing.  Who was I now that moma has come home.  I was a grandmother, at the point in my life, who became helpless.   I'd gotten attached to him.  So attached until on day while during laundry in the basement, he was about three and a half, he ran down into the basement, yelling, "grandma grandma, I can ride a bike now."  I turned and said to GOD.  I said, "God, I am becoming attached to this child.  What am I suppose to do when his mother comes home and want her child back."  The Holy Spirit came to me in an instant and said, "Give him back to her, if she doesn't do right, you can go back and get him," just clearly.  Ironic as it seems, I saw a child who was so very happy to see his mother and I would never ever come between that.  Grand mothers rind up being hurt as if the child is truly theirs, and I didn't want that to happen to me.  So I played it cool.  Sat back and relaxed.  Until one Saturday afternoon, sitting watching TV, the telephone rang. It was my daughter's father.  I thought at first he was calling me to commend me on what a good job I'd  done with Kwiesi.  Instead, he asked me, "Why did you give Kwiesi back to KK."  I said, "She's his mother!"  He said, "You need to come back and get him."  Now my blood pressure had gone uup.  Apparently, my daughter scored for her step-mother some drugs,  and it got around in the community, and it shamed him out and for some reason after that,  he felt it wasn't a good idea for KK to have her child back.  So,  he called me to inform me on what was going on with her, soon after she'd gotten out prison.  After not seeing his mother for almost 2 years, my heart would not let me attempt to say, "Kwiesi is not going to Mississippi with you." Truly, respecting her as his mother, I was praying all the while for GOD to show me how to do the right thing.  Because I didn't want anything to come back and haunt me later on in life.   We were living in Harvey, IL., just outside of Chicago.  Yet, on June 2, 2002, on her birthdate, she and Kwiesi's father came to pick him up and took him to MIssissippi to live with them, is what we thought.  

According to Kwiesi, when he reached Mississippi, and saw where she'd brought him to live and sleep, he knew he'd made a BIG mistake.  She took him from a three story building in Harvey, to live in a trailer, with resale stuff, my mother bought from garage sales.   Than stuff started happening.  People started saying to me, "you should not have let him go to Mississippi with her, until you all went back to Court  to cancel your  guardianship.  Saying,"if something happens to that child while he's out of state, you will be held accountable".  Now I am praying harder and more, I'd just gotten out of prison myself, on a drug trafficking and gun charge.  Plus, I was in school, and I surely didn't want to mess that up.  It was like history repeating itself.  Because when my daughter went to prison, I was in school and when she came out of prison, I was still in school, studying for a Management Degree.  I finished that curriculum in January 2003.  Almost one year after she came home from being incarcerated. 

Indeed, when I allowed my daughter to take Kwiesi out of the state of Illinois, I had no earthly idea, I would not hear from him  until three months later.  I'd called all around down there, trying to connect.  It appeared, my mom and my daughter got into to it over, some stolen goods.  Now, my daughter and my grand son has to find some other place to live.  I called, my mom and I didn't get along very well, so we weren't speaking, and I never called to ask her where were KK and Kwiesi living.   All of June, July and half of August, had gone by.  Around August 15, 2002, I got the phone call from my daughter, I'd been waiting for almost three months.  When my daughter called, she was living in another trailer with Kwiesi's dad.  I said to her. "Where is Kwiesi?"  She said, "Outside."  I said, "Can I speak to him."  She said, "yes." And went to get him.  I said to him quickly, "Kwiesi say "yes, or no."  Do you want grandma to come and get  you?  He said, "yes, grandma, come and get me."  I tell you I couldn't get to Mississippi fast enough.  My grand son had gone through so much in such a short time.   What was happening, my daughter was leaving my grand son with my mother, who would take him to church.  At some point there was going to be a church dinner.  Members had to vote who they wanted to bake a Blackberry pie for this Special Event.  My mother didn't get enough votes to become the designated baker and she want to support the winner, who was one of her neighbors.   Even so, my grand son said, my mom ame out of church, saying, "She thinks she's going to bake that Blackberry pie!"  Some where along the way, Kwiesi was awakened by my mom, saying, "Get up we are going over to Ms. Swamp's house.    Kwiesi knew Ms. Swamp sold a variety of cookies, candy, pops, and other little nick nacks, just like my mom did.  I guessed you.  As sleep as he was, he said saw my mom coming toward the car with an axe.  Now he is wondering, if we are going over to Ms. Swamp's house, why do she need an ax?  The destination to Ms. Swamps, was only about  two minutes, he said mom drove close to the house, turned off the car lights, took out the ax and drug it to  this ladies house, and commenced to chopping down her front door.  He said, at this point, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.  It was like something in a movie, grandma!"  He said, when she chopped the door and tried to kick it in, her foot got stuck, leaving her no choice but to chop down the whole door, in order to destroy Ms. Swamp's stove so she couldn't cook that pie for the church's Special Event.  When she my mom realized what she'd done, she started putting  fear in my grand son's heart by, telling his mother to beat him, and making him do things he didn't want to do, like chew some nasty tasting gum in church.  He didn't want the gum, and my mom was trying to make him chew it anyway.  The pastor of church, was teaching on a similar topic,  according to my grand  Kweisi,  overheard and saw the descrepency and asked my grand son to come up to him.  He said, the pastor asked him, "What are you and Ms. Hawkins over there arguing over? Kwiesi said, "She is trying to make me take gum and I don't like it."  So, he gave the gum to the pastor to chew and the frowns on his face showed the whole congregation, how nasty tasting that gum was/ is, because of the facial expressions made by the pastor.   Then the pastor, told Kwiesi to say, "I am sorry."  Kwiesi said he asked him, the pastor, "What am I saying I am sorry for? And when he said that, he got the whole congregation's attention.  They were probably saying amongst themselves, "Where's this little boy coming  from, speaking up and out like that."  This I know is very unusual for a 4 year old to do in Mississippi. The slogan is:   Childrenmust be seen and not heard.  The membes in the church, he said started laughing and looking at him as if he'd done something wrong.

September 11, 2001, is when I made it to Mississippi, to retrieve my grand son.  I'd already faxed the Guardianship papers to the local Welfare Officethere in Canton, MS.,and  followed up with a phone call to a Ms. Nixon, one of the case managers.   Specifically, I asked her, "Ms. Nixon, I am coming to get my grand son.  If I have any problems, can I get the police?  She said to me, Yyes no problems."  Well, it was a different story after I arrived.  It was evident, my mother, who'd chopped up the church lady's rstove, dipped once again in my, my daughter's,  and  her son's business.  This whole ordeal had nothing to do with her.  Yet, she involved herself, because she wanted keep hidden, what she'd done, vindictively  to Ms. Swamp's, house, door and stove.  She knew only my grand son could reveal it. But his poor little mind had gone through enough by the time I'd reached Mississippi to get him. When I did reach, I went to the old shack, my daughter was born in. 

When I arrived in Canton, I first went to the police station.  Told them my problem, and they said I must go through the proper channels, before they could get involved.  There, I saw my mother gathering okra, and my daughter near.  I could feel they were discussing me.  As gradually approached the okra patch, saying out aloud to my daughter, "I had to come down here to see what is going on."  As she was walking towards me, she said, " No, it is not like that." I never said anything to her to this date, that it was her father, who called me complaining about Kwiesi, and how, they had him telling bad jokes."  Nor did I say anything to her about her bring him back to me in July.  At this point, those phrases was irrevelant and useless.  She already knew, I'd allowed her to take Kwiesi across state lines without the Court's permission.  All I wanted her to know is what is happening "Now."  Because NOW I am down here in Mississippi to get him, and I expect to get him.  Ms. Nixion had been intouch with them before I arrived.  They, she, my mom and my daughter all had their little conference before I arrived and told Kwiesi, he didn't need my anymore.  What is that to tell a child? 

 As we walked back to the old shack, I said to her, "Lets go and get Kwiesi."  He was in school.  Without hesitation she agreed.   When I laid my eyes, on this child, I should have just turned rite around and started my trip back to Chicago, before the real trouble with Ms. Nixon, the Welfare Department, my mom and Kwiesi's mother started!  Oh, no,  I wanted to stay another day.  I felt the needed to hang around and visit with other family members. All the time my mother and daughter were plotting against me,  on how to keep Kwiesi there in rual Mississippi.      Things were going just lovely, until I went to my mother's house to use her phone. My mother and I never agreed hardly upon anything.  Yes, there were times she and I had our "run in's."   But when will it ever end.  Quite naturally, this whole situtation gave me another  outlook on life.  Here it is my mother was against me for, I say, looking out for my grand son's well being.  He couldn't do it for himself.  His mother was and still is on drugs.  I didn't know seven years later, I'd learn of her vindictiveness.  When I arrived there, my brother was there.  Nissan had just moved in a big plant for that, and there was a truck in the yard, running and I noticed it.  When I went in the door and sat down to use the phone.  I didn't see him.  I spoke to him, than he said to me, "did you speak to my moma?  I said to him, "Did your moma speak to me?"  He said something else and I gave the same sentence back to him.  When my mother saw I was not going to be subjected to her mad, and began to leave.  She followed me out side, picked up a brick, and attempted to throw it at me.  All along my brother was saying to her, "no moma!" 

Later,  I learned what the real cause of her  sticking her nose where it's should not have been.  What she did and had up her sleeves were to have those Welfare workers to come and take photos of her home, for their records to look good, saying Kwiesi and his mother was living there with her instead of the dump, I'd videod for a documentary in  At which time they thought I was video tapping to bring to the court to show where my grand son was living.  No!  That thought never crossed my mind, until later.  When I saw I was having problems with these folks, the Welfare Department in Canton, and my mother and daughter. My mother, which is Kwiesi's great grand mother,  knew I was arriving to get him, so she tried all she could to put fear in his heart for him not to tell me, and for him not to come back to Chicago with me, once I'd gotten him.  Simply because, my grand son witnessed her, my mother breaking in,  and chopping up a church member's stove.  Yet, I could not stand in the way of happiness, I saw on the child's face, after not seeing his mother for almost three years.  The child was so very happy to see his mother..  This was June 2, 2002.  My daughter's birthday. 

The house my daughter had my grand son living in, was not liveable at all.  It is and was the house she was born in.  So after almost thirty something years, the ware and tare was evident.  It had no running water, no toilet, no refrigerator, the light fixtures was hanging down out of the ceiling, there were holes in the floor, plus there was no food in the house.  There was a freezer, and my grand son said he got tired of eating noodles with Vienna Sausages with hot sauce.  Before he went with to Mississippi, I would have a full coarse meal waiting for him, when he came home from the day care and/or even after regular school.  A child should not be hungry going to school, during school, nor after school.  How will they learn anything if their stomachs are aching from being hungry.  I know.  I was hungry all the time at school.   As I mentioned, on the second day, I needed to take a shower.  So, I drove to my sister's house to use hers.  Just as I went into her house, my step-father drove up.  My daughter was in the truck.  She was getting out of the the truck as I was going back to the rental car to get my personals for the shower.  In an instant, she said to me. "Moma."  The way she said "moma" I felt trouble!  "What these people going to say, you coming down here to get my child?"  She was already pregnant with another child and had just come home from prison.  I said to her, "What did they say when I came for him when you went to prison?"  The Spirit said to me. "Don't talk to her!"  Go to town and talk to the courts, who had jurisidiction over the whole community.  So I drove to town, got me a hotel room, took a shower, and got busy on getting my grand son out of that town.  I was up against a army, but what they didn't know, God had already directed me on what to do and how to do it.  So I was well equipped with the wisdom I needed to get my grand son.  My first step after I'd secured my shower, I drove to the court house. Those White folks, thought they could treat me like those people who live down there.   It was like they wanted me to reveal what I was there to them, while other people, who had similar problems was listening.  I said to the Court Clerks, "May I speak to you in private please."  They had a Deputy there, whom I'd grown up with, he was listening too!  After they looked and saw that my daughter had not started court precedures in that court,  to get her son back, they sent me around to another court house.  This court house was fairly new.  When I walked in, there was a man sitting there.  He could see the distraughtness on my face.  He said to me, "What the  matter Ms."  I said, to him, I drove all the way from Chicago to get my grand son, after I faxed guardianship paper to the Welfare office here in Canton, to a Ms. Nixon.  She told me I wouldn't have any problems getting him."  Then the tears started rolling down.  I couldn't hold them back!  He said, "Go in that door there,t maybe some one can help you."  I went that door told those courhouse people my problem, none new how to tell me to go by getting my grand son from down there.  Now, I am more stressed!  So I drive back to the hotel, got down on my knees and began to pray.  God wants us to remind Him on his promises to us.  I said to Him, "God when my grand son came in the basement, while we were living in Harvey, and said to me in the most intelligent way, "grandma those dogs are fun, and my feeling how nice it is to be called grandma, showing it with the production of a grandma song, I said, "God I am getting attached to my grand son!  What am I suppose to do, when my daughter comes home and wants her son back?  You told me through the SPIRIT, "give him back.  If she doesn't do right, you can go back and get him.  I said, "She is not doing right, I am down here to get him, and I expect to get him!  Then I walked outside and began walking in a circle praying reminding GOD.  It worked!  Then the Spirit said to me, "Go back up there to that courthouse you just left, and speak to one of the clerks.  Immediately, I jumped in that rental car, drove back to the courthouse and sure enough, one of the Clerks rememebered me, and I told her the problem all over again.  Seriouiness was written all over my face, and she knew.  I said to her, I am running out of money, and I need to get my grand son, so that we can get back to Illinois.  Through her, GOD heard my cry, because she gave the telephone number the the judge's chambers.  It was a family judge who places abused children either with a family member or put them in foster care.  Anxious as I was, I drove back to my hotel room.  Said a prayer before I began to dial the judge's chambers.  On the the very first call, the line was busy.  I said, O Lord!"  The second call was immediately after I hung up from the first call.  He answered!  I introduced myself.  I said to him, "Judge Atvis, my name is Joe Ann Davis, I allowed  my daughter to  bring her son, whom I have guardian ship over down here on a visit from Chicago, and I faxed the necessary guardian ship papers down here two weeks ago.  Now that I am down here to ge my grand son, my mother has jumped in and asking Mamie More, Dora Witherford, Lavern Nixon at the Welfare Department here in Canton, not to give him to me!.  "She told me that when I come, I wouldn't have any problems getting him."   The Judge said, "You faxed some papers."  I said, "Yes, to prove my guardianship from the Circuit Court of Cook County, Ilinois."  He said, "Give me 20 minutes."  As I hung up the phone, I felt it would be the longest twenty minutes I'd ever encountered.  It look like soon as I sat down, and began to figure out the outccome, as I was running out of funds, a loud knock was at the door.  Policemen usually knock like that, but it wasn't the police.  It was Ms Nixon!  When I opened Ms. Nixon fell in saying out loud "She got to give you that boy!"  I looked at her at first, because I needed to get the full understanding of why she so abruptly came to my hotel in a frantic, banging on the door like that.  She said, immediately to me, " I got to do a home assessment."  I said to myself, "home assessment." I said to her, "You don't have to do a home assessment.  I have it on video.  What did I say that for!  She became so irrational, until I had to think TWICE to myself.  Why is she acting like that?  The Spirit cme to me and said, "She is acting like that because you have her job on video."  Now the power have shiffted!  Being as God fearing as I am, I said to her, "Ms. Nixion, I didn't come to make anybody loose there JOB!  Because I could see she realized herself, what a situation it was, and that she could loose her job. So, I said to her, " I came for my grand son."  Yet, my body language told her that if I don't get my grand son, I was going to expose her and the whole Welfare Department, because I had the evidence that she hadn'd done her job, and the video I took, early on.  Which, was footage for a documentary on my life.  Yet, I would  have revealed the deplorable living condition that video contained to Judge Atvis  if need be!  Those living conditions were more like "cruel and unusual punishment."  What does this tell you?  Thank you Judge Atvis! 

After Kwiesi had had a chance to live with his mother under such horrible conditions, He doesn't want to go back to live with her again.  Indeed, the only reason I let him go with her to Mississippi, is because there was a true sign of a child who loved his mother.  Now that he's been with me for almost 18 years, he want nothing to do with his mother.  Not because I talked him against her, or cohoarsed him.  If this were the case, I would have cohoarsed him from the very start.  Twice we, Kwiesi and I could not visit her in prison, because of something she'd done.  Taekwondo classes is what he was attending, when she came for him. 

MY GRAND DAUGHTER:

Kalah, only had a chance to live with us one year, before her biological father and his family took me to court for her and she had to go to live in Atlanta with her dad.  Her mother was so abusive to her, until one day, she said to me, "Grandma if you don't win guardian ship for me, will I have to go live with my mother or my father?"  I said to her, "one or the other."  The little girl said out aloud, "I am going to live with my father, if I can't stay with you."  I felt so very sorry for her, because now things were out of my hands.  I had no say over nothing!  And it hurt!  Facing the facts that I had no say so over where my grand daughter was going to live. I felt like the "holding stahl and/or the "go between" or the "middle man" holding things together until the glue sticks! I ranted and raved about Kalah being separated from her little brother to my daughter, but it did no good.  She was trying to complete a "convicted sentence" and talking about where, or who takes care of the children was of no interest to her at that time.  She knew, she'd signed guardian ship for the both of them to the Chicago Legal Aid for Incarcerated Mothers, (CLAIMS) with attorney, Gayle Smith, for me to enroll them in school, to get their shots, and everything else, needed to make her children comfortable, while she do TIME, for at a Work Release Center, downtown, Huntsville, AL and a prison in ______, in Alabama.  It took me sometime to get over Kalah not being in the household with me and Kwiesi.  She is and was a princess.  My first grand child and the first girl and the ony girl.  One day, while in the basement washing clothes.  She saw how many clothes I was washing, She said to me, "You do your best grandma" and gave me a hug, before she left for school.  Her mom abused her, until she couldn't no more.  Once, they visited and my daughter had one of "fits" on, and began taking it on my grand daughter, hitting her in her nose with her fits, making her nose  bleed.  I told her, my daughter that as long as he live, don't let me see her put her hands on my grand daughter every again.  Not while I am around.giving her a noise b.   It is my opinion drugs alcohol have of all sorts have destroyed households, until iff we don't make some type of a change, for the betterment in saving our future, which are our children, we will feel unbelievably embarrassed!

UNFLIP THE SCRIPT:

On Mothers Day' 2003, my daughter phoned my house and Kwiesi answered the phone.  While he was talking to his mother, he was whispering to me saying, "grandma tell her,  told her that I told you that I don't want to come live here.  I did!  When she heard those words, she took a deep breath and said, "He is coming."  Then I said to her, "You've got to take me back to court."  She said, "I am."   One day while raking the yard, and officer from the court, brought me a court order to appear in court, to reverse my guardian ship papers.  My daughter didn't want me to have guardian ship over her child anymore. But what she'd fail to realize is, her son bonded with me.  She'd been gone three years of his life, and every thing he knew, I'd taught him.  Ideally, a child would always want to go with his mother, just he did when he first saw when she come home from prison.  Before she gave me guardianship, he'd always wanted to follow me.  When I brought him home with me in the summer of 1999, when she wanted to leave him with my sister.  I didn't want him at my sister's house, so I sneaked him on the train, and brought him back to Chicago with me.  In August, 1999, she came to Chicago, where I was living at the time and got him.  When she knew she was in trouble with the law, and was facing a prison sentence, for eleven felonies.  During her "unlawful escapade,"  I asked, my mother to give me back my, $800 to get her out of jail. This was all part of her stealing convictions, I never knew about until my grand children, came calling me saying "Grandma, Come and Get Us!

In May 2001, Kwiesi and I donated our first inter-generational performance together on Heaven's Show Case, on Cable Channel 25, in 2001.  In June of 2001, Kwiesi and I appeared in a film titled, "The Boyz and Girlz in the Hood."  On March 20, 2003, Kwiesi and I entertained students at Bryant Elementary School, with our "Try to Stop the Air Pollution" presentation.  May 9, 2003 Kwiesi and I entertained hundreds at the Thompson Center downtown Chicago, for a non-profit organizatin, "Chicago Legal Aid for Incarcerated Mothers, CLAIMS.  On April 11-13, were guest for the Association Film Commissioners INternational (AFCI) in Santa Monica, CA., in addition to the Chicago Children's Film Festival.  On November 1, 2001, Kwiesi's birthday, the tapping from Heaven's Show Case aired.  It was our very first performance as an inter-generational, educational, motivational, and inspiring performing arts.   People who watched were amazed at this little guy's stage presentation and performance.  He did so very well as I only had four weeks to train him for the Lord's Prayer.  After  we appeared on Heaven's Show case, we received a letter from Nashville, Tennessee, the music capital of the world, to be part of their American Karoke Society (AKS), we never sung anything Karoke.  The letter came from a Chuck Whiting of Shine Records in Nashville.  He was interested in having us on a TV talkshow. 

This never happened for some financial reason.  Yet, it was a huge opportunity for us as entertainers.  

 The reason all of this writing is necessary, is because I've trained Kwiesi since he was two years.  He is now 18 years old.  When my daughter saw that I was not going Kwiesi back to her without a fight. She became belligerent. And wrote the most nasty letter and/or memo. I know she had just come home, and wanted her child, but she wasn’t even capable of taking care of herself. I thought when she comes home, she’ll be trying to get her life in a decent manner. Instead, she came home and got pregnant. Than the same neglect with this child started all over again. Not to mention the sickness he was born with, Asthma. He would actual live in the hospital weeks at a time from her beating and badgering him. One afternoon, one of my cousins called me asked me to please take the other child. I told him I couldn’t, not that I didn’t want to. But I was going to night school and was having a hard enough time taking of me and Kwiesi. I felt so bad that I couldn’t though. I didn’t want to make a difference in my grandchildren. Nor did I want one to think I love him or her more than I did them. Each time Kwiesi’s mother would motion us to court to take him, Kwiesi would tell the court he didn’t want to go home with her. Yet, he said to me, “grandma, now I know why you keep asking me the same thing over and over again, because, the attorney keep asking me the same thing over and over again. I said to him, it’s because she want to make sure you are making sure who you want to go home with.
No Step Man and no Lover in the Household:
I learned that children respects you more when you don’t have a degenerate call you all sorts of society’s bad names. I didn’t have a boyfriend before Kwiesi came to live with me, I figured I could do without that drama and disrespect. It was best, because my grandson has the utmost respect for me. So mothers, protect your “boy” and your “girls,” by doing things the old fashioned way, and that is to meet your lover in the field, the car, hotel, where ever you are comfortable with getting it one with him at, any place, except your house and/or apartment where your children are. I guarantee the man will respect you and you’ll lose respect your children have for you. Don’t let your son be a victim of the violence in the streets. Prisons and jails are filled with our youths and the
“turn around” most definitely starts at home. The only reason he or she turns to the streets is because, they are not proper attention a teen ager should get at a certain age by the mother and/or father! We can turn the trend on our children being “at RISK,” around with encouragement and not discouragement for our children. My grandson is a living witness that it works. For the young moms who doesn’t know, but the truth of the matter is, a boy child has to be told more than once what to do and every thereafter. But if you mold this child, he means more to you than any other relationship, and put more time into to him than into a “bed partner,” by the time he’s a young man, and depending on the respect and understanding you two have established over the years, you’ll be so very happy that your younger years were used by you to raise your children properly. Parents should show some interests in the child’s concerns developments and curriculums. Teach those grand children how to pray first. This is the most valuable status you can introduce to your grandchild and/or grandchildren. A boy child should know that no girl and/or woman like a stinky man, i.e., feet, mouth, body orders, and visa versa. With this trend, on grandmothers now becoming court appointed guardians, we have a second chance at teaching our grandchildren on how to be responsible for his or her actions and that there are consequences, right or wrong has to be met. The importance of education should be stressed on a regular basis. The day I brought my grandchildren home with me, the following day, I had an education show. After those two children saw the applauding, hugs and hand sakes, I received from my audience, it seemed as if they soon said to themselves, “I going to be like grandma.” In fact, they acted as if they were my class mates. Because an education is so very very important, and as soon as he or she is able to pick up a book, off to the library we will go. While I was in graduate school, I would take him along to the library with me. He and I both looked to the weekly library visits. At the library is where Kwiesi learned all about computers and how to check out regular basis, because at the library, children interact with one another. My grandson got so comfortable with the library, until he would bring home to read almost 30 books to read and he would read them all too. Just so you know, even though I was studying for a Masters Degree, I never forgot about my grandson’s and looked forward to his education.
Since our children are have mistaken having children, and allowing by law to have somebody raise them is a death threat. This is what my daughter thought about me in this letter below. It is a mean and derogatory map of her feeling towards me, while fighting to keep Kwiesi in the home with me. After all she was pregnant and didn’t have a place to live. So, what grandmother is not concerned enough not to give the grandchild back to the mother. Mainly, I never knew a drug addiction, plus being pregnant being could have a person so ragefully wicked and evil thinking. So please be all means, embrace yourself. This is horrific.
 

MY CHILD’S MIND ON THOSE DRUGS IN LETTER FORM…….
Dear Joe Ann
Truly this letter is to you is a long time coming. I have sat and contemplated on the rights things to say. However, at this point I am in no way in a position to compromise with you. On December 30, I really expected for to do the right thing. (I did do the right thing)! Even though your wish is to keep my son for yourself. I tell you though you have really disappointed me in the worst kind of way. And I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive you or forget the fact that you are trying to make me look as if I am an unfit mother. Knowing that you are not the best mother and the world yourself. I wonder what it is that drives you to be so low down and disrespectful. (If I am, how come the court decided on your child’s behalf. When the court says, “It is in the best interest of the child, than that’s who the child is going to live with, no “if or ands” about it. I had nothing to do with this decision, except for being a good grandma). Our children carry this burden saying, “she just wanted that child to get a check.” This is not true. Some grandparent work and still have guardianship for their grandchildren. I’ve seen grandparents raising grandchildren a young as two years old. The same age I got Kwiesi. The “nasty letter” I call it, written by my only child in her pregnant drug state, went on to write. “If I had known you’d trip out like this, I promise you that I would not ever bothered you with this whole ordeal. All the while I was incarcerated, you acted as if you’d be glad when I came to get Kwiesi. (She doesn’t realize that the longer he stayed with me, the more attached I became). I have learned a lot about and I have seen for myself how evil and hateful you are when things don’t go your way. I never thought tht you would try me as you have, being that you wanted the world to think that you and were so close. HA! The “nasty letter” went on to say. Well now we don’t have to pretend. Do we? After this is over, I promise you that as your child, I will most definitely exclude you from my life. That way I won’t have to disrespect you. Which is something I’ve been trying to avoid, since the beginning. (Beginning of what)? I figure I owe you this much. Even still, I’ll never confide in you in you again or even trust you as I once thought I could. Ironically as it may seem to me you have an awful amount of hatred that goes beyond my understanding. Do you love anybody genuinely? I don’t even think that you love Kwiesi. What I really that that it’s a power thing with you. Or is it that he’s make you so much money, that you can’t see yourself without him. Whatever the case may be, I am glad to inform you that his mother is fed up with you and this while custody ordeal. You’ve made it no secret on what you think, calling down here every chance to see what the hell I am doing. Why? You ain’t trying to help me! (I am raising her child, and I am trying to help her, WOW! (In order to see how my grandchildren were doing, I had to call to Canton, Mississippi to see if my grandchildren were alright. Is she nuts? She was not feeding them according to Kwiesi. He would know. Yet, he was only two when I went to save him and his big sister from the system). It is plain as day that you have nothing good to say or add to my being released. (She’s referring to her being released from prison). All negative, and then you want to talk about Moma (My mom, she referring to). Shit! You take the cake as far as I am concerned. And it’s sad to say, but folks are getting tired of hearing that same old story of how you were tread, when you were a little girl. God knows, I am. Sick, Sick, Sick. I must ask if how you were treated had anything to do with you not wanting to raise me? (All the reasons why teenagers should not have children at a young age. There is no sense of responsibility and then the baby/child suffers). Its true! She went on to write, “What the hell happened with that? I mean as bad as I miss and yearn for my kids, I want to know what is it in life that was so important then that you just couldn’t handle take of your own child. But now you want to take my child. So you can have someone for yourself. What the hell is wrong with you? You think that I’d just let you run me over and stammer all over me as you have you with my child. I don’t think so! If it takes the last breath in my body, I promise you that I am going to be the one to raise my son, not you and definitely not you and Robert. (Robert was my friend at the time.) Why would you think that I wouldn’t or shouldn’t fight to have my kids back with me? (Some mothers are mandated by the court to do certain things to prove you want your children back. She did nothing the court asked her to. All she said was, “these are my dam kids.” (In other words, I don’t have to do nothing the court ask of me to get my kids back, because there are still mines, whether I get them back or not). Oh” she says, “You want me to let Kalah stay where she is as well. I don’t think so! As soon as I finish my business with you, you best believe, with or without your support Kalah and Terry are definitely next. (Now if I am low down and evil, why would you need my supwe don’t have to pretend anymore. And I can’t believe you could love my son any more that I can simply because, I don’t think you are capable of it, if it. Especially if it is not anything in for you. Oh’ you are you are going to make Kwiesi a star, Huh! (What she fail to realize about her own son, that the child was already a star. All he needed was a grandma like me to help he execute his purpose. (She never even recognized the child’s talents). Shit! I figure if if you could have your way you’d disregard me period as his mother, and do what the hell it is you feel like with him. Well that’s what I am here for! To stop you in your tracks. I especially cannot believe that you have the ordacity to want to keep Kwiesi for yourself, when you didn’t want to be bothered with me, when I was his age. (Again, teenagers should never ever have a baby. Because we are not ready for motherhood. None of us, who are in our teens). Truly we have different motherly instincts. All I do is shake my head, because only GOD knows why you are so evil, hateful, kniving and resentful, etc. etc. Not only towards your mother but towards me also. And we are supposed to be bigger than that. Well at least we don’t have to pretend anymore. And if you haven’t made into a star in all this time, well, he just wanted be one. All your boasting and bragging about him doing this and him doing that, has not in the least impressed me. But you already know this don’t you. Oh’ the people just love Kwiesi, the old ladies, they are just so impressed with him. Ask me if I give a damn about any of them. Just like you, they could and would never love him as much as I, his mother. I am so sick and tired of being sick and tired. All because of you. You were supposed to have been my back bone, when I was locked up. You know how you are. But what you really were the devil in disguise. That’s all I can come up with. Talking about you’d be so glad when I get out so I can come and get him. When all alone you’ve been telling folks that you’re gonna make it hard for me to get him back. And that’s really the killing part of this whole thing. So, I guess we can add the title backstabber to your character as well. I never thought that you would try me, but who the hell am I. for my own self, I see you for who and what you are. Then you make like you a I get a lone so well, hell that’s because I don’t do confrontations. But I will. The way I feel now, I am about ready to go ten rounds or more with you, just to let you know that I am willing to fight or die for my kids. But wouldn’t know anything about that would you. All my life I have put up with you and your hatefulness. But not anymore. Lord knows it’ll be quite a while before I could ever think of you again and not cringe up, simply because it sickening to think that you really believe that you should raiseI or work with him as you say, and not his own mother, your so called daughter.
Joe Ann, what you did on September 13, 2002, I’ll never be able to forgive you for it. That’s just the way it is. I won’t say that I hate you. Because that’s all you seem to know. But to come here and humiliate me by taping this house and using it to you advantage, was so low down and dirty! But you already know this though. Don’t you. (To make this story interesting. (Just for the records, When I taped the house, it was my intentions to do a documentary on my life, when the time comes or if someone asked. When I taped the house, it was to do a documentary on my life. But since the idea was brought to me attention, I went along with it.) “She went on to write, “Surely, you planned it, and it worked at that time. But how do you feel about it now. You think that you have nobody, just want until the year has passed and you are able to reflect on why you are so lonely than you’ll be able to see for yourself that you did all of this to you damn self. (Did all of what? I did nothing without asking Jehovah, GOD first). This is why nothing negative , she’s speaking of never happened to me.) “Let me remind you. Kwiesi is not your son! You didn’t have him. So how could you love him so much and not the child you gave birth to. (I wonder why our children try and turn their neglect and/or responsibility for their children and blame the grandparent and/or grandmother. Grandmothers are not only supportive as a grandmother, but also, we help the system, by keeping our grandchildren out of the system and home with family. Where we feel, they belong with family. Yet, some grandmothers are not as compassionate. Some want nothing to do with their grandchildren at all.) “Don’t nobody sympathize with you. You can call down here (Canton, Mississippi) all you want, and the story is still the same. ( I have no idea on what she’s talking about.) Don’t ever think that you could ever come first before me, when it comes to my son. His father and I will always be first. (If this be the case, why aren’t you and the father able to take care of you son. Young folks think about what you are saying. The father wanted the child, but couldn’t take care of him. You needed someone to keep your children, particularly the grandparent, so you can go to prison to serve time for credit card fraud. The time was supposed to be for 18 months. That 18 months turned into 3 full years. Subsequently, what was I to do. When the child wanted nothing to do with his mother after the facts.) “You in a little while will only be a memory to him. (When I gave him back to her, this almost happened.) What you did is made yourself look like a fool. And for someone who hate Mississippi so much, you sure do have a lot of focus down here. (I did have a lot of focus, but on her and my grandchildren. Especially, after I heard that her babies’ father’s girlfriend was over near where she lived, shooting and that she told him that if he didn’t stop her, she was going to start shooting back and when the police arrives, tell them that he gave her the gun, and he did give her a gun. Now who is evil?) “Don’t nobody down here care about you. At least you did have a chance with me, now you don’t even have that. As my mother, I have set you aside just as I have set aside SATAN! You are evil Joe Ann. As a matter of fact, you’re too evil for me. I refuse to be like you in any way, with my kids as you are or were with me. You’ve never been a mother to me, so it really doesn’t make a difference of how you feel about me as your child. All I know is I can not see myself letting you just take over as if you’re a top-notch mother with faults or mistakes. (She knows I have faults and have made mistakes. Otherwise why would I have been sent to prison.) I feel you have always been a bully. You are still a bully. I can see it in the way Kwiesi reacts to you.” (Remember this readers, no child will never ever want to stay where he or she is being mistreated. They know and feel the difference. This is why Kwiesi wanted to live with me. It will take him to tell the story.) It’s no telling how you and Robert are treating my baby. (Now she’s worried about how we treat Kwiesi. When Kwiesi didn’t want to live with her, because of the way she was treating him. Once again, no child will never ever want to live or reside where he or she is being abused in anyway. Teenagers please remember that!) “When I think about it, it warms my blood. You are evil like that. How the hell I let you keep my kids in the first place is the question. (It warms mines to, to think about how you are not feeding them but feeding your drug habit. Yes, I had a drug problem but I also have friends who does drugs, and their children wants nothing or have nothing to do with drugs. How is that?). “I wished I’d let Walter keep Kwiesi as he had asked. No! My stupid ass, as you’ve stated so many times wanted to keep my kids together. Thinking that you’d be the one to do jus that for me. (She doesn’t know that Kwiesi had already told me that when she asked Walter to keep him, his reply, was, “why can’t he stay where he is, with his grandmother? So, who looks like and a sound like a fool now?)” “KK, kept writing, saying, “To say that I am glad Kalah went on to with her father is a dam understatement.” I feel she should have let Kalah stayed with her father anyways. After all she’d just come from Georgia for the summer. Then I would have had to go through the humiliation of going to court trying to keep HER children together. Shit! You fucked that up, by taking Kalah over to Washington house. (Kalah didn’t just up and move with her father, at which time I was deeply hurt, but her father’s family hired an attorney. Leaving the judge no other alternative but to give a father his daughter in a court of law. KK did nothing to prevent this at all. How could she? She was in Huntsville, Alabama in jail, waiting to be sent to prison.) “What you thought, she asked? They wouldn’t pursue a legal matter. Or maybe that’s just what you wanted them to do. For the life of me, I can not understand to this day what the hell possessed you to do that? Was it because of money? (What money have to do with this situation. I never asked any of them for a dime and they never offered.). “Well knowing you, probably so.” She went on to say, the plan of keeping my kids together fell through when you so absentmindedly pursued the task. Than you wonder why I didnpt fight for hard enough for keep them together. Shit, for what? You had already fucked that up. So, I asked why do you think I should let Kalah stay where she is and let Kwiesi continue to live with you?” (This was all a mind set on drugs talking). “Apparently, you have no idea what it is to be a mother. Otherwise, I could not see you taking me through this. I want to be around my kids and vare for them and appreciate them, as little people and watch the grow to be even better and productive adults. This you did not want to do with e., if so how is it that you think you should have this with any child. “What you need to do is get over the past.” (Doesn’t look like she’s gotten over the past, point blank. Sometimes we need to clean up our own backyards before we try cleaning somebody else). “I tell you, it’s god to know that I no longer have to pretend with you about anything. Things between us have never really been all that good. This you know yourself. (How can she speak for me?). But to respect you as my mother, is really what I’ve tried to do. (The only reason she was respecting me it sounds, is because she needed me to do something for her, and that was take on the responsibility of being the grandmother, I am.) “”I wanted to give you first choice in the matter simply because. But never again.” (What she doesn’t realize is I was hoping “never again.”) “Now that I know how you truly feel about me, ad to have you insult my abilities as a mother, you and I will never be the mother and daughter you so hoped and wanted to be. It’s a dame shame, that I have to ask you to let my son come and go with me. But guess what I am not going to ask no more, because I expect you to do the right thing, plain and simple. You have caused me enough pain and suffering for a lifetime!” (As if I didn’t cause myself pain and suffering, by taking own her responsibilities. She’s right, I shouldn’t have had to be his mother, just his grandmother. I was perfectly satisfied with that. She made me a guardian.)” “Yet, she went on to write, I ask the Lord not to let me hate you. (She could not see from being under the influence of her addiction.) “That I think you would like. Since you thrive on being rude and obnoxious. (That’s on her; if she wants to hate me for helping her with her children when she was down. However, I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this. But this restaurant owner, who had seven grandchildren. Subsequently, every other day, we’d go there to get my uncle food. Who was on dialysis. This was before Kwiesi was of school age i.e., 3. “You are a good grandmother.” I have seven, and I don’t want to have anything to do with any of them.” She told me one day, after casing our situation. And as terrible as it sounded, I thought what have those children of hers done to her, for her not to want to have anything to do with the grandchildren. I never asked and she never said. What if those poor grandchildren needed her. While she was in a better financial position to take care of them. She was in the restaurant business and customers were standing and sitting all over the place.)” My daughter went to write, “And it’s a shame that you just don’t caae how you hurt other people. As longs as someone is doing something for you, or you’re getting something out of the deal, you’re fine. (To bad I never got nothing out her ordeal, but to raise her child, even after I gave him back to her, only for her dad to call me and said I needed to come back and get him). Then she went on to say, “Did you ever think that maybe Kwiesi wanted to be around his mother and father. You probably couldn’t comprehend on the fact that he does have a father. Beings that WALTER (her father) dogged you out, when you were pregnant with me. (How silly! Who thinks like this? People that are on drugs and are alcoholics are hard to reason with.) My mother and father left me, she went on to say, without a care in the world. So I guess you feel I should feel the same. Well guess again, It’s because of the fact that the two of you were not there for me, that I am so adamat about being there for my kids. (If she had been there for her kids, she would have thought many times over, before committing her credit card crimes, knowing she would be going to jail and/or prison if caught and convicted. This is crazy thinking. I promised myself that neither he nor Kalah will ever know the hatred in this family. (What hatred? I never told her I hated anyone in the family. I told her I never wanted to live around them, only visit.) “Even though it may be too late for Kwiesi, because of your influence you had over him for the last past three years. (Remind you, I was only supposed to keep my grandchildren for 18 months. That 18 months, with her bad behavior behind those bars, she didn’t get to come for three years. So some good influence on her child was so better than none, especially when the influence is coming from a grandmother. The child can’t go wrong.) Then she wrote. “ I think it was a shame how you allowed him to treat you own mother.” (My mother got just what was coming to her, because she kept turning the television off and wouldn’t allow the child to watch his video. So, she was picking at him and the child gave her a piece of his mind. I could not have told her any better how I felt! (This child of mine can’t make me any more disappointed in her. Not because of how she is feeling towards me. I assume this is natural. Because I hear a lot of children talk about their mothers, and/or the grandmothers who love their grandchildren with or without getting a check. A check is a necessity, but also is the love that you show the grandchild.) This psycho-path and child of mines is so very manipulative. This is why I am writing this book. To show people without experience and the street knowledge on how people with altered mines act. No matter if they are on prescribed medication and/or street drugs. It’s all the same. The only difference, is he government allows legal medications with all necessary names on the label. Street drugs are illegal, and if caught, you go to jail and if convicted, you go do prison time and/or lose your job, a catch 22 situation. “Just so you know that, when we do settle this custody battle, Kwiesi will be deprogrammed. Cause right now, you got him thinking that he can do or say anything to anybody, and that’s not the case.” (She’s right! It is not the case. Kwiesi hardly ever talks to anyone right now. He is bashful, and very respectful.) Then she writes, “You’re too busy keeping up mess and making other people’s lives miserable.” (Why doesn’t she think my life is miserable too. I’d become a mother plus a grandmother over night, was raising her child and flunking out of night school all the same time. Simply because I took on her child raising responsibilities.) “You know in that area, you have done more damaged than good in that area. All I can say now is that I am glad that my kids have their father’s people to be around to show them love, because there is some who does love him in this socalled family. You, Joe Ann keep up a lot of shit to be your age. (I was enrolled in graduate school. Yet, the shit she is talking about is because that one day, I saw her and her some interactions after the judge gave her a visit for that day at McDonald’s on 87th street in Chicago. When this was handed down by the judge for Kwiesi to visit three hours. He asked his attorney, “Do I have to?” His attorney said to him, “You really don’t like your mother, do you?)” He shook his head, “no!” The child showed no respect for her in the way he was talking to her. I couldn’t stand to look at her, because of her appearance. So, I cut the visit 15 minutes shorter. The visit was supposed to be for 3 to 5:00PM, but the last 15 minutes was so intense, until I could not stand being or even seeing my child in that situation. Furthermore, Kwiesi’s attitude towards her on that visit, seemed like it had no meaning. It was as if she had to prove she was his mother. Who knew this better than me. So. I just sat there until I’d had enough of her and him babbling about nothing. Most importantly for me, when I walked passed her, she said, “My time visiting my child is not up yet!” I said to her, “Yes, it is!” “ You and your child have taken up too much of my time already! I am leaving!” I than said to Kwiesi, “Kwiesi if you are coming with me, you better come on.” He hurried up and jumped down from that table and ran to catch up with me. As I was walking out of McDonald’s door, I looked back to watch her moves, she’d come out with the cell phone. I assume she was calling those court people to report how the visit with me, her and her son went. At this point, I was tired and didn’t give a dame myself. After court that day, that night, I had a severe panic attack that lasted for almost 15 minutes. I couldn’t feel myself breathing, so I began heaving. It was so very scary. Yet, I was so very blessed that Kwiesi was not there to see me in that type of bed ridden predicament and/or situation. Jehovah, God sustained me from all of her problems of trying to save my grandchildren from a system that is already overcrowded and corrupted. However, on October 27, 2002, I got caught up in a Nigerian Check Cashing scheme as foolish as it may seem, I never knew people could just go into someone’s bank account and draw out their money, with a check they’ve made up on the computer from Bank of America. Somehow, I became desperate and needed the money without even thinking, “this sounds too good to be true.” Vanessa Page, who was dating this Nigerian, was recruiting her friends to cash check for him with a fake pitch saying, “He is a King/Prince and had lost all of his identification and needed to get some money from his parents account, and asked if I could do it because he had no ID. I asked her, who had been cashing the checks, she said, they could not contact the people who had helped before. She went on to say, when you cash it, you will get $2000. The fact of the matter is, had I known this was a “Nigerian Check Cashing Scam,” I would have kept all of the $9800 and slipped out the back door of the bank. Than those crooks would not have never known I cashed the check. But me with my honest self, thought it was a legit and legal matter that needed to be addressed, and to help. Helping got me into a whole lot of trouble. Convicted yes, even after I’d shown all of my correct and valid identification showing that I had no idea, this was a scam. Yet, life have taught me to be on the lookout for schemes like this one and other. The internet is another misleading tool, hackers and criminals use to get people’s money. It’s a shame. She went on to say, “Even though I am sure you are embarrassed enough, still I can’t leave this out of court on December 30th. Then again, who knows, my heart is not like yours. I don’t take pride in putting folks down, cursing them out and bullying them. That’s your territory. You’d rather leave him in the care of Robert, who you yourself have told me leaves him home by himself. (She use to leave them. So! What’s the difference. Is it because she is the mother?) “ But I am ready to bring this whole ordeal to an end. Cause you have disturbed y life for the last and final time. (As if her going to prison and/or being in trouble didn’t disturb my life.) How soon we forget!

MY DAUGHTER’S LETTER TO THE JUDGE.
Dear Judge Kawmoto:
On December 30, 2002, my mother, Joe Ann Davis and I will appear before you to discharge her as guardian of my son, Kwiesi Davis; In December, 1999 she was granted such guardianship due to my incarceration. Never the less, it was understood between the two of us, that I would regain custody of Kwiesi upon my release. (But after 18 months, that 18 months turned into three years, and it was from October 1999 to February 2002.) “As of now, my mother has found it difficult to release Kwiesi. Your Honor, as Kwiesi’s natural parents, his father and I would like the opportunity to take care of him, as we have from the beginning.” (If she and her father was taking care of Kwiesi, why did she call me and ask if I would keep the children for her, if the father was involved. Had this been case, I should not have had to take on her responsibility, if the Kwiesi’s father was there for him. Think about it!) “However we do not choose to disrespect or be disrespected in this process. It is my mother’s intention, as she has stated that she will keep him so she can have someone for herself.” (Is this logical? Why would I keep and or fight her for her son, and my grandson, just to have a child to myself, if she was feeding him? This is insane. Had she said I took her child to take care of him, because she wasn’t, I’d say, “Yippie!” She finally GOT IT!) “My child’s drug mentality went on to say, plus she has not been reluctant to remind us, that she has legal custody of him. It appears to all one big game with her. Such an ordeal has upset the whole family. At the present time, there is an enormous amount animosity her and me. In May, I sent her a letter stating I was coming to Illinois get back my son. Because I felt it was time to bring it all to an end, as I became pregnant with another child after prison, and I wanted my oldest son to be with me to help change diapers, fix bottles of milk, and wash up behind his little brother. (I thought to myself, now you are going to allow him to take on some responsibilities of an adult, while you sit around and do drugs. I don’t think so. However, if anyone want to know the real reason I fought so hard to keep Kwiesi, is because, he needed to be a child and not a child with adult responsibilities, and according to what I am reading and what she said, I was not going to let that happen. Why? Because my mother put most of her adult and childbearing responsibilities on me, and I resented it. Consequently, on June 2, 2002, Kwiesi’s father and I arrived in Illinois to do just that! Yet, when we arrived, Joe Ann had no problems letting Kwiesi leave the state of Illinois and bring him back to Mississippi with us. (I had no choice. When the child saw his mother, he was so happy and shouted out, “That’s my moma!” So, I stood back, and said nothing, allowing him, Kwiesi to be and/or go with his mother and father. But he later found out, leaving and going to Mississippi to live with his mother and father was a big mistake. But he had to see for himself, and as much as my life depend on it, I was so glad. Because I was so very tired of going backwards and forwards to the same old “guardianship drama.” I needed and wanted to move on with my graduate studies, and dealing with my daughter and her children was making my education and other situations difficult to deal with. So, something or someone had to go. It was just happened it was my daughter and this is why she is so “ragingly” upset with herself. Because she knows she has not done right by her children. So, she tries to give everyone, excluding herself a “guilt trip,” for her drug addiction. That caused her not to be able to take care of her children in the way society expects a mother to care for a child.



Subsequently, when my daughter did come home, she came to Chicago and got Kwiesi.  Sixteen years later,