Von W. by Greg County
He walks in the dorm with his belongings and says, “ I’m Von, Playboy Hustla Crip”.
Von is very high energy and seems to have some sort of relationship with everyone, no matter how big or small. Von is hyper vigilant, and not much gets past his wide, shifty eyes. I have concluded that life and its experiences can produce an extra eye or two on the back of your head, and that is what Von had. Did I mention that Von is high energy? Every time we’d have yard, you can expect him to be outside exercising, running, or playing some sort of physical activity. That boy got energy! When I first met Von, I noticed that he had this country drawl in conjunction with his L.A.-inspired vocabulary. Von grew up in Arkansas half of his life, so there is no taking the country out of that boy. Von turned out to be one of the greatest workout partners I have ever been blessed with. We would take turns picking the workouts to try and break each other down, but most of the time, it seemed impossible. I spent four and a half years with Von at California Men’s Colony San Luis Obispo. Believe it or not, Von and I became best friends in those dark circumstances, and blood could not make us any closer. Von would always make me cook after our workouts.
Knowing how tired I was, he would stop at my bunk on the way to the shower and say, “What chu cookin’?” In our journey together in prison, Von managed to make a decision that would change the trajectory of his life forever. Von decided to work towards becoming a firefighter. When my parole date came, Von let me know that we would be friends for life and by the look in his eyes and all the shit we’ve been through, I believed that statement.
The morning I was paroled, I could see that Von was happy to see his boy leave but also sad that his brother was leaving. Von is the definition of style. One thing Von loves is to match. When I see him these days on social media or when he stops by the house, the bar from ASAP Ferg’s single, “Work”, always plays in my head. “Coogi down to tha socks like im Biggie Poppa”. That boy fly! Von is what I am not. What I am, Von is not. If you know, then you know. On always seems to find ways to let me know I’m stuck with his country ass. Whether it is through a TikTok affirmation, text message, or a call. Von is a black man. Von is an Ex-Con. Von is a firefighter. Von is my brother from a different mother, but my brother all the same. Von is my hero.