The Danger Narrative Series: Who Gets to Be Violent in America?

-

 


“I Was Taught That Violence Solves Problems”


By Chaddrick Thomas


Before I ever picked up a weapon, before I ever saw the inside of a courtroom, before I ever became another name buried under a violent crime conviction—

I was taught that violence was the answer.


I learned that lesson at home.

Not in some criminal underworld.

Not from TV or rap music.

From love.

From discipline.

From the people raising me.

When Pain Becomes the Teacher


I was spanked. Whipped. Told it was for my own good.

That “this hurts me more than it hurts you.”

That if I did wrong, the answer was a belt.

Or a switch.

Or a backhand.


And that if I cried?

I got hit again—for being soft.


I learned that pain was a consequence.

That violence fixes disobedience.

That when someone steps out of line, you make them feel it.


That was my first education.

And it came with love attached to it.

The First Violence We Normalize Is Domestic


In Black households, we don’t always get the luxury of soft discipline.

We’re taught that the world will be harder on us—so we better toughen up early.

We mistake fear for respect.

We confuse obedience with healing.

We wrap it all in culture, scripture, and survival.


And yet, the same government that turns a blind eye to those beatings is quick to cage the child that grows up following those rules.


I didn’t invent violence.

I inherited it.

And Then They Called Me Dangerous


By the time I hit the streets, I already believed that if someone disrespected you—you handle it.

Not with conversation.

Not with mediation.

With action. With fists. With force.


I was taught that if people didn’t listen, you make them listen.

That was justice in my world.

And when I lived by those rules?

The state labeled me a violent offender.

Gave me 91 years.

Wrote me off as irredeemable.


But here’s the contradiction:

The same society that punished me for violence teaches it at every level.

The State Is the Ultimate Abuser


They say people like me are too dangerous for second chances.

But the government drops bombs.

The police beat and kill.

The courts hand out 40- and 50-year sentences like candy.


Violence is only “wrong” when it doesn’t serve power.


And if you’re poor, Black, or angry in the wrong direction—you’re called a threat.

Not a wounded person.

Not a survivor.

Not a human being who learned what you were taught.

This Series Is the Rebuttal


I’m starting this blog series because I’m tired of the narrative.

The myth that people convicted of violent crimes are monsters—beyond healing, beyond change.

I’m going to expose the hypocrisy of a country that uses violence daily, but fears it when it comes from the people it fails.


I will show you that the “danger narrative” isn’t truth—it’s a weapon.

And I’ll begin with the most honest place I can:

my story.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Lawyer Fell Asleep During Trial—And the Justice System Let It Happen

-
Image
  By Chaddrick Thomas In the fall of 2003, I sat in a federal courtroom in Tampa, Florida, on trial for bank robbery. It was United States v. Chaddrick Thomas, Bobby Lamar Albritton, and James Range. Three of us on trial. Four former co-defendants turned government witnesses: Scotty Carpenter, David Vicker, Ava Jackson, and Nene Burns. The odds were already stacked. But nothing—nothing—could have prepared me for what happened next. My court-appointed attorney, Thomas Ostrander, fell asleep during trial. Repeatedly. Not Just a Quick Nap—He Was Snoring He didn’t doze off for a second. He wasn’t just tired. He slept. Hard. He snored in open court. He missed witness testimony. He missed cross-examinations. He missed pieces of my life being carved away one statement at a time. At one point, I nudged him awake and he jumped up shouting, “No questions for the witness, Your Honor!” But there was no one on the stand. The U.S. Marshal, Lisa Alphonso, saw it. The Court Security Officer saw it...
Read more

The Church That Never Let Go:

-
Image
  A Love Letter to Antioch Missionary Baptist Church By Chaddrick Thomas There’s a scripture in Proverbs that says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Proverbs 17:17). After more than two decades in prison, I can tell you with every fiber of my being that these words are not just poetry—they’re a living truth. For me, that truth has a name. It’s not just an idea or a concept. It’s a place. A people. A home. That truth is Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Plant City, Florida. I grew up in the pews of that little church on Horton Road. I sang in the choir, my voice cracking as a young boy trying to keep up with the seasoned saints. I didn’t know then what that church would come to mean to me. Back then, church was just Sunday tradition. It was fried chicken after service, choir rehearsal during the week, and Vacation Bible School in the summer. But now, as I sit in a cell surrounded by concrete and steel, I realize something I didn’t see befor...
Read more

The Hood Doesn’t Need Cops—It Needs Power

-
Image
  When people talk about crime, the solution always seems to be more cops. More patrols. More funding. More surveillance. But if police made us safe, the hood would be the safest place on Earth. Instead, we’ve got neighborhoods saturated with cops—and still dealing with poverty, trauma, evictions, overdoses, and violence. So here’s the truth: The hood doesn’t need cops. It needs power. Policing Was Never About Protection Let’s start at the roots. American policing evolved from slave patrols—groups paid to hunt down Black people who dared escape bondage. That DNA didn’t die. It just got a badge, a gun, and a PR department. Today, police don’t protect us—they patrol us. Harass us. Kill us. They show up after harm is done, write a report, and disappear. Unless, of course, they decide you’re the threat. They call it public safety. But what they mean is control. What Does Safety Really Look Like? Safety isn’t about sirens. It’s about stability. It’s food in the fridge. Rent paid on time...
Read more