Profile of Humphrey Lawson

His facial expression seemed as if it had never changed. It was serious, blank, angry. He was sixteen years old and a product of the Perry Projects ghetto. He went to school sometimes and other times he ran the streets of Perryville. He had made a name for himself throughout the projects and the entire east side. A thug name. A banger. He had a reputation to maintain and little patience for pettiness. It was getting dark which meant it was time to do his thing. He got up and walked out the door deaf to Grandma's fussing.

Humphrey was now a teenager that no one could, or even tried to reach. The projects were embedded in his heart, soul, and mind. The mentality, the bitterness, the hopelessness, all fumed from his voice and actions. He cared for no one but his grandmother, but he never, ever showed it and no one would ever know it. The last tear that fell from Humphrey's eye was on the day of his parent's funerals. He vowed to never allow himself to feel that much pain and he has not shown emotion since. His enemies suffered many times. He would harass them day after day until they ran to the authorities or just dropped to their knees and begged him to leave them alone. Humphrey was mean. His heart was hard and his conscience was non-existent. He never, ever laughed, always as serious as a trail of ants, never having fun, always business. He did not have time for girls; he just used them; he would only look them up and down then say something to make them look at themselves. He also threw rocks at them when they walked by, so now all the girls crossed the street when they see Humphrey coming in the distance.

He feared no one, not a punk-type gangster so-called nowhere in Perryville. He had no respect for the authorities, always cussing at them when they drove by knowing they could do nothing to him, as far as he was concerned, he was talking to someone down the street, not at them. Maybe then and only then would you see a tight grin on Humphrey's face. Rebellion shaped him and out of the dust of his anger and the ashes of the projects, Humphrey formed a gang of cut-throats and bangers he called the Perry Project Pips. He was like a young, ghetto father figure to many of the boys his own age, and even some older. His words were firm and direct. Anytime he had to check one of his boys, he would stand an inch from their face wolfing words at them, daring them to turn away. He was the boss; the top dog; the terror of Perryville, king of the projects, Humphrey Mack, alias, Hump.

Five-foot-eight, small afro, dark skin, deep set eyes under thick brows, hook nose, thin lips, slight muscular built; walked with a pimp, talked with a scratch, stared with a hate. Watched by the police, hated by the community, dangerous, fearfully respected by the other east side gangs; dirty, scandalous, and a bully. He also had a way with the older crowd, approaching them without a front or an act, but with the everyday Hump Mack style, straight-forwardness. With this style, Hump was taken under the wing of the south side's top Nico dealer, Shanky Mills. Shanky trusted Hump and used him for the Nico drop game, sending him on runs and errands, making drops and pick-ups.

Shanky paid Hump well and Hump invested his money in weed and Nico and sold it throughout Perryville. This racket of Humps was going very smooth in the projects. He had at least half of the Pips on his payroll and he was pocketing a couple of hundred a day from profits. There were about five weed houses in Perry Projects, all controlled by Hump and the Pips, although there were numerous weed houses in Perryville. However, Hump had plans, plans to expand see. On this day, word had just got to him about the murder of his ghetto mentor, Shanky Mills and now his plan was about to go into effect.