The city of Compton, Calif. is best known for gangster rap, gang violence and one of the highest crime rates in the United States.
It’s hard to imagine that a soft-spoken, compassionate person like Eric B. grew up in a city among warring Cripts and Bloods as well as amidst a rising crack epidemic.
As Eric puts it, he ‘learned a lot’ throughout high school among the gangs and violence. It was in ninth grade when he first used marijuana, leading to bigger things down the road.
“I never had any intention of using crack. I went to a park one night to smoke some weed and I got a joint laced with crack…and I was like man, what is this?,” he said. “I didn’t ever see the negative effects of crack in the community, so I didn’t have a bad view of it.”
Eric worked in the grocery industry for close to 17 years. It was the switch from day shift to night shift, on top of separating from his wife that led to increased drug use.
“Working nights wasn’t a problem, I didn’t have to wake up early or talk to anyone. I had trouble getting up in the mornings.” Eric started using while at work and eventually lost his job.
After a move to Altadena and securing a new job and starting a new family, Eric was in a better place. He admired his new, affluent coworkers and began to love the outdoors.
“My friend George turned me onto things like hiking, swimming and tennis. My wife and I used to go scuba diving. I loved being in the outdoors.”
Eventually, drugs crept back into Eric’s picture-perfect new life. He started doing coke and was spending a lot of money on his new found habit. He lost his car, his apartment, and his family for the second time.
His drug habit continued even after moving across the country to Atlanta. Coming from fast-paced LA to the slower-moving south, Eric quickly excelled in the transportation business driving tractor-trailers. But life on the road proved to be an even easier way to use.
“You could listen on the CB and be able to locate some drugs. I had access to crack in just about every single city. I knew I reached my low point when I drove my truck about a mile off road to a trailer in the middle of nowhere in Juarez. They asked if I wanted to smoke there…I said no…I just wanted to do the drugs on my own.”
In 1999, Eric came to DC where his family lived since the Reagan administration. He held down jobs for a few months at a time, but then would be let go because his drug habit got in the way of his ability to make it to work. His superiors knew he was a good worker; it was just a matter of getting him to show up.
“I was working for the city and didn’t make it to work one morning. My supervisor showed up at my house looking for me. He knew I was a good employee, he wanted me to stay working there.”
After three different stints in drug rehab programs, Eric found himself at Emery House. Upon arriving, he wasn’t the most outgoing and didn’t think it was his kind of atmosphere. He finished heavy equipment school and was ready to move on. Then, he heard about a program called Back on My Feet.
“I was skeptical at first, but willing to try something that would help me out while I was at Emery. I’m not a runner but I needed to get in shape, too.”
Although he was quiet those first few weeks, Eric eventually came out of his shell. After two months of running, he is injury-free and takes it one step at a time.
“I still dislike running, but it’s the team camaraderie that gets me up in the morning. I didn’t like DC because everyone I knew was tough or kept to themselves. At Back on My Feet, there are no judgments…it doesn’t matter where you come from or what you’ve done. They are all good wholesome people and the experience reminds me of being in nature in California. If it weren’t for Back on My Feet, I probably would have started using again.”
Since being in Back on My Feet, Eric has run three races…and has not stopped to walk in any of them. He’s getting ready to start the second semester of computer training classes and is working on job placement possibilities.
It’s hard to believe that the person who started with Back on My Feet two months ago quiet and withdrawn, volunteered to sing the national anthem at a race last month in front of 200 people. With his infectious smile and consistent positive attitude, Eric has proved to be a shining leader at both Emery House and Back on My Feet as a whole.
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