Second of four parts
Mitchell Moore says he should be dead.
Selling drugs, stealing cars. Shooting at people, being shot at. Taunting rival gang members.
Ruthless — it’s tattooed on his right arm.
“I don’t know how I’m alive. I think it been because a lot of my closest friends is dead,” said Moore, now 44. “It’s just like I'm next.”
Moore survived the streets. He served his time in prison. He wants his experiences to inspire his children to be better, not be a how-to guide for a life in the system.
“I’m tired of seeing my kids in jail. Getting murdered,” he said. “ … I used to tell them all the stuff I did and went through wasn’t right. … I went to prison so they wouldn’t have to go.”
Read more: As fathers falter, gangs fill the void
VIDEO: From Fathers to dads
Article: Female gang member ponders life beyond the street
Video: From Fathers to dads
Photo galleries: The Moore Family, Willie Knighten
Storify: Discuss the series on social media with #toledogangs
Map: Interactive Toledo gang map
About the series:
Battle Lines: The Gangs of Toledo
Videos: Battle Lines: The Gangs of Toledo
Reporter: Taylor Dungjen
Photographer: Amy E. Voigt
Getting the gang story: How 2 Blade staffers overcame obstacles to cover Toledo's gangs