The scene:We are in Jay’s smoke shop - Cuzz - on Olive and Palm in Fresno, CA. This area is not for the faint of heart, but his shop is full of all the love. I met Jay a few months ago buying loose-leaf tobacco. I knew when I met him that he is a super solid human. And he wowed me even more in our interview. I was able to witness him in action in his community. He is wise, intelligent, protective, funny, and full of heart. Join us in the shop for his story and a real experience of this neighborhood we share together.Highlights:+ Have you ever hung out in a smoke shop for an hour?+ “I’ve never seen so many tweakers” (meth)+ Tell-tale sign: swollen fingers+ It turns out that lawyers and policemen like meth too+ “Asking for a friend”+ Living in the TLs (Tenderloin in SF)+ Not wanting to raise a daughter in a world like this+ The smoke shop is a ways to a means+ Building longevity for your children+ Customer service is everything+ People vibe because of who you are+ Have a blessed day+ Last job working for a boss: Aetna+ Stacking bread with your hustle+ Every hustle has an expiration date: death or lockup+ Always get to know your neighbors+ Partnering on a business with your neighbor+ We pause the recording multiple times for “certain” customers+ Someone taking a chance on you+ Appreciation, being humble+ Getting broken into and figuring out insurance+ Selling your biz to your biz partner’s brother+ Buying out your biz partner+ Having a bad experience with an edible+ If I die today, what can I leave my daughter?+ Providing options for your children+ If black lives matter, why are black people killing each other?+ Showing young black men how to NOT be on the streets+ You can lead a donkey to water…+ Building a bond with your customer+ It’s not the bong or blunt wraps, it’s the clothes that sell best+ Shoutout to the Cookies clothing brand+ He can sell snow to an eskimo+ “Walkers” and the homeless+ Tattoos and ankle monitors+ Who you hang around is who you become+ We don’t know why people hit rock bottom - be compassionate+ Being desensitized to death from seeing so much+ Open 7 days a week, 10am to 1am+ Read the room+ Competition builds business for both+ “Baby mama” is not an acceptable term for him+ People sleeping in closets and bathrooms - and being happy+ Good people teaching you to not live for the moment+ Serving Thanksgiving meals to the community+ Protecting the community you business in+ Dear younger self: INVEST+ Learning how to build credit from a $300 card limit+ Jail life is something some people look forward to+ Fresno Bulldog gang family+ “I know now that I can make $500 into two grand”+ Street smarts = adaptability+ Life is about chess - you’ve got to know who your knight is+ “They are watching me all the time”+ We’re all human, we’re a family+ Audio of Jay in action with his customers+ We discover Sevonty’s story together+ Brain aneurism and stroke at 12, coma for a year+ Learning how to walk and talk again, and write left-handed+ How long were you dead for, what did you see?+ Is it PTSD or just being cautious?+ Family first+ Jay asks for my story, so I share itA taste:“I like to give back to the community as well. So on Thanksgiving I was open, I worked and I had a whole feast right here. I fed everyone that needed to be fed. […] I think they respect me for that because I look out for people. […] You don’t know exactly why they hit rock bottom.”Support the showThank you for listening! Please subscribe to support this project.Love, Sagewolf xoxo

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