Everyone thinks that growing up in Camden is bad, but it really isn’t at all. Camden has an image, an image that will never change. Camden is also known as “CMD,” which means Camden’s Most Dangerous. It’s hard to get a good education in Camden and not get caught up in some BS.

I mean to get a good education. It can be difficult sometimes; you just have to maintain yourself and not fall under pressure because then there’s no turning back.

People think that living in Camden is hard, but it really isn’t; it’s just a regular ’hood. When out-of-towners come in, they mainly come for drugs. That’s really the only time you see white people out here. I know some who are scared to even set foot in Camden because they think if they come out here, they’ll be killed. That’s what you have to deal with when you’re young and living in Camden.

These days it’s hard to get a job and be grown up in Camden. If you can’t get a job, the first thing on your mind is, Nobody wants to hire me. I’m getting on the block. That’s the bad mentality you get living here. All you see is drugs, money, and cars. When you see drug dealers with all that money and nice cars, you’re like Damn, I wish I had money like that.

But if you fall into that life, there’s no return. Once you start going to jail, your record is ruined, then you drop out of school and your education is ruined too. Then what are you going to do? It’s like the Meek Mill song says: “The things we do/just to make it through/Nobody wanna fail/Nobody wanna die/We just tryna live our life out here.”

All in all, I’m just an average teen trying not to fall under pressure and sell drugs. I go to school and do what I have to do to graduate. When I get older and have a family, I don’t want my kids to have to worry about Dad being in and out of prison, where the next meal is coming from, or how we’re going to pay the bills.

I don’t want to worry about any of that. That’s why I’m going to do what I have to do now and defeat the negativity going on in the Camden streets. I will do what I have to do for my future. My future family will be in good hands and won’t have to worry about Dad not coming home or not having enough to eat, because I’m going to make something of myself.