In this episode, I sit down with one of the greatest Pop Warner running backs of all time, as well as one of the best pop lockers in San Diego history and an OG from the West Coast Crips. We discuss his upbringing, his dad's influence, and the tension he felt between sports and the pull of the streets. We talk about gang culture and the way it robbed him of his youth. His long battle with substance use and his nearly thirty years, off and on, of incarceration were also a focus of conversation, along with a near-death experience he had when he was shot five times at point-blank range. Lynell shares how he turned his life around and found numerous ways to give back to the place he calls home, as a group facilitator, a change agent, the founder of Speak On It Recovery, and a community activist.
This interview took place at the historical St. Stephen's Church of God in Christ