Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey, everybody, it's Bill Courtney with an army of normal folks.
And we continue now with part two of our chat
with Buddy Osborne right after these brief messages from our
general sponsors.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
To answer your question, what was an organizer? So I
would run into you and I would say I would
be very complimentary to you, and I would mean it,
and I'd say, listen. You know with the Roofs Union,
you know, we have a collective Barty agreement. By bye bye,
I would I would honor, I would be honored if
you would sign this agreement. We would take care of
(00:51):
your men. You know, they would have a pension, hospitalization,
dental care, and they would have everything you can imagine.
We'd help you with your jobs, protect your equipment, YadA, YadA, YadA.
And you could say, and this is our territory. You know,
when you work in this area, it's prevailing ways that
you have to pay because of what we've established in
the So you would there was a whole spiel of
things that you that you would talk to the guy.
(01:13):
And I believed it. I believe or not. I signed
up fifty eight contractors in eighteen months. Hold it, what
if I say no, Okay, beautiful.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
So you would say I gotta get kneecapped.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Yes, yes, so an organizer is a really good, strong
salesman who won't take no for an answer.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Yes, wow, you would know.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
All right. So if I'm a dude with a truck
and I'm out roofing on my own, if I'm from
this area, I gotta know I'm gonna meet one of
you guys. Eventually, y'all are gonna show up. Oh yeah,
and I gotta know I'm gonna say yes, pay my
union dues. Well you have, or I'm about I'm gonna
have lots of trouble. Yes, yes, that's the way it works.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Yeah, do you yes, your building would be your right?
Do I think that's right? Uh huh, absolutely not. You know, now,
now look at there there's reasons that you know that.
I mean, there's things there's.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
I'm not saying this unionization. We're not getting into that
political argument.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
It's no, it's it's wrong. Yeah, there's you know. I mean,
it was so wrong that I was indicted on federal
racketeering strategy. Okay, okay, all right, so yeah, no, it's
it's definitely wrong. I mean, you don't have to like
I'll give you like this, I'll give you I'll give
you an example. I'll give you an example. So I
go up to the job. I'm a new kid. I'm excited.
(02:53):
You got to understand, like, like I know, I'm excited
about the about about the roof. I just love what
I do and to making care of the men. It's
I go up to this guy. His name was it
was what's the name of the room. It was a company.
I go up and uh so, I say, hey, man,
how you doing it? I just want to you know,
and I'm paraphrasing, but I know this is how I
(03:14):
would think. Man, I want to sign you up. I
want your man and all, well, we have so much
and he's like everything pensing anew and you know you
name it we got and he's looking at me right
and he's asking me questions. Well, long story short, he's
he's really like, uh nutting me now, like he's he's
(03:34):
making fun of me, like he's really sucking me in.
Like I'm thinking, I'm doing this great job. He's listening.
I want to sign this guy. This guy's ready. But
now he's now he's getting crazy. Now he's getting a
little little bit weird. Now he's getting a little bit,
a little bit uh uh funny, like he's he's making
he's making a joke of me. Now, so he has
a smile. And I asked him, I said, do you
(03:55):
have that on insurts And he says, yes, I do.
I said, because you're going to need it in a minute.
I mean, look, and I can laugh about that now,
so I'll give you look.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
At So, so back in.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
The day, we're organism I'm not glorifying this. I mean
I'm not.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
We're organizers, tough guys. Yeah, they needed to be tough guys,
I think so. Yeah, at charismatic but also toughness. So
they needed to be charismatic a little.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Listen, the Roofers Union was was the police force for
all the building trades back in the day. Really, yes,
we were the police force, no doubt. I mean we're
all we were all fighters. I was retired all we
had five or six guys on staff that were actual
professional fighters.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Holy.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
So yeah, yeah, and it drew a lot of attention
from the FEDS. By the way, and then we.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Can get into that we're going to get there, right,
So you're doing organizing.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
But but I but I love what I did. You know,
and time you really believe that you were doing you know, listen,
I'll give you an examp. Well, you know this guy, right,
he breaks a woman's jaw, He breaks a woman's he
punches a woman and breaks your jewel. The guy who
is a father, the father of her, is a serious guy.
(05:15):
He's a killer. You know, he's a guy who will.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Just break that woman's jaw an idiot.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Yeah, yeah, So I was asked to handle this this guy.
So I bring the guy in six o'clock in the morning, right.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Oh, the dad guy or the guy that broke the draw,
guy that broke the jawl.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
So he came in. So he's sitting just as far
as it for me. So I got another guy here.
I'm here, and I'm saying I'm talking to him. So
so I know in my mind he's going to get handled, right,
He's gonna get He's going to get handled. So I said,
I'm talking to I just had this stand up, right,
stand up? I said, what did you bring? You know?
So I had to ask him why would you do that?
And he gave me this long story. As I recall,
(05:52):
I said, stand up, I go over here, he has
a loaded gun in his pocket, so I take the gun.
The door opens, and he just gets just slacked. I mean,
he gets beat up bad. So I'm like, yes, what
are you doing? You know, don't you know? So he
gets cut and then next thing you know, I'm afterwards,
I'm putting ice pack on his eye and stop his
(06:12):
his lip bleeding, his nose was, I guess, And and
give him a cup of coffee and out the door
he went. We held his gun. I told him I'll
never bring a gun in here. So it was stuff
like that constantly, Like we would, you know, we would.
We would handle beefs on the streets for people, you know,
because our guys.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Truth is, though, as violent and awful as that is,
you might have actually saved his life because if the
dad handled it, he's probably dead.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
You're right, you're right. But there's that's yeah street Yeah,
that was a street code. Yeah, and we and that's
what That's the way it was, you know, And.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
That is like the movies and stuff, bro, people don't
realize that's really the way things.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Yeah, well listen, there's it gets better, Okay, it gets
where it gets better. Yeah, we we we were we
were just it was amazing. I mean, well not not
in a way that was. When I look back on
it now, you know, it's interesting, you know, when you
look back on it now, you know. I'm just I'm
(07:20):
grateful for where I am, you know, and and where
where God has led me. And I say that the
Lord has led me in a place that no man
can take credit for, you know. And and that's why
I'm sitting across from you. Not anything I did in
and of itself, but what Christ has done in my life.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
So let's get there. So you you were quote organizing
and then you end up in jail. Tell us how
that happened.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Well, so I tried to sign this guy up and
he and I said this, you have that insurance. So
one day I'm riding down the street. See his truck
outside of a a place where you go all your materials.
So we go, we cut all this. I cut all
his tires in this big truck. Cut clearly, he said,
I said, I said, I said, I, Hey, it's squirts
(08:15):
on the phone. It's like hey, corns, let's say hey,
you don't my name is Frank, I said, listen, I'm
with it. I worked for the Firestone tire, and I'm
wondering if you want to have some tires like we
got a big sale on it. What do you mean, well,
just because it looks like you got some problems with
your tires. He looks. I said, God, to take a
look you go, and he starts, how you know, and
we were laughing. Then uh so we want up signing them.
(08:38):
I want up sign them and got seventy five years.
He was non union and I was able to sign them.
A couple of the things happened that I recall, but
I signed them up. So so you know, I I
believed in what I was doing.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
You know.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
I purchased a duplex. I was twenty five at the time,
and and I have my own place. I'm outside of
the Night's out of Kensington now you know, you know,
dating a girl at the time, just living large. I
go to Florida for a week's vacation. I come back
(09:19):
from Florida, I receive a letter in the mail and
from the FBI if edri Bu says that I'm a target.
I didn't know what that was. I take it down
to the to my my boss, you know, and he said,
oh kit he so I'm so sorry. Now remember, mind you,
he was my he was my boxing coach, he was
my idol. You know. I said, that's nothing, Steve.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
It's what are you to do?
Speaker 2 (09:42):
So so that's that right, And uh, we had Steve
at the time was in his office and he was
talking with a couple of people and he looked up
and something didn't seem right. So he called us all
in and then we w into a conference room and
the Feds labeled at the rubber room because that's where
(10:04):
a lot of people would get beat up pretty.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Good, you know.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
So yeah, so so what we did it was like
things like this, And so we found the the electronic surveillance.
So the FBI was two blocks away and they were
recording everything, including all the things that I was involved with,
you know, And so we didn't know that, but we
found that. We found the the bugs. We took the
(10:29):
bugs out. They were listening to us as they as
all this was happening. Yeah, so we get the bugs,
we take it and a guy Steve tells him take
it out, So he drives away over to Jersey and
here they had they had a GPS on it and
the Feds were fouling coming from all angles. And they
(10:51):
want to pulling them over and grabbing them. You know.
So now we we didn't know the extent of the
indictment or what the charges would be, or what they
evidence they.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Had, and when the hammer was coming.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I'm a young kid, you know
at the time. I'm on the street, you know, eighteen
months at the time. And and sure enough we got indicted.
And eighteen people were indicted, A couple judges of Philadelphia judges,
some lawyers, a couple of mob guys, and then thirteen
union officials. I was one of them. So when it
was come time, when it when it came time for
(11:27):
for for the for the indictment, I was in. It
was a Friday. I was in a wedding on Saturday,
and uh I go to the federal courthouse and to
post bail. We're all there, massive media, massive, So I
go and uh so we're all in this cell like
maybe maybe a little bigger than this, about all of
(11:49):
us were. And they would take two at a time.
So I'm back. I'm like, man, I must be I'm
like the last. Me and Steve were like, we're like
the last. He's my boss, he's my mentors. Everything to me,
you know, so they I go out with him. Guess
what they do. They revoke my baill because I was
a threat to the community in menace of society. They
(12:09):
wouldn't give me bail because they hit it no, and
they wouldn't give Steve baill. So they kept three of
us pre troud detention because of that. I couldn't believe it.
Here I am walking, I'm in I'm in the Marshall's van.
The news meetia was like something out of a movie.
And I'm shackled to Steve and and he looks at me,
and it's the first time he said this, he says,
(12:31):
he says, but the kid he called me Kit, He
said you were to you were to pick for the
to run this union. One day, I remember thinking, wow,
that's amazing this guy would say that to me, you know,
my you know. And here I am and I go
to prison.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
We'll be right back.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
So we get put in this This small salt was dark,
a smelly. A guy drops dead right in front of us.
They pull him out and they didn't know that we
you know, Once they found out it was Steve Trace,
they took us out of the cell and the and
they really hooked us up good, you know. So, so
now I got a cell that was a Friday. Come Saturday,
(13:25):
eleven o'clock at night, the guard opens the door and
he gives me cake, wedding cake because I was supposed
to be in a wedding. They got the cake in
for me. Made you know. So ultimately, Bill, I got out.
I got out of I got out with the stipulation
that I remained under house arrests, which I did for
twenty twenty. I was sentenced to eight years. I did
(13:45):
five years. I did five new fence. You know. It's
hard time, you know what, I went and trade one
second of it because of where I am now, I
wouldn't trade one second of it, not one So but yes, yeah,
it wasn't easy, man, It wasn't easy. But thinking back,
(14:07):
you know, I wrote, I got almost three hundred thousand
words written every day of my life I wrote in prison.
I sent it home and I just finished my fourth
edit for a memoir. I'm giving it to my daughter.
You know, she read the first year in eighty seven.
She was like, da, this is amazing. You know.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Well, anyways, tell me about the transformation, because that's when
it that's when the redemption of your life and all
that you do now really began.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Yeah. Yeah, well you know I was in the Creed movie.
I was the cupman in the Creed movie. I don't
know whether you knew that or not.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
I did know that, Yeah you did. I did.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Oh, So I say this for this reason. So I'm
I'm in the I'm in the ring with Salon.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
You know.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
I was on set for like three and a half weeks,
four weeks, you know, for just a small little part.
You know. Thank the Lord for that, because I put
my daughter through college.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
So that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
I still get residuals seven years later. Not a lot,
but that's awesome. So I remember, I said, I said,
I says, you know, I got to share this with you.
It was thirty eight days, thirty eight years, almost to
the day that he did Rocky in Kensington. I was
in that movie.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Were you really?
Speaker 2 (15:24):
I was at seventeen year old kid with a black eye, right,
So I said, so that the so I jump over.
The guys knocked on my door and said they're making
a movie about this, right, I said, He says, Rookie
Duke fight, I'm a fight on Kensington Channel twelve, little doctor,
you know. So I jump over the rope they had
all roped off, and I start shadow boxing. Give me,
(15:45):
you know, and everyone was laughing. Everybody knew me, you know,
I was a kid, and Burgess, gimme here, a kid
I didn't even know who he was. Came here, kid,
he says, I. God, so we so it's me, I said,
let my friend Timmy. So he gets into he gets
in the show and we're walking down still Loan walks up.
We heardship, no talking. Just so when it came time
for us to watch the movie and I told Slides
(16:07):
just like this, they cut us out. He was, so
he's so sorry, you know. Yeah, it was funny, but
it was it was the truth. Yeah, I love to
get that. I would love one day. I'd like to
get those.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
People don't understand that Sylvester Salone's start to start him
was just basically him being him and Rocky because he
was just a meadheaded kind of guy from that area
in real life.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
He was yeah, he was yeah, yeah, so it was
it was. It was good. So so out of that,
we get a an email from this guy named Irwin Winkler.
He he he was the producer of all the Rocky movies.
I think he did Raging Bull. He did so many
different movies, and he wanted to buy my He wanted
(16:53):
to do my life story. I said, this is five
years ago. I said, my life story. Are you kidding?
I said to my wife, we're gonna have to move now.
I'm going to get famous. I don't want to. I
don't really want to. I really don't want to do this.
So now I had to get a lawyer, and they
had thirteen pages of stuff. They got down to three things.
(17:16):
So my lawyer was up against another lawyer, apparently like
a powerful Hollywood lawyer. And so the only thing I
wanted was my faith to be. You can, you can,
you can embellish it anyway you want. But I want
my faith to be to be what the forefront, yes, right,
the transformation, the redemption, like you said, that's what I
(17:38):
want to. I had a conversation with home my phone.
My wife was here, my daughter's here, here, I am,
And then my lawyer said, why don't you talk to him?
So he said, hey, man, we're going to make you superstar.
And I feel like a Rocky thing. Come out, I said,
mister Winkle I appreciate it. They were going to give
me a lot of money up front. I didn't want
to take not one cent. I said, everything goes to
the Rock, you know. I said, I appreciate this, man,
(17:59):
but you know, my faith needs to be first and foremost.
You know, it's Christ in me, you know, you know,
and that's the bottom line, you know. And he said, wow, man,
it takes a lot of money to do this, but
I don't know. So they didn't. They didn't accept it,
and I said, okay. When I hung the phone up,
I hugged my wife and my daughter. And so we
(18:22):
had a building next to the Rock that we wanted
to buy, and and I was going to use the money.
I think they were going to give us a substantial,
a good bit. I was going to use that to
buy that because I don't own anything down there, you know.
And I said, okay, Well, two weeks later, we got
an anonymous check in the mail and we purchased that building.
(18:45):
And it wasn't nothing had nothing to do with the movie,
you know what I'm saying. So God was saying, listen,
I got this, get to that. Okay, yeah, you're in prison.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Let's get to Wow. Because gods prior to this Christ
in the central part of your life.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Well, so I went to church, but I didn't understand
what you take us there, Okay, So ultimately I was
setting d And then I went to prison and checked
into prison, and it was surreal too, you know. And
(19:26):
but as I'm there, I'll give you the short I was.
As I was there, I received a letter from a
lady and she said to me, she said, to me, buddy,
he said, she said, Jesus holds you in the palm
of his hand. And I'm like, man, that's interesting because
(19:53):
I was a practicing Catholic at the time, and you know,
and I'm going to church. In fact, I was, you know,
I was in a choir, I was elector, I read
that the reading. I was. I did everything I could,
you know, And and then I was I would I
would read the Bible, you know. And she would always
write me. And her name was Lucille, you know, and
(20:14):
she was the neighbor of a girl that I was
dating at the time, and she had left me. You know,
I was in prison, and it was a very very
difficult time for me. And uh, but I knew that
my transformation was taking place. Something was happened. I remember
walking the track with this guy, looked like Paul Newman,
(20:36):
pierced blue eyes, white hair, just thin, never wore a shirt.
We're in Louisiana and we're walking and I cursed like
a like like the like that's every other word out
of my mouth. And he said to me one day,
because I reason why I know this because I wrote
about it and I just saw about he said, how
there you use that language in my presence? You'd loud,
(20:59):
las sivious last it just loud. He said that to me. Wow,
I'm like, what woll you know? So it was little
things like that. So I gave I said, I said,
I'm giving up my cursing. I just wrote it. I
said nope, and I stuck to that. That's been so
many years, you know. So what happened was I did
(21:19):
my time. I get out. And it wasn't really until
December thirty first, nineteen ninety five, at a thirty at
night that I gave my life to Christ on the phone.
I just had I didn't hear his voice. I didn't
hear him, you know, I didn't see a vision. I
(21:39):
just knew that there was something that was lacking that
void that I had from a kid and all the
things that I've been through at this point now I'm
thirty six years old, about to be thirty seven, and
I'm empty. I'm just on empty. I'm empty. And six
months later, I'm in Siberia in the prison gulangs for kids,
(22:02):
you know, in prison because I was going I started
going to this church, a Bible teaching church, and I
ended up in Siberia. They I went on a missions
team for a month, and when I came back, I
started to go teach a Bible study at the House
of Corrections. In the meantime, Mike Tyson had got out
of prison and he was training at my friend's gym
in Philly. And so what happened was he I was
(22:28):
training this kid there and he made it to the
finals of the of the nationals of the Junior Olympics.
And what happened was he he got robbed the controversial decision.
I didn't see it for two weeks. Now. I never
shared my faith with anybody in this at the gym,
you're coaching kids, and I'm coaching kids now at this point.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
But yeah, your faith, you're not sharing.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
I'm not sharing it. Night you got this kid that's good.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
He goes down, he loses a decision, and he doesn't
know anything about you, but your buddy, the badass boxer
guy who's done time. You've got the credibility from yes,
your boxing pedigree, you got the credibility from the street
cred you're a boxer guy, yes, and you're you're now training.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Kids, right, I'm training kids.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
But you hadn't once shared, Yes, the transformation that took
a place in your life. This guy goes down and
loses his fight. You don't see him for two weeks.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Right, I'm on the prison.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
Are you wondering if he's dead.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
I didn't know where he was at.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Yeah, after the break, we'll we'll hear what happened to
this young man. We'll be right back.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
I'm teaching the Bible study on Saturday, and it was
like twenty eight kids there, and he walks in with
an orange jump suit. I looked at him.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
I said, you mean you're teaching the Bible study in prison?
Speaker 2 (23:52):
In prison on the block.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Yeah, right, yeah?
Speaker 2 (23:55):
And I said, what he killed somebody? He killed a
kid in a gang fight. And I was devastating. I cried, man,
I cried and I hugged the kid and I said,
sit down, I want to teach you about Jesus. That's
exact my exact words. And so you know, he he ultimately,
you know, actually caught a break because it was you know,
(24:16):
it was a gang fight and kids. He you know,
he was a juvenile, you know, so he's out to
that to this day. And but I stopped training kids
at that time. I didn't have I lost my desire
for some reason. I said, this doesn't make sense to me,
you know what I mean. You know, I was trained,
and I was I was taught to train to make
champions of the world. But I wasn't feeling that, man,
(24:38):
because you know, I just wasn't feeling that. So I stopped.
But I got married to a girl named Lucille. Actually,
you know, I know that's interesting in it, Lucie, so so,
you know, I said, so, so I fast track it.
You know, I my my faith is increasing, and no
(25:00):
I'm on that prison block every week and I'm seeing
these kids in there with no fathers. You know, it's
breaking my heart. No fathers, None of them had a father,
And I'm thinking myself, how could I be more effective
on the street block? On the street block rather than
(25:20):
the prison block. I know what the recidism rate is,
it's eighty percent. How do you change that? How do
you change the recidism rate? Is an education?
Speaker 1 (25:34):
How can you be more effective on the street block
rather than the prison block. Yes, there's a guy I
interviewed not long ago who said, we can work ourselves
silly doing the good work of pulling babies out of
the river, but eventually we need to go upstream and
find out why they're in the river in the first place.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Wow, wow, wow, same thing, you're yeah, it's the same thing.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Yeah, how do I reach them on the block the streets?
How do I reach them on the street block rather
than get them in the prison block.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
So when I think about my life and what I've seen,
where I've been, that seminary to me, I went the seminary,
you know, from the prison from the hardest brit I
wasn't in no camp, I was behind was an FC,
I was behind a wall, you know what I mean?
And not bragging, that's just the way it was. But
all that to say this that God prepared me for this,
(26:32):
for this venture, that he would put me in ten.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
Years so clear that growing up in bump beds with
nine kids, having to fight and scrap, having to spend
two years in a hospital room, wondering if you were
going to have a leg, to the boxing, to the organizing,
to the quote organizing strong arming is another way to
(26:58):
say it. I think yes to the prison time, to
Lucille writing you was as violent and dysfunctional and crazy
as all of that was. That was God preparing you
for today.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
Yeah, And I don't think I could have said it
any better than that. I mean, that's right on point.
So I get the rock.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
It's all about build your house on the rock, not
the sand, because the rock's gonna stand. Tell me how
we're gonna get to what the rock is and what
it's done, But tell me how it started and how
it came to you and what it looked like in
the earliest.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Well, so I had I would go into I would I.
I wound up going to this church in Philly called
Calbri Chapel. Philadelphia was the biggest non denominational church in
the city. And pastor's name is Joe Polish, and who
is my pastor today? He just teaches the word. That's
all he does, you know. But I would go in
there and and it was so different than because I
(28:07):
used to go to Catholic. I was Catholic, raised Catholic,
go to church. And I was like, okay, I mean
it's it's different though, you know, I go in, hear
the word, I like the music. But I would go
in and I was angry. I would be angry at times,
and I never knew why. I never knew why I
was angry. And I would saying to my wife, What's
wrong with me? Like why am I feeling this way?
(28:29):
So come to find out, I realized what it was
I was angry is because I was. I was. I
was comfortable. I was becoming comfortable, you know, you know
I I was getting comfortable with my life. And I
was married. Right at this point, I had a child
(28:52):
at forty years old, my first child. You know, you know,
I had opened a business bill. I wanted to be
a business owners owner so bad when I.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
Was in what I opened, Yeah, don't tell me roofing,
well listen, so so hear me out.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Though I was, I was, I wanted. Look, remember I
got an eighth grade education. When I was in prison,
I got I walked down the aisle man I got
the cap and gown Switzerland, graduated. I wanted to at
Louisiana State. You know, took courses I was. I was
registered for Penn State. So I got twenty one diplomas. Man,
(29:33):
I I did everything you can imagine to better myself.
And I hooked up with some bright, brilliant men that
were articulate, and I learned from all of them. Now
I wasn't you know all of them. I learned everything
I could everybody. But I wanted to become I wanted
to be a contractor, a roof and contractor, you know,
(29:56):
because I wanted to be successful. I knew and as
I look at the right, I knew that I wanted
to be successful. But I was barred for life. So
I was barred for life in the construction industry. So
I get out and sure enough, up I wound up
working at an autobody shop and as a as a manager,
(30:19):
learning because I could always I was always good with men.
But I started to learn learn that I want up
managing to make O and then I became an insurance appraiser. Right,
I worked for all that. Like I I was a subcontractor,
you know, ten ninety nine employee I had my own name.
(30:41):
It was I loved it. I do like ten fifteen
cars at day. I made so much, you know, it
was great. Then they found out my conviction. They want
to take my license off me. I'm like, you got
to be kidding me. I was so so you know
what I said. I said, listen, I fought it and
I wanted and I got my license. I still have
it to this day. I opened up my home collision shop.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Wow, that's cool.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
And so for the first But unbeknownst to me, God
allowed that to happen because at forty I opened my business.
At forty five, the rock started, and that was seed
money to purchase our first building. Now I don't own anything,
you know. Now you know at first I put my
house up. But now it's not my name. I don't
(31:24):
own anything. Something happens to me or it goes to
you know. So so but I was uncomfortable because God,
it was like the Lord was saying, you need to
get you. I got something else for you. So I
started the rock. It was okay, explain the start. It's
okay to start. Oh, so here, what's okay? So here's
(31:45):
what I did. I met with Joe hann right, and
I say his name because he like they do all
the UFC boxing all over the country. Right now, there's
a dear friend of mine, you know, and he just
recently passed and Junior is running it. They have an
amazing operation. So I said, Joe said listen, because I
left training at his gym before, I says, I want
(32:06):
to start this ministry. And I know you got you
got a second floor. He gave me the keys, and
that's where I started. So I went back to the
same gym that I started them are kidding, No, I
went right back there, right, But I gave the gospel
so I would bring the kids in and they can train.
But on Thursday we sip back. We we all get
together and I give a twenty minute message that there's
(32:30):
hope in the Lord and this is the reason why
and we and that was you know, that started and
that's the rock. So that's that's where it started there.
So then nine months later we go into this into
this building, right, no windows, it was it was a
sporting goods store for many years in Philly. So we
go in, no windows, no nothing, prostitutes in there. I
(32:53):
mean crazy crazy, and people thought I was nuts put
the house up, and you know, I just knew that's
something good can come out a US. I didn't know
what I think we can establish by now you've been
nuts from anyway. So we we get in there and
(33:13):
so the first guy I see in the back, he's
got two rot Willer's dogs with a an SU Mercedes
s UV. And I look at him. I said, okay,
all right, you see nine years before that he uh
(33:40):
he testified against me.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
No way.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
And the FBI agent leans back and he turns up
this tape of him getting brutalized because he was doing
something on a on a in Kensington on a Saturday.
I'm an organizer. I see, I said, what are you doing?
I'm playing baseball? Said can I get get on a team?
And he come down. So I told my talk to
my boss. He said handle it. Well. He came in
(34:06):
in the rock from other room, but this time the
FBI was listening, and and so he came in and
he got he got he got a shell akan you
know what I mean? He had handled you know. And
I said to my code defender as he was saying, yeah,
that's him, buddy OS when I says, if I ever
see him again, I'm going to take his tongue out
of his mouth and I'm going to kill him with
his tongue. I'll strangle him with his tongue. That's how
(34:28):
angry I was. And sure enough I saw him. I
hugged him. I said, I love you, man, And he
was my neighbor to this day. We personally when you
walked up to him, did he oh yeah, he knew
what I was. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he probably yeah, oh yeah, No,
he was definitely shaken by it. But I grabbed him, man,
(34:49):
I said, I'm a new creation. I'm a new man.
I ain't. I thought my old ways had passed away. Behold,
the Bible says everything becomes new. So so he he
was like, Wow, but his building that we have as
our sanctuary on a Sunday, where's two three hundred people
who come on a Sunday. That was his building that
(35:11):
we purchased.
Speaker 1 (35:13):
Yes, Yes, the guy that testified against you, Yes, that
you were going to choke him out with his own tongue.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
I would have done that too, and back then, not now,
of course.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
So that's that's that's kind of interesting.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
So that's that kind of interesting, buddy, that's crazy.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
I know. Well, so we take this building over and
we have little we had little or nothing. We and
and and people thought that I was, you know what's
going on? You know what's not with this kid? You
know what's going on? Because I moved out to Philadelphia,
I got it. I wound up buying a house, beautiful home,
a single home you know, called place called Yardley. It's
(35:56):
beautiful place, suburbs. You know.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
My kid lived in Philly for about two years, one
of my four kids. Yeah, no way. And we went
all over Philly looking around and stuff. I've been through
yard Oh.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
Wow, that is amazing. That is so funny.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
Another person we highlighted once called that, Uh that's great.
A lady named Anne Mallam who started a thing called
Back on my Feet. She started that in Philly too. Really,
it's a running club for the homeless. I don't know
if you've ever heard of it, but it's amazing. Yeah yeah,
yeah yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
So anyway, so we buy, you know, and then I
have my business brother. I became the worst business owner.
I was doing great for a minute there, I'm like,
what is happening? So I remember calling my wife untelling.
I said, so we got to sell our house, so
(36:53):
I sold the business. I sold my house. I want
to move right into Kensington, but I had to settle
for miles away. I wanted to be in walking distance,
you know. So we we grabbed a row home, you know.
And my wife didn't say a word. She came with me.
Speaker 1 (37:10):
And I'm a good woman.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
Yeah, amazing. And I remember the first year brother, I
was living below poverty level. I had savings and I
didn't own the bricks to the building. So I owned
the business. So I sold the business to the guy
and he was supposed to pay every month, you know,
and this and that and that didn't work out. But
I remember somebody telling me saying, look, you do the
(37:33):
Lord's work, I will provide, you know. And I didn't
understand that whole thing of trusting in that, you know,
and and I ultimately I trust it. And God provides
all the time. Where he guides, He provides. They tell
all of our missionaries to come in, and we got
them from all over the country. They live there, you
know where. God if you if you're called and you're
(37:54):
called to do a work, he will provide all of
your needs.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
We'll be right back. H H. So in the early days,
(38:22):
what the rock do.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
Okay, so the whole idea and we in the early days,
it was all just boxing.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
And you reaching out to kids in boxing and trying
to share the gospel with them.
Speaker 2 (38:37):
Yes, that's the whole Thousands of kids have heard heard
the gospel. It's not my responsibility to make somebody a Christian.
That's not who you know, we're not robots. Give them,
give them the hope in Christ that he has a
purpose and a plan for their lives. There's no throwaways.
So when I see these kids you know that have
(38:57):
no father figures, that have no goals, that have nothing planned,
that that that don't know that there they don't have
nothing going for their lives. And uh and then it
then it becomes life skills and teaching them let your
yes be yes and you know be non. So we
come into a building it wasn't fit for a ghetto
(39:18):
rat to live in, and and we took it one
room at a time, and when we got materials, you know,
we we we showed the kids, Okay, this is what
you have when you pray, this is what you have.
We had currosene heaters. It was just a you know,
one room at a time Boom it was you know,
twenty one. It's an eighteen thousand square foot foot building
(39:39):
with three stories, you know, and and they would see
us one room. This was four we purchased it. The
center now well, I mean it now it's it's it's old,
but it's nice. It's clean, like you eat up the floors.
I mean, people when people come in. We've had the
governors of Pennsylvania may we just had the Maridown as
(40:01):
she did her second a town hall like we have
every You wouldn't believe the people to come in there.
I mean, you know, like but not not not not bragging.
It's just a fact. We have tremendous favor now, you know,
because they don't. Now they know I'm not nuts, you know, well,
I mean I'm nuts for Jesus right now. That's you know,
(40:22):
I'm not for Jesus.
Speaker 1 (40:23):
So tell me what It started with just outreach and
trying to minister to kids who were in boxing, who
had holes in their life. And let's be honest. You know,
kids that grow up with silver spoons in their mouth
rarely put on headgear. The kids that are in the
boxing world come from lower to middle income status. Typically.
(40:46):
I mean, that's just the truth. You just don't see
a lot of guys in boxing that came up, you know.
So and the truth about that is that's where the
largest group of young, strapping boys trying to figure it
out that have holes in their lives. Yes, and so
(41:08):
you start filling those yes, and.
Speaker 2 (41:12):
Tell me the progression. Yeah, I mean the first time
is that you know, I developed, We developed a team
of kids, you know, and there was probably like maybe
thirteen fourteen solid kids, you know, and that's the key.
You got to get a core. You got to get
that core. And so we've had several cores over the
(41:33):
last twenty years. Many of our kids are homeowners now,
you know, many of our kids have have trade jobs
that whether it's operating, engineer, carpenter, plumber, electrician. I mean, yeah,
it is amazing, man, it's amazing. Where do those kids
go had they not well, well, listen, dead or prison
(41:57):
dead or prison Like we're literally we're a war zone
right now.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
Tell me about that.
Speaker 2 (42:03):
We're in a war zone right now.
Speaker 1 (42:04):
You mean the Rock and the Kensington where where.
Speaker 2 (42:07):
Are where our ministry is. We're in the center of
a war zone where we're literally the New York Times
and the Post Post or Times that this thing where
they want to see where the most murders were in
the country. So they found this place. Sixty three homicides
within a two block radius. It's two blocks from the rock.
(42:30):
Sixty three homicides in three years right there. Yeah, it's
a gang gang. No, it's it's no, it's not gangs.
But it's well, it's drug territorials, not gangs. It's it's
just it's just uh, stupidity, it's it's arrogance, it's ignorance,
it's it's territorial beefs. It's you know, it's it's it's you.
Speaker 1 (42:52):
Know where they're at. Oh yeah, I see this.
Speaker 2 (42:58):
Listen, listen, listen, see it. Look, look, let me tell
you something. You know right now where where it's an
open air drug market where I mean we we've been
designated number one in the country, Like right where we're at.
People go down there and they shoot documentaries all the time.
In fact, we don't do that anymore. We don't let
people come in unless they're going to talk about the solution.
(43:21):
I'll talk about I don't want the problem. We know
what the problem is. But there's a solution. Let's talk
about that. Let's put that on your camera. Let's talk
about the solution. So right now, what's going on down
there is that the the the the addicted population down there.
You can get anything you want. You want needles, you
got them. You want a crack pipe, you got them.
(43:43):
In fact, you want condoms, you got it. You want
you want whatever, you want to detox you got it.
You want housing, you can get anything, food, anything you want, tens.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
Who's providing all those everybody?
Speaker 2 (43:56):
There's there's all kinds of agencies down there that will
provide this point and CEO, no, they're all different types
of people. But my point is that they have opportunity.
The addictive population have opportunity. Okay, they have a voice
that's louder than anyone the community of Kensington right now.
They they have that that that voice about that much,
(44:18):
but you know, has no voice the children, they have
no voice. That's infuriating me at this point. So what so, so,
how what are we going to do about this? Is
what I feel led to do. So The Rock was
started twenty years ago through boxing, through combat sports, and
we've reached thousands of them.
Speaker 1 (44:40):
I've been told okay, if you've literally reached eleven thousand,
So that's that's that's a that's an old number.
Speaker 2 (44:46):
That's an old and some.
Speaker 1 (44:47):
Of these kids who are street kids are now engineers
and hundred percent and you're plucking them out of that
area and doing it and you feel great about it.
Speaker 2 (44:56):
But one hundred percent. But here's my point. But not
everybody wants to do comp at sports. Okay, So what
happened was or what is what's happening now is that, Okay,
we need to expand that so we can reach every kid.
So we need another building. And so there was a
building that was in the back of us that a
(45:19):
couple of years ago, I heard that they were selling
is the oldest boxing venue in America. From nineteen seventeen
and nineteen sixty three. They had shows every Friday there
without stop, and more world champions come out of that
place than anywhere in the country. It's unbelievable. I went
around to the building, went into the guy and he
was like Marlon Brando on the waterfront. He said, hey,
(45:42):
I have a hard time my guys.
Speaker 1 (45:44):
Like said hey.
Speaker 2 (45:45):
I said, hey, I hear you're going to sell to eat.
He says, yeah, yeah, I'm going to show it. I said,
what do you want you? What do you asking for?
Six hind of one thousand? I said, you firm with that?
Speaker 1 (45:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (45:59):
I'm firm. I said, Can I say something to you?
Speaker 1 (46:06):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (46:06):
Yeah, what's that? I said? And I got my guy
with me. He's my youth pastor. I says, if God
wants us to have this building, you can't do nothing
about it. I grabbed his head, I shook his hand.
You take care, we're going to pray. And he laughed.
Speaker 1 (46:24):
Right.
Speaker 2 (46:24):
Well, two months later we got anonymous chef for five
hundred thousand. We paid the other one. We purchased it
out right, So now we have a building right now.
Speaker 1 (46:33):
That are you kidding?
Speaker 2 (46:34):
No, we have a building right now.
Speaker 1 (46:35):
And this is an Annas check that comes up after
you walk from the movie deal because they won't talk
about yourself.
Speaker 2 (46:42):
That was the first one that happened. But this is
another one.
Speaker 1 (46:44):
No kidding, Yeah, this was another one.
Speaker 2 (46:46):
Yeah, yeah, that's an anonymous anonymous million anonymous.
Speaker 1 (46:51):
Do you know where it came from? I wouldn't ask,
I think, but you don't really know for sure?
Speaker 2 (46:57):
I think.
Speaker 1 (46:58):
Okay, So but if you get a check and you
tell Marlon Brando, I'm buying your building.
Speaker 2 (47:04):
Yeah, so we went over. No, So what happened was, see,
I don't do good with with with I have a
hard with tough guys who think they're tough. I just
I got to just back out of that, you know
what I mean. So my man here, my man, Kevin,
he went I said, yeah, yeah, he went over. He's
suave talks so like you know, he just has it.
He'll talk to you for five hours. I'll talk to
(47:26):
you for five minutes. That's it, you know what I mean.
So but but in all, in all fairness, it really
worked out. He got his number. I said that everybody,
you know, look, is it two months? It probably was,
But man, you can't put a price that on a
kid's head. So we've had it for you know, it's
been i mean maybe three years, and we're so we
(47:47):
now have a contract on record. We have a million dollars.
Now that that's and you know we're looking we're we're
looking at more of the labor now. So here's the thing.
Here's the beautiful part about the other half. So you
you remember me many years ago as an organizer barred
for life. I'm the chaplain for all the unions, all
(48:07):
the trade unions in the city shut off. You come on, brother,
that's crazy.
Speaker 1 (48:14):
So the point was you're reaching these kids through combat sports,
and you say, these kids don't have a voice. What
are kids who don't want to box but are into
arts or baseball or.
Speaker 2 (48:26):
That's our that's our spot.
Speaker 1 (48:27):
So now you have the second building for the non
combat sports because and now you have art programs and music, everything.
Speaker 2 (48:36):
You can imagine. So so that to me, that's where
you know, my prayer I should say is is well,
we want to hear the voices of the kids be
heard because they're born into this poverty. They didn't ask
for this, man and what And there's so many kids
that that are that are dealing with post traumaunt of stress,
(48:57):
this order because of what they've seen over the years.
Speaker 1 (49:00):
Unshot Bang kind of like kind of like a young
buddy at thirteen, he and his four buddies watching the goshevn.
Speaker 2 (49:07):
It's the same, it's the same, it's the same. Same,
it's the same. Yeah, it's the same, just a different date.
So I'm in a situation now. Man, I'm getting hills
thinking about it. You know, it's like you know, we
we are. We have a contract on record where we're
like ready to go, Lord Will in the first quarter
of twenty twenty five, we will be breaking ground and
(49:27):
getting this thing done for these kids. I'm excited about it.
We we we have two we purchased two two more
storefront properties we have. We own two. It's four in
a row, right storefront properties. Right one is a we
use for a homeless for the homeless population and for
addiction Bible studies all week long. The next one is
(49:50):
a woman's care center that we have an ultrasound and
what we deal with the women that are caught up
in pregnancies or all kind of you know, women's health issues,
women that walk in the streets. So we bring them
in and we give them an alternative you know, to
a boarding to aboarding a child. You know. So we
believe strongly in that. You know. We pray with them
(50:11):
and we help them in any area we can to
to to to take care of their take care of themselves.
Speaker 1 (50:18):
You know.
Speaker 2 (50:18):
We don't charge any money, no money. So we purchase
two more buildings too. They're just to give us. They're
twenty feet wide, one hundred and twenty deep.
Speaker 1 (50:29):
Store shotgun storefront.
Speaker 2 (50:31):
So the first floor of this first building is going
to be a barber shop because so many kids they
want to learn how to cut hair, So we're going
to open that up. And then the second the second
building is going to be a bakery, like we're going
to all he bro and then here do you hear this?
Now I'm excited about this. We have an opportunity to
build three apartments on each floor at six and two
(50:55):
efficiencies on the first floor, so we're going to build
affordable housing. We have a lot next door to the rock.
Now we have a huge tent where we would all
where we would sleep the homeless in code blue and
they would have that was unbelievable when COVID came that
shut down. So we have a donation tent so if
you came in, you you won't have to pay for anything,
(51:19):
but if you can afford a dollar to pay for
a coat, we would accept that donation because all that
money goes into a benevolence fund. So if somebody needs
to go to a plane ride to get home to
California because they haven't seen their parents, we like we
use that for the for that. But we just got
a grant for a five hundred thousand that's going to
(51:40):
allow us to build the first floor, second and the
third floor of.
Speaker 1 (51:46):
You know, so from serving thirteen kids in a boxing
arena upstairs, how many people you serving now on it?
Speaker 2 (51:55):
Thousands? Yeah? Oh well, well we average about one hundred
kids a night. And then we have after school we
do homeware club. Uh uh And I and and to me,
at this point, we we we are expanding like exponentiously,
like with with our with the programs, and the kids
(52:15):
are they're seeing hope. You see, look at you can
sell all the dope you want. I tell the dealers this,
I mean, that's that's what you do. I'm going to
give you hope. And the hope is in Christ. He
has a purpose and a plan for your life, and
that's not to see you destroy it. You know, when
you come into a relationship with Jesus, when you come
(52:36):
into an understanding that he loves you, that he died
on the cross for your sins, that he loves you
so much, and that he cares about you well and
and and you know, to me, they know it's real.
You know, I'm an old you know, city kid, you know,
and I don't earn. I mean, I don't get anything
to do this other than the joy of the Lord.
Speaker 1 (52:54):
Man.
Speaker 2 (52:55):
You know, it's powerful. It's powerful. Brother.
Speaker 1 (53:02):
We'll be right back. This has become this has to
have become a This can't be cheap. Do you have
people helping you? Do you go out and raise money?
(53:23):
I mean we've never done that. We never raised money.
Speaker 2 (53:27):
You know. The governor Wolf when he came in, he
came in like two years ago, when he was still
he was on his way out. He had about a
year ago, and he asked, he says, well, he said,
where does all this come from? And I grabbed his
hand and I knelt down with everybody there, and I
just prayed. I said, that's where it comes from. The
power prayer. I don't rely on man. I rely on
the Lord to speak to man's heart, you know, because
(53:50):
when that happens, it's it's it's just an amazing blessing
for that person. Because the scripture says it's better to
give than receive. That's a blessing that they have, you know.
So when people realize that, recognize that we all win,
you know. So I don't I don't know how to
ask Honestly, I'm not good at it, but it is
(54:10):
what it is.
Speaker 1 (54:11):
How many I dos pray?
Speaker 2 (54:13):
We have about we have about sixty five volunteers. We
have ninety percent if you look at our nine nineties,
ninety percent of everything that comes in goes out into outreach.
A ten percent is for salary employees. We only have two,
you know, so everybody else and then the missionary is
what they do is they they you know, they pray
(54:38):
and people support them, right and then through a ten
ninety nine as a ten ninety nine employee, you know,
So yeah.
Speaker 1 (54:47):
What's the change in the neighborhood as a results of
this work?
Speaker 2 (54:52):
Well, I look at it this way, brother, it's one child,
one family, one block at a time, and it's the
long haul. You know, God redeems us boxing don't do that,
(55:15):
you know, God. And when a person is tapped into
the vertical and understands you know that, you know, they
can do all things through Christ, whose strengthens and they
buy into that in a way and they believe it.
Their world will change.
Speaker 1 (55:32):
Man.
Speaker 2 (55:32):
You know. So we're taking one kid at a time,
you know, and we're seeing a lot of change, you know,
because to me, you know, like I think, like you know,
when a family, when a family gets like we have
now we have kids because I always wanted the kids.
Now it's the families that are coming at church. So
(55:53):
on Sunday we have a you know, yeah, half the
population in our church where former drug deal there's drug addicts, prostitutes.
Speaker 1 (56:03):
I bet church at this place is quite diverse.
Speaker 2 (56:08):
It is, it is, it is starting with the pastor
on down. Really yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (56:18):
One of the one of the things I've read and
heard the many times, and nothing I'm saying here is unique,
but that the most segregated day in the United States
is Sunday, and that that is, that is the irony
of that, is that that is a sin of sinners.
(56:40):
You know, that's a major sin. That the that the
very people who are called to be hopeful and peaceful
and full of grace worship in a way that is
(57:02):
unbelievably segregated. But then I hear what you're doing, and
I gotta believe y'all are the antithesis of that.
Speaker 2 (57:14):
Yeah, we you come as you are, you know, you
come and take all comers, all comers. We don't, we
don't everyone. I don't care if you smell. You know
you're you know you're homeless. You have no shoes, but
when you leave, you'll have shoes. You need to shower,
(57:36):
will get your shower. But at some point, at some point,
look at you can give a kid, a person a
fish for a day, to feed them for a day,
but you teach them how to fish. You've heard that.
It's a lot of truth to that. And so when
it when a person comes in, I'll give you an example.
I'll give you an example. So we're on the radio,
we just actually just stop that. We run for several years,
(57:58):
you know, But one one Saturday, one Sunday, rather, I said,
look at, give me three couples. So three couples come up,
and unbeknown I married all three of them. These I
didn't pick this, and within seven years all the women
were former prostitutes. One was was taking in by her
(58:23):
John into his house for a year. And you know
what I mean, she was she was captive. Yes, she married.
I married her with a guy who was locked up
forty nine times. All three of them, the couples, it
just their lives were transformed because of what Christ did
(58:43):
and the and they and what they believe to me.
That's a powerful statement. And that's what happens every week.
You know, that's what makes change. That's what's going to change. Uh,
you know, community, I think that's that's I don't know
of any other way. I mean, I'll do my part.
Then when they tap into the vine to that vertical.
(59:06):
That's why you know, I was raised as a Democrat
not to get into politics, you know, signed on as
a republic Republican because of the you know, the sanctity
of life and all that. But now I'm a vertecrat.
You know, Now you're a what a vertecrat? A verticraate?
Speaker 1 (59:27):
If he said, yeah, you know, I don't want to
get too deep into my own narrative on that, but
there is there is political law. There's man law, and
there's God's God's law, and they often intersect, but they
rarely completely agree. And you got to decide what law
(59:48):
is going to govern your life.
Speaker 2 (59:50):
Man. That's that's a that's a plaque. That's plaque material. Bro,
Do you have right on a plaque? Man? That is nice?
Isn't that nice?
Speaker 1 (01:00:00):
Hey? Man? If somebody wants to hear more about the
rock or hear more about you, it's our website. Is
there an email? What? How do people find the Rock
and find buddy after listening this that want to learn more,
especially folks fromout the northeast that might want to support you.
Speaker 2 (01:00:16):
Yeah, well, you know they can go on w w
W the Rockphilly dot org and that'll give you everything
you need to know, you know, and uh, that's our website.
And I don't know what else.
Speaker 1 (01:00:29):
You know, get somebody email you if they got questions.
Speaker 2 (01:00:31):
There's an email right there that goes right into our
into our and I'll get it. You know, it goes
right in there. It's got an email right there. Any questions,
absolutely rock filling. It's it's the Rockphilly dot org.
Speaker 1 (01:00:43):
ROTA r O C D t h E r O
c K p h I L l Y dot org. Yes, yeah,
and they can find all about.
Speaker 2 (01:00:53):
Everything they want. Everything they can find out. We're on there.
My mog shot are most every everything. No, it's good. Yeah,
I appreciate this, an opportunity to meet with you.
Speaker 1 (01:01:04):
You know, I loved it, buddy.
Speaker 2 (01:01:05):
Now we're starting a podcast at the Rock.
Speaker 1 (01:01:08):
Good.
Speaker 2 (01:01:09):
So we're gonna have to fly you down here one day.
Speaker 1 (01:01:11):
Maybe one day I'll come visit you. I'd love to, buddy.
It's close to the holidays, and I cannot tell you
how much I appreciate you taking time to come down
and visit with us and share your story. And you
are my friend, an inspiration. To think of it, of
(01:01:32):
a kid growing up in a broken home, one of
eleven who that gum near got their leg amputated, who
ended up finding purpose and boxing, who fought all over
the world, represented the country, who then became a union
You can call it a recruiter or whatever, but it's
that job title has a lot, but used your skills
(01:01:54):
for violence and a job, who ended up in the
pin and is now engaged in saving lives in his hometown. Man,
what a trip, what a story. And we always talk
about it's going to take an army of normal folks
to fix stuff. And I can't think of anybody more
average and normal than where you came from. And look
(01:02:16):
at what you're doing now. And I just want to
thank you for being here and tell you I'm really
really inspired by your life and what you do well.
Speaker 2 (01:02:26):
I appreciate you, brother, and I thank you for the invitation.
God bless you by it.
Speaker 1 (01:02:31):
Thank you, my men, and thank you for joining us
this week. If Buddy Osborne or other guests have inspired
you in general, or better yet, to take action by
volunteering at the Rock, becoming a missionary there, donating to them,
(01:02:55):
getting involved in something similar in your own community, starting
something like it, or something else entirely, please let me
know I want to hear about it. You can write
me anytime at Bill at normalfolks dot us, and I
guarantee you this I will respond. If you enjoyed this episode,
(01:03:15):
would you please share it with friends and on social guys,
Subscribe it to our podcast, rate it, review it, join
the Army at normalfolks dot us, consider becoming a premium
member there all of these things that can help us
grow an army of normal folks thanks to our producer,
(01:03:37):
Ironlight Labs. I'm Bill Courtney, and until next time, let's
do what we can