This is the story of the life and times of Grove Street OGs Sean "Sweet" Johnson, Melvin "Big Smoke" Harris, Lance "Ryder" Wilson, and Carl "CJ" Johnson in the years leading up to Brian Johnson's death five years before Beverly Johnson's murder and infamous Los Santos riots. This story is not suitable for younger readers.
Welcome To Los Santos
South Central Los Santos, San Andreas, 1986
The sun come up on south central Los Santos, a wrecked poor excuse for a community. Gang members wearing purple walked down the street, one in a white tank and purple shorts dribbled a basketball as he walked with his friends. On the other side of the bridge in Ganton on Grove Street, the Johnson family were eating breakfast. Sean Johnson was the unofficial man of the house, he ran his own gang called Grove Street Families. GSF started out small, just a few friends who hustled up some money selling marijuana and robbing houses. Melvin Harris was Sean's best friend and partner over the GSF, they were both 22 years of age and grew up on Grove Street. Sean's little brothers, twins named Carl and Brian, were new members of the families. Carl made his money for the gang by selling stolen cars to a friend in Willowfield, Brian liked to rob liquor stores. Carl's neighbor and childhood friend Lance Wilson was starting out in the gang as well, Lance made his money selling PCP and marijuana. Sean, who went by the name Sweet, was the leader of GSF and had an uneasy truce with the Ballas. The Ballas were a rival African-American gang, their signature color was purple. Sweet also had an alliance with two other Family sets that he based his gang on, Seville Boulevard Families and Temple Drive Families.
Sweet sat at the table, his mother Beverly sat down with a plate of bacon, eggs, toast, and ham. Sweet looked at his mother's plate and rolled his eyes. "Where mine at?" Sweet asked her. "Boy, you ain't little no more. Get your ass in the kitchen and cook you something." Beverly replied. Kendl walked downstairs, she wore a blue ruffled mini skirt, white sneakers and an orange halter top. Sweet looked at Kendl and stood up. "What the fuck are you wearing!?" Sweet asked Kendl loudly. "Fuck you, you ain't my daddy!" Kendl shouted back. "You're lucky I ain't girl, I'd wear your black ass purple now go change!" Sweet shouted in Kendl's face. "Sean, leave her alone!" Beverly shouted at Sweet. "Sorry mamma." Sweet replied. Kendl was 17 years old and the youngest of the Johnson siblings, she was the smartest of the family as well being an honor student at Idlewood High School. Carl and Brian walked downstairs, the twins were 19 years old. Sweet looked at his younger brothers, CJ wore a green basketball jersey and Brian wore a green checkered shirt. "What's cracking brothers?" Sweet asked them. "You boys and your green clothes, anyone would think you're in a gang," Beverly said as she ate her breakfast. "It ain't no gang monma, just a group of friends who like the color green." Sweet reassured her. "Yeah, the color green and guns." Kendl added in as she sat down. "Shut the fuck up!" Sweet shouted in her ear. Beverly grabbed a flyswatter and smacked Sweet across the back with the metal handle. "I said leave her alone boy," She told Sweet. Sweet looked at Brian and Carl, he motioned for them to follow him and they started toward the door.
The cul de sac was quiet, a few Families members were shooting dice outside Jeffery Cross's house. Jeffery was a young kid about Kendl's age, he was a wannabe gangster who thought he could rap. Melvin and Lance were sitting outside Lance's house smoking a blunt. Sweet, Brian, and CJ approached them. "Hey Smoke, what's up?" Sweet asked Melvin as he did their handshake. "Hey Sweet," Smoke replied, "Hey CJ." Smoke said greeting Carl. "Man, look at these two fools. They think they hard but they still green." Lance said as he hit the blunt. "Fuck you Ryder, you a newbie too," Carl replied defensively. "Yeah, he right. Go out there and earn your stripes before you talk shit." Sweet berated Ryder. Big Smoke and Ryder stood up from their lawn chairs and started walking down Grove Street, they all passed the blunt back and forth. Brian didn't smoke so he didn't hit the blunt. The five of them walked out of Ganton and into East Los Santos where the rec center was, they had their mind set on shooting hoops. Ryder found a ball laying by the goal and picked it up, he started dribbling and passed it to Sweet. Some Ballas gang members approached them as they played, one of them was dribbling a ball of his own and wore a white tank and purple shorts. "Hey, this ain't Families turf. Get the fuck out of here!" He shouted at the Grove Street members. "Eh, fuck you. This is a public court." CJ replied stepping up to them. CJ was a small but athletic and toned kid, he wasn't scrawny but he wasn't buff and he had the bravery of a gladiator. The Balla looked at CJ and drew his pistol, he aimed his gun at CJ
Sweet, Smoke, and Ryder drew their guns in return and shot the Balla, this brought on a gang war. Ballas throughout the area zeroed in on the rec center. Sweet threw CJ a gun and they took cover, the GSF members held their own against the waves of Ballas that surrounded them. When they had a window the boys ran out of the rec center and bolted back to Grove Street, they crossed the bridge and ended up back in Ganton. Everything south of East LS was all Grove Street turf including, Idlewood, Willowfield, and Playa De Seville. East Los Santos was Ballas turf, and Los Flores was Vagos, a Mexican American street gang. Sweet, Smoke, Ryder, CJ, and Brian all stopped outside the bar to catch their breath. Some Ballas followed them to Ganton and aimed their pistols, Sweet didn't mess around. Sweet shot every one of the Ballas that followed them in the head, he then put his pistol back inside his pants and started walking down Grove Street to the Cul De Sac. Smoke walked down the street past Grove to a set of apartments on the edge of Ganton, Ryder, CJ, and Brian followed Sweet. They got to The Johnson House, where Beverly had left to go to work and Kendl left for school. "You wanna come in for a beer Ryder?" Sweet asked Ryder. "Hell yeah fool, let's go." Ryder replied. Ryder and the Johnson boys walked in the house, Sweet grabbed four 40 oz bottles of beer and handed them to everyone. They sat in the living room drinking, smoking, and watching tv.