Hey, name is T.J. Back in September, a little bit after graduating from FSU, I was assigned a freelance project by a second tier men's mag, Razor Magazine. My mission: to infiltrate a magazine crew, a door-to-door scam that is constantly on the move along our nations freeways and back roads, a crowd of roadies consisting of under-age kids and immature scam artists - or worst of all, nave young adults brainwashed into a lifestyle unfit for even the most hardened carnie. Sound dramatic? Sure, but it's fitting.
I joined on in Virginia Beach, hired by a rail thin druggie named Jamie who drove a ragged out Lexus and spoke at ninety miles per hour about Vinnie Pitts, the boss of the whole racket. After getting pulled over twice and almost getting arrested she finally arrived at our destination, a low level hotel along the strip in VA Beach.
I met the crew, a rag-tag group of ex-convicts, drop-outs, military discharges, and sadly enough, educated, friendly and articulate children, all of whom had been seduced by the life of the road. After observing the group get high as Beoings, and getting drunker then Cooter Brown I decided to indulge in this foreplay of ecstasy and get to know the group. Wasted and tired I went to bed, passing out with two guys flanking me and three passed out on the floor.
My article will be published in the July edition of Razor magazine but the gist of it is this: I witnessed kids beat up at the request of managers, the managers usually violent ex-cons or deceptive manipulators, men who would assault under-age girls on crew and condemn others for eating too early while on the job.
I witnessed kids left behind hours from the hotel and forced to pay their way back to the hotel only to get screamed at, hit or threatened and then not even paid. I witnessed a girl dressed in a skirt, halter top and sporting pig-tails get dropped off at a truck stop, willingly, and get picked up twelve hours later where she would award the driver with 100 dollars cash, buy ten magazines with cash and keep the rest of her hard earned money. Figure that one out yourselves, people.
I witnessed kids arrested for soliciting, ticketed for soliciting, all because the company is so illegal they don't dare risk the purchase of a permit. I witnessed habitual drug use by not only the kids but the managers, including the managers happily purchasing drinks and drugs for under-age, sometimes under the age of 17, kids.
I witnessed a child forced to work on the day of her mother's death and then asked to leave, I myself was involved in the grand-daddy of all instances: My girlfriend and I, obviously star-crossed lovers, were harassed seriously one night by opposing managers and agents. I was on invited to hang out with friends, friends who became enforcers at the beckoning of a manager, friends who attempted to gang up on me, three against one, and force me to end my relationship. Why? Because she brought in the best business and because all the boys, yes BOYS, wanted to try and turn her into one of sluts on crew, a frequent occurrence with girls who make the mistake of joining onto this cult of all scams. But she was too strong and they tried to keep her there, The Firm style and they threatened me with police action, violence, burnt me with a cigarette till I was forced to fight back.
All of this under the guidance of Sean Impara and Tony and Kevin and Bo Spencer and Vinnie Pitts, all men who, following my article, better find nice holes to hide, because this is no vendetta, this is justice and I promise I will contribute to to the downfall of PMI and the rest of the companies which use and abuse these kids and toss them to the curb when business starts to fall. What PMI does is sick, it's sad, it doesn't rescue you kids, it doesn't help you, it doesn't breath a new life into you, it eats at you and lets you get hurt and hurts, it allows you to taste the sour fringe of illegal money before yanking you away from your life.
I look forward to the day that I stop taking this personal and simply put out my article, because on that day, the country will know, these people are scumbags. Josiah, Jeff, Tom, Victoria, Jamie, you steal, you abuse, you use, and it's going to stop.
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