Today's Featured Guest is Tony Montaga (Tony-X) We had a nice chat discussing Religion, Him serving 6 years in the Federal Penitentiary, Education, and how that played a role in how he viewed the community to try and influence individuals to change their mindset, Tony's journey on running for U.S. Senate, Meeting Donald Trump, Future Bills, Doctrines, that he would like to establish for New York, the importance of health, financial literacy and changing the Education system. Tucker began to prepare for the rest of his life. He earned a GED, a move that criminal justice experts tend to applaud. Upon release, Tucker says he felt as though he had lost a lot of time, and focused on staying out of trouble. These days he is a 35-year-old business owner in Crown Heights, running a tattoo and clothing shop, Top Shelf Ink on Utica Avenue, and working on music on the side. Tucker grew up in Brownsville and says he had a very rough home life. Living on his own since the age of 12, Tucker says his mindset was just to survive. Living in an abandoned house for months after leaving his home, he says he relied on selling marijuana to survive. His top priority is education reform, where he calls for a system where parents can take the same classes as students, and teachers can hold parents accountable: “Children have potential and it is evident when parents are involved. The lack of parental reinforcement at home for poor behavior/attendance would allow teachers to issue referrals to the school guidance counselor so parents can receive assistance with communication skills and other needs.” Because it is hard for felons to get jobs, he became an entrepreneur. “Black people are preconditioned to be entrepreneurs,” he says, adding that he feels rejuvenated by social media and its ability to help small businesses. He believes the drop in crime in Crown Heights, for example, is due to a shift from illegal ways of making money, to legal ones. Like his shop. Tap in with "The Most Unorthodox Show On The Globe 🌎 "
