Tyiquan is a skater kid who loses his father to gun violence. After attending culinary school in Virginia Beach, he moves his family back to Portsmouth. He is currently a chef in an upscale restaurant in Virginia Beach.
Tyiquan is a skater kid who loses his father to gun violence. After attending culinary school in Virginia Beach, he moves his family back to Portsmouth. He is currently a chef in an upscale restaurant in Virginia Beach.
Tyiquan McDuffie: Yeah. So. It's my birthday.
Jackie Glass: That's right!
Hannah Sobol: Today's your birthday?
Tyiquan: Yes.
Jackie: I had a birthday card for him.
All: Happy birthday to ya. Happy birthday to ya. Happy birthday. Happy birthday.
Tyiquan: Yep, in the building. Yeah, to 29 alive. (laughs)
(base music, with light beats on top)
Nichole Hill: This is Tyiquan. Storyteller. Giver of bear hugs, big smiles, and an unrestrained laugh.
Tyiquan: Chef Ty Taquan. Little prep gang. Yo, my mom called me. I don't even know what that means. But yeah, I'm Tyi yeah. I'm from Portsmouth, Virginia, from downtown Portsmouth. From a neighborhood called Park View.
Park View is like a historical neighborhood in downtown Portsmouth. A bunch of Victorian houses, that you can't do much renovations to. So if you were to purchase a house out there, it's strict guidelines on things that you can do to the outside and inside of your house.
Because of the historical value of it. All the houses were built in the beginning of Portsmouth almost. Super historical area in reference to like the port of Portsmouth, you know, so it's close to downtown. You take Crawford Parkway down from the waterfront, or Olde Towne, you'll end up in Park View. So yeah.
Thinking about like growing up, it's kind of hard. Certain things to like bring back certain memories from growing up in Parkview, but my most fond memory is like skateboarding down these horrible roads, you know what I'm saying like--can you please come fix these roads?
My neighborhood we play football versus other neighborhoods. I had a bunch of group homes in my neighborhood. So in and out where people that wasn't necessarily from Park View.
It's definitely kind of dangerous, right? Because you taking a walking. I'm talking about 15 deep to Shea Terrace, for example, which is like our closest neighborhood in walking distance.
We'll go out there. They already out there playing football or something like that. And it's Hey, especially y'all. Yeah, most of the time it was peaceful, you know. We also did like football games on like Turkey Day at IC Norcom. So it was like kind of everybody knew that people were going there to play football. So it wasn't like this horrible thing going to another neighborhood playing football.
But I wasn't really into sports like that though because I rode a skateboard like everybody think that they can make it being a football player or something. I wanted to be different. So I rode a skateboard. I was able to skate through any neighborhood. Hey, do you do a ollie, do a kickflip? People are amazed by it. You know what I'm saying? Skateboard T. Oh, Tony Hawk will try to make a joke.
(music with a strong beat drops in)
Skateboarding downtown was kind of illegal, right?
They have about Park View, like historical stuff. So they don't want to get ruined by a skateboard. Even though it's like, yeah, we did mess up the numbers. Easy fix. Like we grind the rail downtown or we put some wax on somebody's ledge on their building. You can fix it. It ain't that bad if we staying out trouble, but you can't skate down the street for real.
You'll get a ticket. The roads were bad, so We're going to be on the sidewalk because it's like old school brick sidewalk. It's clanky, but it's better than being in the cobblestone street. The example we, we can be skating downtown. We had like this seven stair. That's how we like label stuff.
So you'll hear people say, Oh, the three flat at town bank. All the skateboarders, either if you came downtown Portsmouth across the ferry from Norfolk to Portsmouth, you knew exactly what I was talking about. The three flat at town bank, you know, or the police station, the police station had the best skate spots, but it's it's illegal.
So it'd be the times where it's like, I look, please, man, I've been skating. I've been trying to get this trick all day. Laser flips, big heels backside heel flips. that was my thing, so. We'll be at the police station, it's like, look, I need one more try. I've been trying to hill flip this spot for hours. Look at my t t-shirt, it's wet, you know what I mean?
"Come on, let me get three more tries, please. " And the police would be like, "All right, three more. That's it. "
(Sax music, and sound of skate board)
I mean, the skate culture has definitely picked up. Like, when we was kids, when we were younger, it was only a couple of us. And it was like, I mean, mainly white dudes, but we, it was only a couple of us. Like, downtown Portsmouth, we used to be there. There was a skate shop called Dominion 10. And It was love.
Like, it wasn't that many people that was like, Black skateboarding. It was me, Kierra, Sam, Stacy Monty. And we used to sign petitions, because we used to skate at Willett Hall, get in trouble.
We used to try to sign it, because they was going to tear down that high school over there. I think it was Hunt Mapp. It was like, well, let's get us a skate park over there or something like that. Like if we can get a skate park, then we wouldn't have to get in trouble, get no tickets and stuff like that.
So we go in, there was this older police officer, sheriff, his daughter became a sheriff too, from my neighborhood. He helped us put together a petition. We used to sign them, send them off. I don't know what happened. We never got a response for real, for real, because they want to--football, basketball, baseball.
They just want you to do a sport that normal people do. Yeah. I guess I'm not normal, right? (laughs) Because I don't want to be, My mama, you're going to break your damn neck out there. You keep on messing with that skateboard. It's like, Mom, I ain't never broke no bone. Like, but can I get the same support that you're supporting my cousins and stuff, like on football?
Because I was better at skateboarding than anybody that I know at what they was doing. For real, for real, like, why wasn't I supported as much? And that sounds kind of crazy to say that, and I never said it to my mama, but, people get all the support in the world. Mediocre ass football player, third string running back. Y'all all scream his name, but I can do almost every trick on the hill flip spectrum. I'm better at what I do than they are at what they do. But it's not the same support because it's a white thing. Like, it's a white sport.
Even though I was riding a skateboard, I don't know any bands. I didn't listen to Rock music and nothing like that though.
So it's kind of weird. Like I was even weird in that realm too, because I'm not even like the white dudes. I'm, just Tyi from Park View. Like with the Afro. Nappy Afro on the skateboard, like I didn't listen to rock music. I was R and B. I used to sing, play in the show choir. I used to play the violin. I used to act, I used to do all these things growing up that wasn't like the norm. So it was kind of, I was always kind of different.
It's like this oddball things. Like a lot of people try to attach the things around them or cause like my dad got killed when I was 12. Right. And um, you'll see a lot of people try to attach the things to like give them acceptability. I was, opposite, you know.
My dad got killed on July 2nd 2008 and it was a normal, normal day for real. For real. \He was supposed to take me to the skate park the next day. And yeah, he was in the bathroom. I asked him if he wanted a sandwich. I was making grilled cheese.
Gave me a hug, kissed before he left, like, "Yo, hey, we're going to the skate park tomorrow, right?" He's like, "Yeah, I got you, like, we're going. All right, for real." Boom. All right, then it just turned all bad. We just listened to music. What song was it? I can, if I hear the song, I get triggered. "The American dream, do you know what I mean? Radio killer."
And we listened to that song, and my mom bust in the room, (sound of door opening) cause we always in the same, we had a two bedroom apartment, like a duplex, so, my mom and my dad had a room, me and my sister my brother and my first cousin was all in one other room. She busts in the room like, I'll be back.
It's like, why is she crying? So, I bang downstairs and I see her go next door. And she's like, Prep got shot. And I'm like, I didn't know what to do. You know? And I like, went upstairs, I punched the mirror like, crazy times. I think I broke my pinky but, I never went to the hospital. But it was a weird, it was a weird night.
Apparently I'm not about to go too far into details because, you know. But. It wasn't for him. My dad was like a good dude. Like people loved him. Like, and I think it, it was, it was bad because it wasn't meant for him, you know, mistaken identity type of thing. Because honestly, I feel like if people knew what was up, they wouldn't have done it, you know?
(slow piano music under the following)
So yeah, I still battle with it. Cause I know people involved quote unquote, and it's like, yo, you was a kid, somebody misguided you, you know? But yeah, I think about it all the time though. I seen, I seen somebody the other day and I was just like, you don't even know. You don't even know. You ain't even see my sister.
You didn't see my mom. You didn't see my baby brother. You didn't see these faces during this time. And like we grow up, we see a lot of murder for real, for real. And like, I got friends who turned out horrible because of–they lost the wrong person. Or they was there when such and such got killed.
And they change. And it's sad. You can see a drastic change in people. And I think people seen it in me, but I feel like I didn't have the waking moment until I moved to Virginia beach and I was by myself.
(music ends)
So I came out here when I was 17 to go to culinary school. And like that first week, it was just like, yo, I'm, damn. I'm in college. My dad can't see this. My 21st birthday come up. I have a daughter, my dad, you know, But it's normal, right? But it's not though. I'm gonna give you a story.
I'm working here when we first opened a restaurant and I'm gonna say, such and such get killed. "Hey, look chef. I got a person just died, man. I got to go." My favorite cousin get murdered. Hey, look. I gotta go. Like, I gotta go to a funeral. Oh, well this happened, so I gotta leave. The funeral come up, I gotta take up another day. And like, these people don't understand that it's, it's real. And it's like, oh man, what are they doing?
They in the wrong spot. These are good people. They're dead though. And you talking about they in the wrong place. It's like, you don't understand because you not in the culture. You're not from a city like that. And it's dangerous, for real.
But I realized when I came to Virginia Beach that these stories aren't normal to everybody. YA lot of people ain't never even heard a gunshot up close or didn't go to funerals growing up. It's like you ain't never been to nobody funeral that got killed?
It was weird. It was really a culture shock for real for real. Yeah, even to this day, I tell stories in the kitchen and people Oh, no, he lyin'. It's like what? I'm a stand up person. I really don't lie. You know, like these stories are real, you know.
I moved back to Portsmouth. I bought a house. It actually just came up four years and time to time I just ride past the spot where he got murdered at. I probably drop a flower off or two. And the kids in that area was--are tragic now.
Like, insane. I'm talking about toting big guns. They're like 12, 13 years old. And it's like, that's where they at. The cliche term, when you're a product of your environment, you can also be a product of your environment because even though you're in a bad place, they're good people there.
So the idea of being a product of your environment is kind of like torn, right? Because why can't good things come from a bad place too? They always assume or attach that, that phrase to like negativity coming from there. But it's like, there's good people. Like all my main homies are good people, you know?
And my sister, my homie sister's best reading points in the city of Portsmouth, all that stuff. They, they was in the projects, still great people, so I am a product of my environment.
(positive music begins)
Nichole Hill: Tyiquan currently works in an upscale restaurant in Virginia Beach.
Tyiquan: I'm one of the best chefs in my area. I don't make food with that big edible flour up there. I'm not throwing dry parsley on everything.
I can, I can really cook and I turned out this way because of where I'm from, And I love it.
(music ends)
That's the thing I always I had. I was going through this thing of like I was losing all these people and I wasn't there. So I have like this attachment to like needing closure when it comes.
I want to go to everybody funeral and…
Nichole Hill: This part was hard. For all of us. (Nichole breathes)
I got a friend, though. He taught me, like, how to be vulnerable. Cause he, he does kung fu and stuff, so it helped out,
But, that's a level of confidence that you can have if you have knowledge of self.
And that's another thing that’s like that I learned early in my life. It's like, not the vulnerability side, but like, being in tune with who I actually am. That's why I was able to not want to join a gang growing up. I mean, they was my, members are my homies to this day, and they great people for real, for real. But they, they do it.
And it's, it's sad, but it's like, this is how they were able to deal with their trauma. I was able to deal with mine in a different way.
(Sound of skateboard doing a trick)
Through knowledge of self, I learned that like acting and doing music, playing the violin, skateboarding, like the real challenge. Yo, we're not going in the house until we land 100 kickflips, 100 hill flips, 100 trade flips.
We're going to do it. The street lights on and we loud outside, but we going to get this goal set. So knowledge of self it's like how I was able to get through it. But that, that level of vulnerability, that's like, it didn't come until I was way older and I still work with it to this day, but my heart is on my sleeve all the time, you know?
But I moved back to Portsmouth because I felt like I needed to be home for some reasons like. But I feel bad bringing my kids back to Portsmouth because of how much trauma it gave me.
But also, I did it for them at the same time. Like, if they are out here, there's better schools out here. My fiance, she's a teacher out here. So I kind of want to come back because the school system is better.
Every day I think about why did I come back to Portsmouth? But it's just this thing. I love it. I love Portsmouth. It's such a beautiful, it's such a beautiful city for real, for real. And a lot of people like, you'll hear people talking shit about Portsmouth.
Have you even been there? Most people have not even been. Go to like downtown where the police are, right? Take the ferry, come across, just that ferry ride alone. (Sound of a ferry horn, and a ferry crossing water) It's such a beautiful place, Portsmouth is beautiful. Like, these old buildings, the old churches.
Like, the fences, the metal fences, the bell every hour. (Sound of a church bell) Like, it's a beautiful, the way our streets are, you know, it's beautiful downtown Portsmouth. And like, these people never even been, but you, oh, Pistol City stuff like, but you never been, you never experienced this, so it's kind of disrespectful.
Like you're speaking on something that you don't really know, you know, but yeah, it is harsh. It's bad. We are trauma filled people, right? But it's beautiful though.
(Energizing music begins)
Nichole Hill: Wanna hear what Portsmouth looks like through Tyiquan’s lens?
Tyiquan: So if we do a movie set of Portsmouth, it has to be like some Anthony Hamilton, first and foremost, like that (sings) "Coming from where I'm from, I'm from" you know,
I love the architecture of Portsmouth.
So when you go downtown Portsmouth, I can see like these big trees older than my mom, 100 year old trees. Like you probably lynched somebody from that tree before.
And it's like this corner on this tree is celebrated. You can't cut it down. It hangs over the street on High street and Court. And it's just like when you so I can't even I don't even know.
(Sound of skateboard going over cobblestones)
I see this this like the way the streets are like these rocks. I can hear my skateboard like it's the vibration, right? Knees, knees tired. Like, you know how your feet feel sleep? Know how your foot feels sleep? You know what I mean? Like, my legs are just vibrating as I skate down the street, you know?
Lookin' both ways, or not. Going as fast as I can, you know? Definitely gotta stop at Dollar General, where, right beside Roger Brown, so. Gotta get a snack. Skate parks at Roger Browns. Your auntie is probably outside smoking a cig, a Newport 100. Hey auntie, you know? My favorite part is, there's this, I mean it's a skate spot, right?
There's this seven stair handrail where we have the American flag. And there's like these, they put the Christmas tree there sometimes. Um, it's just the red stones leading to the ferry. It's like If I can sit there downtown Portsmouth, that's like my ideal, that's nightcap. Like I'll sit at the Whitestone and just have a drink and won't drive, right?
Or at Scott's Creek in Parkview.
(Music fades into sounds of crickets, night by the water)
Scotts Creek. I love Scotts Creek. I can smell it right now So growing up we used to Scotts Creek is like my neighborhood Water, right? How can I say it, like kind of like so the Elizabeth River basically goes into my neighborhood yeah, it just flows through, through my neighborhood, right?
Yeah, that's, that's the spot. We used to chill on this bridge. It used to be like CWTV, I think. CW 27 used to be a TV station. And that used to be in our neighborhood too. But like, there's this spot that separates West Park View and Park View. But it's this area that we used to sit and just go fishing, crabbing.
I used to find so much cool stuff. I wish I could have kept some of these coins I found. Like now that I look, I see these people posting and getting money for like these cool stuff. Cohen's. I used to just throw back in there. (Sound of somthing being tossed back into the water). Found like old instruments and stuff. Like it's just it's a cool spot. I still go there.
I'll probably go there tonight. It's my birthday.
(Cricket sounds fade, and a beat drops)
Nichole Hill: Visit our website Truthbetoldcommunity.com to find out ways to get involved, and share this episode with friends.
This series was written by Jackie Glass and Hannah Sobol, edited and hosted by me, Nichole Hill, Sound Design by Trendel Lightburn, and our work has been supported by the Virginia African American Cultural Center through a grant from Virginia Tourism Corporation. Follow our work by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. We couldn’t do this without people brave enough to share their experiences, so thank you Tyiquan McDuffie.