Simi & Timoko Iulio

Photo Credit: Joe Budd — *Photo Credit: Joe Budd*

“Cannabis law was really just a trick to get into people's property.”

Timoko: My name is Timoko, I'm 47 and I'm from the Bay Area.

Simi: And I'm Simi. I'm 49 and I was raised in Hunter's Point.

Timoko: I would use weed just for medical reasons. After having surgery and needing pain relief. That type of thing. Never had trouble with law enforcement. I was always just hiding, you know? Worried I’d get caught and stuff. But Simi...

Simi: Yeah. Years ago growing up in the Bay View Hunter's Point, mid ‘80s, they had pulled us over because they said somebody was smoking in the car. That was the probable cause, and once they pulled us over, we got jacked. They hit us with a gun charge. That was kind of messed up because the whole thing was about the weed, but there was no weed in the car in the first place. The police knew exactly what they was doing.

Tomiko: It was like he was targeted. This was back in the ‘80s, but in 2019 it’s still happening. Cannabis law was really just a trick to just be getting in people's property.

Simi: Yeah, you know? I ended up doing time behind it and the funny thing is, I didn't even smoke weed. I was a lot younger then and I’d see the older guys smoke and just be like, ‘OK man, whatever y’all want to do.’ [laughs] That's what killed me about it. No weed, and I end up doing time for somebody else's gun. But that's the game, you know?

It affected my family hard. Being the only kid out of the bunch — how many of us? 12 — and I’m the only kid going to juvenile hall, going to jail. Of course, it affected my Moms, everybody. Doing the phone conversation thing, a lot of yelling, a lot of praying, a lot of crying. I was angry. They was angry.

It changed me big because when I came home, my attitude was, ‘I went down for something I didn't do. They owe me for taking my freedom, my life, and taking these years from me.’ Instead of me focusing the right way, I just said to hell with it. Man, just did a whole lot of shit. You know? 20 years stayed out of jail and eventually they snatched me back up again.

It's a lesson learned. The best thing that ever happened was this lady [Simi] and my kids. Since I’ve been back home again I’ve just been focused on raising my kids and grandson. I should have focused on that from the beginning, but I was just too angry, and it all started with the weed. Getting targeted for something I didn't do, so I came home and didn't give a damn about the world or nobody. I shouldn't have took it that way, but I did.

Now, lesson learned. All my children are grown, except one who is 16 and my grandson is two. They’re what I live for.