Anti Hero gave Andy Roy an ultimatum or whatever.
It was something like: Hey, get sober and film a solid full part and we'll give you a pro board.
If you don't get your shit together you'll just be perma flow or whatever.
Andy manned up and quit drinking for a month or two and put together a rad part and got a pro board again.
So there.... Andy's comeback
Andy still isn't drinking, and yeah, Antihero didn't just welcome him back with open arms, he definitely has been out getting coverage and skating a ton, and that is why they put him on. Maybe its not the Guy level, but going from a constant recidivism case junkie to sobering up, focusing on skating and actually doing stuff with his life. Vice cooking shows may be something that isn't a "pro skater comeback" type move, but its a lot more honest than ripping off drug stores for money to get his next hit. On a personal level, he's pretty much come back from the grave. Hopefully Antwuan can do the same.
Also, on the "black power" confusion. There is a very real, concrete reason that "black power" isn't the same as "white power." The term "black power" originated with 1960's civil rights activist Stokely Carmichael in his famous "black power speech" that he gave after being arrested for something like the 40th time for non-violent civil disobedience. His claim was that basic civil rights laws passed by a government in which black people had no representation that needed to be fought for using their blood and bodies was an untenable path. His basic conclusion was that in order for black people to have a truly equal place in American society, they needed to fightnot just for black civil rights, but for black representation in the political power structure- or "black power." It continued to evolve, having a larger meaning that African American people should strive for and have more power- politically, economically, and socially, in a society in which they have not had any true power historically and most still continue to struggle within. There is no equivalence with white people. There was never a time in American society when white people were entirely shut out of the political, economic, or social hierarchies. That's why it is disturbing when people say "white power." Its a reaction to the notion of "black power" and basically says "fuck an equal place at the table, white people should remain in a place of power over others" which is horrible. That's why "white power" is racist, but "black power" really isn't. And yes, I'm sure it can be bastardized, and that if there are black nationalists out there calling for a white genocide, they probably say "black power" too, but that's not really what it means to most people who use the term.
Kamltoe is killing it in this thread! Things aren't as simple as people make them out to be. If moving your family out of the hood is such an obvious constructive first move, then why hasn't Theotis done it? I guarantee he currently makes far more than Antwuan ever has.
The dude has made mistakes that he is personally responsible for, but...
1) He did his time
2) He came from a situation that probably messed with a lot of his perspective on the world, that's not to say he's not responsible for what he did, but that maybe we should be a little reserved in how we judge him from positions and backgrounds that are likely very different from his. I'm sure 'Twan raised in a middle class suburb to a family with no history of gang membership might have acted differently than 'Twan from the hood. I'm not saying everybody here is from that, but the environment in which we spend our formative years does affect how we deal with the world as adults. Growing up in poverty in a literal ghetto and watching other members of your family get locked up isn't something a couple of big paychecks just make disappear.
I think deathwish should take the "Andy Roy/antihero" approach with Antwuan. Make him prove himself back while simultaneously giving him the support and love to let him know they want him to prove himself and come back.