How Denver Pulled Him Into Gang Life

Alec Hackney spent nearly a decade in and out of Colorado prisons after first being locked up at just 17 years old for attempted murder. A Blood gang member for over 20 years, Alec survived being stabbed in the head, shot on the streets, and caught in the chaos of drugs, violence, and survival behind bars. After serving a 10-year sentence for drug conspiracy and getting clean 7 years ago, he decided to change his life completely. Since his release in 2023, Alec has opened a sober living home, a behavioral health and recovery coaching business, and a personal investment firm, using his story to help others find a way out of the same life he escaped. Alec shares what it was really like being a Blood inside Colorado prisons, the harsh reality of gang life, and how he turned years of pain into a purpose-driven mission to rebuild his life. #LockedInWithIanBick #ColoradoPrisons #BloodGang #PrisonStories #TrueCrime #GangLife #RedemptionStory #realstories Thank you to EXPRESSVPN & PRIZEPICKS for sponsoring this episode: ExpressVPN: Secure your online data TODAY by visiting https://www.expressvpn.com/lockedin to find out how you can get up to four extra months. Prizepicks: Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/IANBICK and use code IANBICK and get $50 in lineups when you play your first $5 lineup! Connect with Alec Hackney: Website: Goldstandarddenver.com Business IG & TikTok: @Goldstandarddenver Personal IG: @righthooks Personal TikTok: @wsdevine4 Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop Timestamps: 00:00 From Denver Gangs to Locked In 01:00 From Prison to New York: Alec’s New Beginning 03:00 Surviving Floods & Finding Purpose in NYC 06:00 From Gang Life to Business Owner & Mentor 10:00 Growing Up Fast & Falling Into the Streets 14:00 Denver Gangs, Loyalty & First Felony Case 17:00 Family Trauma & the Path to Violence 20:00 Inside Denver’s Gang Culture 22:00 Life in the Streets & Gang Politics 25:00 High School Behind Bars: Growing Up in Prison 29:00 Prison Boot Camp, Discipline & Survival 33:00 Violence, Addiction & Prison Reality 36:00 Losing Loved Ones & Finding a Turning Point 40:00 Breaking the Cycle & Building a New Life 44:00 Reclaiming Identity After Prison 47:00 Gang Identity, Change & Self-Reflection 51:00 Business, Recovery & Helping Others Heal 55:00 Prison Politics, Race & Hard Truths 01:00:00 Moving Beyond Gangs & Finding Purpose 01:05:00 Fatherhood, Tattoos & Building Confidence 01:09:00 Mentorship, Redemption & Final Reflections

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