Ted: During the pandemic, I had time to sit down and really focus on a lot. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT BLACK MEN ARE OVER-ARRESTED, OVERCHARGED, AND OVER INCARCERATED YOU TALK ABOUT THE GUILT YOU FELT AND SURVIVOR’S REMORSE. There’s no difference between you and the inmate once you step foot into that jail. When you’re going on a visit, they treat you as if you’re behind bars. Whether you’re behind the bars or you’re going to visit. Because as a young teen, as a young man, going into the prison system, it does something to you. I stayed away from going to see my brother.

So it was like the me just growing up in the prison system. I also have a younger brother who’s presently serving a sentence in prison. WAS IT THE PAIN OF LOSING HIM THAT KEPT YOU AWAY SO LONG? TED YOUR BROTHER WAS LOCKED UP WHEN YOU WERE JUST 10 AND YOU HAVEN’T SEEN HIM FOR 28 YEARS EVEN THOUGH HE GOT OUT THREE YEARS AGO. Puma of Black Ink Crew NY (courtesy of Paramount)

They’re probably much smarter than what we even imagine. But then as I talked to other people and got to a real understanding, even just our conversation before this happened about Elon Musk being on the spectrum and so many other people on the spectrum, it’s making me more at ease with the whole situation. Puma: When I first heard it, it was the fear of the unknown Having one of your children have this is scary at first. WE SEE YOU SHATTERED WHEN YOU DISCOVER YOUR SON HAS AUTISM. But I’m glad that some people get the understanding that it’s not just flowers and roses and happy-go-lucky all the time. YOU AND QUANI SEEM TO HAVE FOUND THE KEY TO WORKING THROUGH THINGS, DO YOU THINK YOU’VE INSPIRED OTHER BLACK COUPLES? I like where she’s progressing in life right now. She’s about pushing for herself and it’s going really well. Sometimes you don’t wanna be just known as Puma’s wife. I want her to have her own and be her own person. It gets to a point in your life when you’re just so focused on giving to your family that sometimes you forget how they feel about what you’re giving. SHE SAYS SHE’S FRUSTRATED ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO DO HER AND HAVE HER OWN LIFE. PUMA YOUR LONG NINE-YEAR MARRIAGE TO QUANI GETS A LITTLE ROCKY IN THIS SEASON. So at eight o’clock Tuesday night, I’m definitely sitting in front of my TV to see what’s going on even though I am a part of Black Ink Crew. We watch the show as fans just like everybody else.

Black ink crew teddy