STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Having lived a life on the streets and in prison, Staten Islander Ashshahid Muhammad has paid his dues and turned his life around, now writing and illustrating comic books in the hopes of educating children to stay away from drugs, crime and prison.
“I have published three new comic books,” said Muhammad. “Two are based on my true story and the other one is a fiction book based around the Port Richmond area. I want to deliver hope, awareness and the message that it’s never too late to change and turn your life around.
“I want readers to know through my books that you must learn to be your own friend first and then you will learn how to be a friend to others. If we do not educate our youth about drugs, gangs, guns or jails, the streets will teach them the hard way.”
There were times Muhammad, 47, admittedly did not think he would make it past the age of 25. Born in South Memphis, Tennessee, he began a life of crime at the age of seven. After spending time behind bars, he got back on the streets, becoming the neighborhood drug dealer.
By 21, he had been shot in the head and arm, losing his eye from a gunshot. Soon after, depression began to set in, leading to a drug addiction to help him cope.
That life of drugs and crime now behind him, Muhammad calls Mariners Harbor home and owns Graffiti University Comics, an online bookstore, selling books urging young people to avoid the life he has regretfully led.
His books, sold on Amazon.com, feature his original illustrations that depict people from his past that he hopes will serve as a cautionary tale for the younger generation.
“The drug dealer I once was is no longer reality,” he said. “The mission of our comic books is not to glorify life on the streets. Our mission is to give a blueprint of the consequences of them. I travel the five boroughs of New York City selling these comic…
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