We Are The Block
The Squad. The Dream Team.
The Adorable Deplorables. The Degenerate Do-Gooders in the flesh.
Get to know us, you’ll like us. Probably…
Hakeem Ruiz
Formerly known as “Crazy Legs Craig” once the disco era ended Hakeem pillaged to Gary, Indiana. There he found a new purpose as a lion tamer in the local Lion sanctuary. Him and his father, Paul Rudd, one day decided to give disco one more shot in 1987 and started a club called “Spaghetti Eddy” due to poor branding the business failed. Hakeem went on to write several novela’s for Telemundo and even survived falling down 6 steps. Such a heroic tale inspired him to now become President of The Block Gives Back.
Kevin Morales
3-time kickboxing World-class light middleweight champion, but also once ate 14 packs of Ramen noodles in one day which still stands as a world record. When he finally recovered he retired from boxing and flew to Antarctica to adopt 3 Persian barracudas. He named them MikeE, MikeO, and MikeL. They were all girls. In his free time, Kevin enjoys completing Rubix cubes and building air conditioners out of toothpicks. Ice Cream Kev doesn’t like Ice Cream but he does like his role as Treasurer of The Block Gives Back.
Anthony Marricone
The New York Times refers to him as “The Golden child of pottery”. Originally a back up dancer for the likes of Montell Jordan, Jordan Sparks, and even Michael Jordan Anthony has consistently been a presence in pop culture. Appearing on the front cover of Ebony Magazine in 2007 he once wisely stated “If you ain’t got no money, Take yo broke a** home”. This went on to cause a feud with his adopted brother Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas. Anthony being a third degree black belt was warned by the sheriff’s office that he should not harm his brother Will. The battle instead went on record with diss tracks aimed at each other for most of the next decade. Including the smash hit “Will you ain’t”. Chart topping club bangers like that still weren’t enough to satisfy the golden child’s ultimate dream of world peace by 2025. So he has since transitioned into a role as Chief of Dogooding with The Block Gives Back.
Sean Rogge
Former runner up for the Pulitzer Prize in 2013, sean has since focused his energy on restoring vintage Harley Davidson motorcycles. When he isn’t too busy with that he auditions to be the newest member of the Blue Man group. Sean actually hates the color blue though and secretly has been diligently concocting a new formula for a completely original color he will present to crayola in the summer of 2027. Formerly team Edward as far as twilight goes, currently Outreach Coordinator as far as The Block Gives Back goes.
Amber “Iverson” Allen
Came to American as a foreign exchange student by way of Düsseldorf, Germany. They traded her for 3 second round picks and a guy named Steve. During her journey she mastered many things. The perfect tuna fish sandwich, the cat daddy dance, but most of all the game of Tetris. She has participated in numerous tournaments world wide and has received endless accolades for her abilities. After a devastating thumb injury during the 2002 season she had to hang up the joystick and turn back to the only thing she knew, the mean streets of Düsseldorf. She remained off the grid until 2009 when she emerged from years of experimental surgeries with a third thumb. But Tetris fell out of style shortly after 2010 and she retired again. She has since started a career as the Director of Development with The Block Gives Back.
Thomas Roush III
Not many know this but Thomas is a long lost relative of Mr. T. In fact the character Mr. T actually was inspired by Tom’s style of a mohawk, several gold chains, and growling speaking voice. On top of being the muse of a tv star he also can juggle unicycles, once rode a unicorn, and his favorite song by Queen Latifah is “Unity”. Once a contestant on Survivor season 12, Former president of The Block Gives Back.
Felix Alvarez
Known famously for his squash garden, Felix has produced some of the most fresh squash this side of the Mississippi. He also enjoys a nice cup of Joe on the daily as he watches his morning Australia Open reruns. Striving to be a writer, Felix has penned several poems to the Wall Street journal on the topic of global warming. None were published but he finds joy in having a reason to buy new stamps. Once a dumpage specialist at Circuit City, former fundraising chair of The Block Gives Back.