Clave Ali on growing up in Santa Ana: shots outside his window, then a city 'pot of gold'

Clave Ali is from Santa Ana, the 714, as he put it. In a clip from the Juice Unlocked podcast posted Feb. 23, 2026, the guest, tagged in the post as @ahhlicks_, told the hosts he was raised around Orange and McFadden and Main and McFadden before his family moved to another part of the city, closer to South Coast.

The post billed it as a story about growing up in "one of the most dangerous cities in Orange County" and still making it out and becoming successful. It drew more than 7,300 likes and more than 860 comments.

The shooting he remembers

Clave Ali said the family had just come home from Target in broad daylight when two men in front of their house, which had a big front window, started shooting at each other. His mother, who he said was pregnant at the time, dove on top of the kids.

He said that was about the last thing he really remembers before the family left. According to Clave Ali, his parents got the house bought out through the city, which let them move across town.

“We had just got home from Target, broad daylight, two dudes on the front of our house.”

'Don't let that be the only image'

He was quick to push back on the city's reputation. He told the hosts he did not want to paint Santa Ana in a bad light and said visitors will find good people and a lot of talent there.

He closed by calling the city untapped and "the gold rush."

“I don't want to give Santa Ana such a bad light, bro.”

“There's a lot of good souls, a lot of good people, a lot of good talent.”

“Santa Ana is a pot of gold, bro, and it's untapped.”

What’s next

The post said the full interview with Clave Ali was coming soon.