Page 75 - www.composition1.com
P. 75

Then jumping onto the next subject as he likes to do so quickly, he starts to ask me about what's
               going on in the west side of the city, what's with all the dead bodies and cop killings he's been
               hearing about in his short time back. I think of Derek.

               I tell him I have no idea, and then he says that we are probably past due for another riot like we had
               nine years ago. I didn't live around here then, so I didn't know what he was talking about, but he
               was probably right. Then he starts to talk about a cop that got shot and about how he knew one of
               the cops' friends. He says that he heard that five black kids were hanging out on the stairs in front
               of an apartment building talking, and then four white cops drove up and told them all to get against
               the wall.

               The four white cops check the five black kids for drugs and weapons and anything else that is
               illegal to carry unless told otherwise. They don't have anything on them, but in an effort to prevent
               crime one of the four white cops taunts one of the five black kids, and that particular black kid at
               the time has had enough of all the unusual cop presence which was enforced because of a prior
               killing of two young innocent bystanders, so instead of taking the bullshit he pushes one of the
               cops back and is arrested.

               After seeing their friend being put in handcuffs, another black kid begins to argue with one of the
               cops claiming it was bullshit and that the other cop acted first, and after this black kid has said his
               piece, and after he is ignored, he insults all four white cops and is then also arrested. The other
               three black kids who are not in handcuffs don't say a word, but they don't need to because there is
               an older black man across the street yelling and laughing at the actions of the law enforcement
               officers.

               The older black man begins to shout about how cops don't have anything better to do than to make
               quality of life arrests which implies he is more knowledgeable about the inner workings of a police
               force than he looks. One of the white cops looks at him and threatens to take him to jail if he
               doesn't shut up, and now this event begins to draw a crowd. People are looking out of their
               windows, stopping on the sidewalks, crowding and talking with each other about what is going on.

               Now the older black man has gone back inside his home, and the crowd that had gathered has taken
               his place and claim that the cops are never around when they are actually needed. A common
               claim. Frustrated, one of the white cops gets out of his black and white and tells the crowd to back
               up, but one of the individuals in the crowd attempts to spit at him and misses. As he is beginning to
               walk towards the person who tried to spit at him, the other officers look in his direction and notice
               what is going on.

               At the same time that they are looking in his direction, the older black man walks out of his home
               with a model of a Smith & Wesson handgun and yells something in the direction of the officers,
               and then begins to shoot at them. You've walked so far and you are finally at the edge, and all it
               takes is one little push.

               After everyone has scattered, and after all the rounds have been fired, there are four fatalities and
               two damaged police vehicles. The fatalities in question are two out of the four cops, one out of the
               two kids who were arrested and the man who initiated the shooting. One of the police vehicles had
   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80