gun control
It's not every day I open a newspaper and find a photo of a 17 year-old former student in handcuffs facing possible murder charges. I'd just been sitting at the table laughing at the biscuit-like pancakes I made before opening the paper. It shouldn't have come as such a surprise. The kid who was shot was also a student at my high school. It's been a weird week there. Announcements about the wake and funeral were happening at the same time as the balloon and teddy bear sales for Valentine's day. Crazy rumors about the circumstances of his death had been buzzing around for days, and I had heard my former student's name come up a couple of times. But neither the death, nor the arrest really hit me until I saw that photo. The article said that he was "uncooperative" with the police and it made me want to laugh and cry to think how very uncooperative he was about his homework too - unless I made him stay after school on the same day as a girl whose maternal bullying actually made him focus. But he still didn't pass my class.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, 32% percent of Black males will be in the prison system at some point in their lives. I can't make myself think about how many of my kids that is. They're just kids and they're messed up and they're silly and obtuse and they smile when praised - just like everyone else. I know this kid made some really bad choices, but I don't believe he got there on his own.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, 32% percent of Black males will be in the prison system at some point in their lives. I can't make myself think about how many of my kids that is. They're just kids and they're messed up and they're silly and obtuse and they smile when praised - just like everyone else. I know this kid made some really bad choices, but I don't believe he got there on his own.