Excerpt from "One of many"

The riot lasted 24 hours and an estimated 15 people were killed. It was a pretty bad time. Yet instead of looking at why these men and women did what they did, all the media does is show the aftermath and paint us as terrible people. When in actuality they should be grateful for us because we are the people that this country was founded off of. There is no United States without the black communities.” These are words Jermaine didn’t know exactly what they meant now. But these words would affect them in the years to come. they would play a pivotal role, many believe it means to be black in America. Finally finishing his rant Jermaine walks over to the table and asks how his son's day was. It was good, Marvin talked to me again today Malcolm replied.

You did what I told you to do right? Jermaine says. Of course Daddy you always say head down and stay quiet Malcolm responded confidently. “good I'm proud of you son, I know it may seem that I'm always just telling you rules to follow. But the ultimate goal is to build you into a man that doesn't turn into somebody like Marvin. I told you before I did know him when I first moved here, and at first, he was a good man but all it takes is one day or event for someone's life to be changed for the better or worse. For Marvin it was Vietnam, I don't know about his time over there but from the things that the news told me, it was harsh. So you can’t totally blame him for the things he's gone through. But still, there are paths that he has taken that he shouldn't have. So as my son, I want you to always stick to the right path and know how to move in the world around you freely but safely. And the one way to do that is not by getting tons of money but by being educated, staying educated, and always being the hardest worker in the room” Jermaine is a firm believer that you can do anything you want to do if you put your mind to it. At least once a day Jermaine teaches his son Malcolm the ways of the world because Jermaine knows firsthand how hard it can be walking into a world you don't know blind. And once again these small persistent conversations with his son Malcolm play a part in what build him to be the man he will be. Now fueled with curiosity Malcolm makes up an excuse to leave the house. He says he wants to go play basketball with his friends Tyreke and Jason. His dad says he hands him $10 and reminds him of the street light rule. but just as he leaves his house Malcolm knows what he wants to do. He wants to confront Marvin about his time in Vietnam and what life is like now. but he would never let his dad know that because that's completely against the rules. like clockwork, Malcolm finds Marvin on the corner of his Street waiting to beg for money. Malcolm walks up to Marvin and explains his interest in Marvin's life. “ hi Marvin says Malcolm I was talking to my dad and he says that you're a war veteran. and I want to know more about your life ”. Marvin sharply declines but when Malcolm shows him the $10 he starts talking. The Vietnam War took the lives I'm over 58,000 American Servicemembers what's an even larger total of wounded at more than a hundred and fifty thousand. but even with how hard all of the soldiers fought there were no welcome home parades for Vietnam vets. For soldiers the war and returning home was like a revolving door of service. when one veteran came home another would leave. There was never a time of collective rejoice. it was the first major lost War abroad in American history. as a veteran of the Vietnam War Marvin was a pilot. He was tasked with spreading the herbicide and defoliant chemical agent orange. The purpose of Agent Orange was to defoliate Forest areas that might conceal Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces and destroy crops that might feed the enemy. 15 million liters of this herbicide were dropped on Vietnam. The servicemen who suffered long exposure to agent orange develops numbers of cancers and other health disorders. and in Vietnam exposure to agent orange is considered to be the cause of an abnormally high incidence of many different health issues such as cancer and birth defects. Marvin admits that since his return from Vietnam he has suffered intense PTSD after the horrific things that he experienced and was told to do during his time overseas. He admits that his PTSD led to his intense substance abuse. This is common in many Vietnam War veterans as well his PTSD he thinks it's connected to lots of pain that he feels physically. So his use of drugs which occurs roughly in 1/3 of men with PTSD, he uses as a way to self-medicate and soften or get rid of the pain that he feels. With a shocked look on his face Malcolm thanks Marvin for the conversation and hands him the $10. But Marvin doesn't take it, and tells him to keep it and makes his way home. Ever since this moment Malcolm always looked at the world in a different way and with a new appreciation of life. But regardless of all the things he learned Malcolm still became a product of his community......... 

Three years later Malcolm was home to visit his family. But the community he came back to was destroyed by the crack epidemic that he left. crack cocaine which was derived from the powder cocaine was popularized by its affordability and its immediate euphoric effect and its high profitability. It causes weight loss, high blood pressure, hallucinations, seizures, and paranoia. crack worked its way into eroded black communities during Ronald Reagan's term when manufacturers moved outside of the cities which destroyed job opportunities for the minorities in these communities and created workforce competitions that widened the gap between social and economic segments in the inner cities of America. After the epidemic destroyed communities Ronald Reagan declared the War on Drugs which resulted in immense growth in court caseloads and prison population. It cost the prison population to double due to the arrest of drug dealers and their customers. It is said one in every four African-American males aged 20 to 29 was either incarcerated or on probation or parole by 1989. Either way, Malcolm thought “ why don't I go play ball with my old friends Jason and Tyreke” so that's what he did. While running home Malcolm was stopped by the police. He froze in place because he knew the stories that his dad told him at home about the police and people that look like home. They never ended well. Two cops hopped out of the car and with flashlights bright and shining in his eyes. On their chest were their name Officer Adams (Badge#3115) and Officer West (Badge#1537). They began to spew off a barrage of questions: Why are you by yourself? Why were you running? Where are you coming from?, Where are you going? Malcolm pleaded but they paid no mind as they shove him against the brick wall behind and start repeating the questions even louder. This is when 5 gunshots ring out. Malcolm sprints home, spirits broken and scared. . But that was nothing because the next day he finds out that his friend Tyreke is dead. Struck down by a stray bullet that was fired from a vehicle committing a driveby on a rival gang. He was 21 years old.