I'm Jackie,grew up in a very small City in los Angeles. My mother was a trader and my dad, well he had no job. I grew up in a place full of black kids, I was also a black kids and was hated by the whites. 1978 has been a very crazy year for me. I had just gotten a job to work in a restaurant after finishing high school. I grew up in a place where the rate of racism was high. As a black man it wasn't easy to get a job but because my uncle was working in a very huge beverage company it was very easy for me to get a job.
I had Three friends. Gary, Moses and Tim.
Gary was my closest friend, we finished from the same high school. His father was a carpenter and he lost his mom when he was born. Gary lived with father and had learnt the art of carpentry from him. He was one of the best student in the high school but due to racism, they never awarded him with any scholarship programs.
I spend most of my time with Gary because his house was very close to mine.
Moses and Tim were also very good friends of mine. They both worked in a local barbing salon which they earn little. 80% of the income was given to owner of the salon who was a white man "Sir Lawrence" and the remaining 20% was shared between Moses and Tim.
Day 1
It was 8:00pm in the night, so cold at night, work had just ended. I was so tired from work and needed something to eat. I invited my friends over to a restaurant because they had not eaten too. During the course of the meal, we saw some black boys all running towards a nearby sea all shouting. They looked drunk. They kept making noises ,banging tables and breaking bounds.
I could feel the excitement in these young men. Moses starred at me, I started at Tima And Gary. We also wanted so much fun like the other guys. So Gary,Timi, Moses and I abadoned our food and decided to join the other guys to have fun
We shouted and sang till we got to the end of the Street. We were so many. Over 50 boys. It was so Cold and I had not come with my cardigan. Gary was telling us to go back him but I was enjoying the whole scene. It was fun.
Suddenly we beards loud scream. It was a girls voice. She screamed so loud. She was being raped. I was so frightened. I saw a rape scene that day. Then the police started coming. The boys ran Helter skelter looking for places to hide.
The policemen chased us in thier huge vans. I ran and ran. Soon I saw police man right in front of me. I tried to explain but he hit me with a big stick. And that was the last thing I remembered
I woke up in a cell, with over 30 other black boys. My eyes were swollen. I didn't see Gary,Timi or Moses with me. I was scared. I was just 19 then. We all sat on wooden chairs in a dark room. Then a huge man on a white and black suit walked up to me, asked for my name. I stammered he told me to follow him.
Two policemen picked me up and took me to a dark room. I was beaten up by several men. I screamed for help. Noone to help me. They hit me so hard to the extent that I was bleeding from almost every side of my body. The man on suit later walked on and told them to leave me.
He approached me and accused me of rape. As I tried to defend myself he slapped me and told me to shut up...he didn't give me permission to call my parents or friends and also threatened to kill me if I didn't tell the truth.
I told him all that happened. He went out and brought a very big briefcase and told me to open it. When I did I saw plenty documents. He told me to pick one and sign. In the document it was stated that "Guilty of offence". I refused to sign that document. The room was so dark. The man paused and looked at me. He smiled and walked out of the room
The men came again and started beating me. I almost died. I thought I had died. My face was swollen , I was bleeding. And I could hear stranged noises of a man laughing.
They locked me up in the dark room for over 4 hours. No food, No water. I was so weak to the extent that I could barely stand up. Then a woman walked in with a video camera on her left hand. She said if I confessed I committed the crime she would let me go. I kept on telling her that I didn't rape the girl. I explained to her how I got there and the only thing I heard was a loud scream nothing more.
She then asked me who I went with. I mentioned My three friends then she left in the room. I was so scared. I knew I had put my friends in trouble.
It was 2;00am in the morning, my parents had gone to the nearest police station to file a complaint because they hadn't seen. They searched everywhere for me but nowhere to be found....To be continued.