Redress

Redress - (v.) The act of setting right an unjust situation.

The story takes place in an alternate universe in the mind of 11 year old Delano where some things are the same but most things are different.

In loving memory of Pamela Turner....

    It is half past midnight and all you hear are the snores of 11 year old Delano as he tries to rest before the next school day. He snuggles under his bed sheet without a comforter because the AC unit in his bedroom window goes in and out. Seeing as though his mother was unable to afford a new unit and the project landlords always seem to misplace their phones. Delano simply adjusted. He tried his hardest under his inevitable circumstances to survive. He never asked for much because he knew his mother gave him all she could. Silence echoes throughout his room. The silent taps of a roach sprinting across the wall are all you could hear.

      Growing up in the city of Detroit there are rarely quiet times let alone quiet nights. Delano lives in what is known as The Programs. The Programs are now run down government housing in place to further divide rich vs poor and minority vs majority. The Programs were created originally to be cheap housing for those that were less fortunate but after withstanding multiple years of neglect and inattention these apartment buildings became what we see today. There are drugs, gang violence and run down buildings that create this chaotic city Delano has the unforeseen pleasure to call home. He never asked to be born into poverty but you can't change the cards you are dealt, you can only play your hand. It's a ruthless and disoriented environment but who should we blame? Nobody has any say on where they are born or where their parents are from. Do you blame the lion placed in a cage doing all he can to survive to break free or the creators and regulators of the cage?

       Delano is a cultured boy who's seen the other side of the fence. He’s seen The Villages. He’s seen the white picket fence bordered around the bright green freshly cut grass circling around a massive oak tree. A oak tree so massive it stands tall and mighty with a tire swing hanging from one of its enormous branches. The same oak tree providing shade and a cool breeze to the fabled rectangular two story house with a three car garage. Surrounded by a enormous landscape the residents don’t have the time or the energy to maintain themselves. He could never quite understand why when he passed a certain street the roads were cleaner, the grass looked healthier, and the buildings were no longer run down. Citizens dressed professionally and their main source of income wasn’t the corner. The grass didn’t seep through the cracks in the sidewalk, there were less potholes and more new construction. Everything was uniform and in such a systematic order that there were obvious differences between where he lived and The Villages.

      Delano couldn't wrap his head around what made the hood "The Hood" and what made The Villages "The Villages" besides noticeable upkeep. Gunshots, cop sirens and bright lights from police helicopters light up and rattle the hood on a daily basis. But this night in particular was very different. There was no noise. Only silence. No dogs barking, no drive bys, no police helicopters searching for their next "reported" criminal. Just the random but steady chirps of the grasshoppers in the bushes outside of Delano’s bedroom window.

     Suddenly, the boy is snatched from his sweet dreams of playing professional basketball and supporting his family back into his unjust predetermined reality. There is loud yelling outside his window. There’s a great deal of commotion from what sounds to be a male and a familiar female voice from the street. He tilts his head and stares at the window to listen to the voices before he destroys his comfortable position in bed by getting up. Unexpectedly, he hears some type of debate from the male voice that he hasn’t heard before. He rubs his eyes then sits up as the two voices continue to argue. Hearing all the commotion he hurries to the window to be nosey. An officer approaches a older woman trying to handcuff her. The police officer screams there is a warrant out for your arrest. She screams help, somebody please help me. The boy cant make out the figures in the dark so he reaches for his glasses from the dresser to get a clearer view. He then realizes its Mrs. S from across the street and a white cop who he's seen around the hood before but can't recall his name. Mrs. S is in her late 50s and suffers from mild paranoid schizophrenia. 

       The boy thinks back to a time Mrs. S gave him ice pops after he cut her grass. She was always really nice to him and the other children around The Programs. Delano is puzzled as to why she is being arrested. "Ain't got nothing better to do" he thinks to himself. This cop in particular may or may not have a reputation of physical torment to the community like the other cops he's seen but nonetheless Delano viewed those who wore the badge as the opposition. He remembers seeing his uncles harassed and beaten by police for no reason. He knew of girls around his age raped and beaten by police. He can recall hearing of drug raids in the hood by police but always questioned where the drugs came from in the first place. Delano’s perception of police has shaped his and others reality into hate for the entire force. Outside Delano’s window the commotion continues. This particular police officer was fairly new. He started his patrol of this area about a year ago. He is about 5' 11" and 280 pounds full of doughnuts and coffee. It seems the officer has picked this night to start his unwanted torment. The cop tries to grab Ms. S as she pulls away from the cop when he yells "stop!, you're under arrest". Ms. S pulls her arm away arguing she just wants to get home.

      The cop grabs her arm and twisting it behind her back as he sweeps her legs from beneath her to violently slam her to the sidewalk. She is frightened and stunned by the force and violence from the officer. Pushing her face into the pavement she somehow squirms to flip over to face the cop yelling in agony to be freed. She squirms and fights with every breath she has but to no avail. Immediately Delano thinks about his own grandma who now lives in North Carolina. He wonders who would be there to help her. He looks around and anxiously waits for someone to come to the rescue. He wonders "Is there no one to help those who are unable to help themselves?" His muscles tightening filling with anger and his fists begin to ball up as he continues watching this fight outside his window. "Why the police always messing with us?" Fighting and struggling screaming in agony and disgust she knees the cop in the stomach as she pleads for help. The cop punches her ruthlessly in the face. The blow should’ve knocked the woman out but adrenaline and the will to live forces her to fight back. She screams and scratches and fights to get up from beneath his grasp. The cop then reaches for his taser and screams "Freeeze" as Ms. S screams "Nooo I'm just trying to get home.” Without warning the sound of three gunshots pierce the quiet night sky. “Pop, Pop, Pop” followed by a malevolent silence as Mrs. S lays motionless on the sidewalk. A few dogs activated by the gun shots begin to bark in the near distance. Delano is stunned, teary eyed, stuck frozen in the window. Although has seen dead bodies in fields and behind dumpsters in alleys before, he has never been witness to a murder. Being so young to watch something so heinous as well as being so close to the victim Delano's future could go into any direction. There is that deafening silence again. No screams for help. Nobody or no one there to arrest the police for murder or even provide justice for the deceased. Just silence with a few random crickets as the sounds from the barking dogs down the street begin to fade.

Coming Soon....