I remember, last year when I moved into the apartment on w 128 street between fifth and Lenox Avenune. The block was filled with nice people that will help anyone if they can. One time I only had 2 dollars and I needed 10 really badly, I went up to someone and asked for a dollar and he gave me 20 dollar bill. There were parks- huge parks with basketball courts, football fields, soccer fields, baseball fields, tennis court, running tracks, bicycle lanes, huge rocks you can climb, and a lake that you can swim in and see lake or underwater creatures. I was so excited we had landmarks and many stores and restaurants around us such as: Foot Locker, House of Hoops, Champs, Harlem, Jimmy Jazz, Models, Chucky Cheese, Magic Johnson Theaters, and Applebees’. Another reason I was excited was the neighborhood was quiet, free basketball teams, nice looking apartments, nice looking buildings, nice looking streets, and very, very, very, very kind and compassionate neighbors who will be willing to help and have no race discrimination against you. And the neighborhood stayed that way for many months until tragedy truck.

That day was one of the worst days of my life. What had happened was while a little girl was walking on 135 which is only 7 blocks away from the hood. As she walked someone shot her from a building and as a result got killed. That girl wasn’t a regular daughter. She was the daughter of a gang member who was in silence for long, but after the death of his daughter he started creating havoc and as a result people stayed inside but that didn’t stop me because I was cool with him and had his acceptance but never ever hung out with him or his gang (I’m too smart for that and worry only of education).

Even though so far I’ve been only talking about negative moments there have been plenty of positive moments, like the day I came home and my mother said,” take out your progress report and when I took it out.” I had a 100% in math. Then she said let’s go to Gamestop, and when we arrived she said,” choose any game you want even if it has violence because you worked very hard for it.” I bought Grand Theft Auto v a new and very popular video game the day I got it I played 80% of the game.

Not to start off positive and then switch to negative, but 3 months after I got the game a horrific accidental death happened to one of my beloved family members. So one day I got out of school and went to play basketball at 118 and First Avenue. As I made it there I saw a scene where there was a bloody book bag and many cops surrounding it. I thought I never knew the person that got hit. When I got home my sister and mom was crying and I asked them what happened and they didn’t want to tell me saying I’m too young for this kind of emotion. That night I was watching news and I saw a picture of my 6 year old cousin on Pix 11 news stating he got hit by an eighteen wheeler truck at 8:15 a.m. at 118 and first avenue. After I found out I was crying so hard , the next day I couldn’t think at school, as a result got sent out 2 times which resulted in a suspension.

Now the neighborhood has changed – people shooting, people physically fighting each other, people with knives, and threats- but as the neighborhood heads toward this direction I just look back at the positive ways. Now I can still live the life as I want to but I have to hang on tight and bring it to the negativity to the neighborhood!!!!!!!!