Death of Tariq Johnson, 6:02 PM. Sustained two gunshot wounds to the torso. Tariq was black, his shooter, white. This book shows racism in our society and how it affects people. Kekla Magoon, the author of How it Went Down was able to illustrate this into her book and show how everyone's life changed.
Tariq walks into the convenient store at around 5 PM. The local gang that Tariq is being forced to join, The Kings, try to get Tariq to walk with them, but Tariq refuses. He wants a chance at a good life. The Kings and Tariq start to fight, and a man comes running in between them to split up the fight. He has a word with Tariq, telling him to stop, but before he could finish his chat he hears someone scream “He’s got a gun!” (Sammy 12). Assuming they meant Tariq, he steps back in fear. Tariq looks around confused. Jack Franklin pulls up in his car and shoots tariq twice in the torso. Tariq falls straight to the ground. All of Tariq's friends run up to him, doing everything they can to save his life, but when the police arrive, he's pronounced dead. When the police search Tariq, no gun was found on him, only a snickers bar. So, what was Jack’s punishment? Jail for three days, that’s it.
If we go back to before tariq left his house for the store, his mom asked him to run and get some milk. He decided to get a snickers bar for a girl he really liked. She, of course, never got that snickers bar. So why did Jack Franklin shoot Tariq? He saw a glint in Tariq's pant pocket, assuming it was a gun, because he was black. Tariq had a snickers bar in his pocket, and Jack saw the glint off the rapper.
I find this book extremely important because it tells a story through the lens of many characters, showing many points of view. This book is also important because it targets what happens in our society, and how it's still so broken. I remember when the story of Michael Brown came out, and how the movement Black Lives Matter had really evolved. When i heard about the death of Brown, i knew something had to be done, and i wanted to do something. Sadly, nothing was done, as more innocent black people were shot down and killed. This really shows the effect of racism and how an action causes so much pain. I believe that if Tariq had been white and Jack had been black, Jack would've been in prison for life.
When you read this book, it’s impossible to put down. It pulls you in every direction, and as you start to figure out more, the story becomes more compelling. This is a book that sets you into a reality of hopelessness. It send you to a place where you feel as if you knew the boy, as if he was one of your own.
I could tell when Magoon was writing this book, she really wanted to send a message, like how i had wanted to. This is another reason this book affected me. For i had wanted to start something like she did.
I feel this is a very important book to read, as it shows a starting of an act, and a political view that Magoon is trying to set out.I hope for it to be read by many, and to touch the hearts of everyone who does, just like how i touched my heart.