Sunday, November 15, 2009

George, Michael, Cliff, Johnny, Eugene and Frank on Growing Up


Michael - "I'm 11 and in sixth grade at Jefferson. My favorite part of DC is how you can light fireworks here. I don’t like how you need a license and a helmet to ride dirt bikes though. Come on man, I am good enough to ride around these streets. Why I be needing a license? I want to be a football player when I grow up."

George - “I'm 12 and in sixth grade at Jefferson. I just love my neighborhood, Capers. I don’t like the fighting though. It’s bad and there is a lot of it here. Lots of bullies, too. I was thinking of being a, like, lawyer or businessman or something when I grow up. I have a girlfriend. Her name is Nakim. I love her and she loves me.”

Cliff - “I'm 14 and in eight grade at Jefferson. I like the sports in DC. I am best at football. I play safety for my school team. I don’t like the harassment from police in DC. They harass little kids now too because they think we be doing dumb stuff. Just last week, they be harassing me and putting me in handcuffs and checking my pockets. Then, they pushed me and called me a 'b.' You know, a bitch. The cops are usually in my neighborhood harassing the big people, but now they coming for us. I want to be a firefighter in Washington when I grow up."

Johnny - “I'm 13 and in the seventh grade at Jefferson. I like the football here, but I will always be a Cowboys fan because they good. Cowboys all day man. I don’t like all the gun violence. There ain’t as much violence as there was because the police come around now more often. I know someone who died from guns around here. I want to be a criminal lawyer when I grow up."

Frank - "I'm 13 and in eight grade at Hamilton. DC is good. I don’t like some of the people though because they mean and be bullies. I want to be a firefighter in Washington when I grow up.”

Eugene, - "I'm 14 and in eighth grade at Jefferson. Nothing I don’t like about Washington. I like everything about it. I even like school, too. My favorite subject is math. When I grow up, I might be a movie star or a football player."

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