The excerpts in #ALLEGEDLY are by far my favorite parts of the book! They really helped create an unusual reading experience. But in order to keep the book at a respectable length, considering I’m a long-winded writer, some of the excerpts had to be cut. Here are a few that hit the chopping block:
Excerpt from Jet Magazine, “A Child Behind Bars”
Imagine you are nine-year-old and your head is on the chopping block. There is no doubt she has heard the protestors in front of the courthouse. She’s probably seen the papers and news reports too. Headlines that read ‘Most Hated Person in America’. Think how difficult it is for a child to be the outcast on a school playground; now times that by a thousand and you may be able to get a glimpse of the world through Mary Addison’s perspective. She should be watching cartoons, playing with toys, visiting Santa, and opening presents on Christmas morning. Instead, she is locked in a jail cell without a friend in the world. That has to take some type of emotional toll on a little girl. She may never be the same.
From the Journal of Psychiatric Research – Conditions of Stress
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) commonly presents alongside anxiety, depression, hostility, and symptoms of paranoia, otherwise known as Hyper-vigilance; the state of constantly being tense and on the lookout for threats to a person’s security. Children who are traumatized and subsequently diagnosed with PTSD often feel constantly threatened by unknown assailants, suffering from delusions of the “boogieman” coming after them. They do everything in their power to feel safe and secure. And sometimes, they become violent.
Excerpt from Babies Killing Babies: Profiles of pre-teen and teen murderers By Jane E. Woods (pg. 163)
Consider the case of Robert Sandifer, aka Yummy, an 11-year old boy from the South Side of Chicago. Robert, all of 4 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 86 pounds, went on a shooting spree as part of a gang initiation. This went on until he was subsequently killed by fellow members, fearing he could become an informant to the police if caught. Before that, he committed twenty-three felonies, ranging from assault and extortion to arson and arm robbery, all errands for various gang members. How could such a menace be left on the street, many asked. Simple, the state had no way of controlling him. Robert fell into the gray gap, too young for a juvenile detention center, yet an extreme hazard for other children his own age. The overexerted juvenile system could only release him back into the custody of his Grandmother, who had up to ten children and thirty grandchildren living with her on some days. Robert slipped through the cracks of the system and into the streets that welcomed him.
Children, such as Yummy, are easy for gangs to use as assassins. They are unexpected triggermen, receiving less severe punishment than adults, and can be easily eradicated if found to be problematic. This behavior is unnerving for the justice system, assuming that if gangs are smart enough to use children to do their dirty work, what is stopping the general population from doing the same?
