On a summer evening approximately 11 p.m. Jermaine walked through his house to check if there was anyone awake. The door of his parents’ room was closed. He figured his stepfather was sleep, and his mother works nights. He left to pick up a girl, about five minutes away. Arriving back at the house, he made the girl wait on the balcony. He went to use the bathroom and saw his parents’ door was open with the lights off. When using the bathroom, he heard his stepfather talking to the girl. He said. “He thinks he can sneak girls over here?” After his stepfather came to the bathroom and said, “Do you think you can sneak girls in this house!” With no response from Jermaine his stepfather struck him in the face with his fist. Then in defense Jermaine pushed him back, and asked. “Why you so mad for me sneaking a girl in the house, it’s not that deep.” His stepfather was still upset continuing to yelling at him, “What do you think you’re doing!” Followed by another hit to Jermaine’s’ face, next he put his hands around his neck, and tried to choke him.
(VIDEO (click link) of an incident with a father and son. Dad let go with no charges)
Jermaine grabbed his stepfather’s arm to release his grip. He left the bathroom in the direction to his bedroom for his shoes. His stepfather tried to stop him. He still headed towards his room for his shoes. En route to get his shoes, his stepfather struck him again. Upset and frustrated Jermaine took a swing back at his stepfather and connected.
The memories of a kid rerun in his head. “I felt so good after I hit him back that night, because he has been abusing me all my life. I remember when I was a kid I was always scared to fight back, I received a time-out sheet in school. As my stepdad watched the television show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” every commercial he whooped me the entire show.”
 |
| Contestent On Who Wants to be A Millionaire |
The momentum from the punch made his body go in the other direction; next John Doe pushed him into the wall, and continued to hit him in the back of his head. His little sister walked into the bedroom where the fight resumed from the hallway, and said calmly. “Stop fighting.” John Doe still on top of his stepfather not swinging anymore, tried to convince him the fight was over if he let him go. He then let him up, and went to go get his shoes; his stepfather got up slowly and let him get his stuff.
Jermaine saw his stepfather run up the stairs; he then remembers he forgot his phone and charger in his room. “I knew I would need my charger and phone because I wasn’t going to be able to come home for a while,” Jermaine said. He turned and went back to his room, even though he knew his stepfather was going to get his gun. He power walked back to his room to get his belongings. Then as he walked back, and passed the stair his stepfather was walking down the stairs. “I didn’t even look up at him I knew he had something.” He quickly walked through the kitchen door. “In the corner of my eye I seen something black and shiny, and knew it was a gun.” Halfway down the stairs he heard a loud sound and whistle go by his head. “As I ran down the stairs, I felt the wind of the bullets pass my head, all I could think is to get to the corner, so I can get out of the way of the bullets.”
Jermaine felt the last bullet go pass his head. Missed and struck a pipe, the girl was standing on the passenger side of the car. The neighbor came outside and said, “I heard gun shots, what’s going on?” Jermaine explained, and the neighbor let both of them stay the night at his house.
Jermaine called his mother, and explained what happened. She told him, “Stay out of sight, and do not go around him because you know how he is.” You may wonder why he didn’t call the police. His response was, “Who do I look like calling the police?” In this area there is a rule where you do not snitch, meaning you don’t tell on people. It is believed in many African-American communities because people do not trust the police.
Jermaine didn’t go back to his home the whole summer. His mother put him up in a motel. He explained, “I didn’t feel betrayed that my mother didn’t take my side, I know she couldn’t afford her house by herself and she needed my stepfather, I understood. There is much more that has happen between them, so I understood.”After the summer he returned home, and things settled down. Today his stepfather and he barely speak to each other. If he ever returns to the home, it’s for short periods of time. “I know deep down inside he wants revenge, he’s waiting for a chance to get mad at me again. I know he is. I’ve been through so many things in life. But I’m glad to become the person I am, today. I know I have an angel following me.”
If you ever feel you are in an unsafe environment, get help. Tell a school official, parents, friends, someone. Or call the Help Hotline at 1-800-427-3606 or visit their website at
No comments:
Post a Comment