Harrowing Tales of my Brief Experience in Public High School.....

Joseph sat timidly with his new friend he had made, his first new high school friend ever, and his first black friend ever) in the principle's office at Lyman High. Standing over Joseph and his black friend menacingly was a police officer with his arms pressed together, sunglasses protecting his eyes in doors, holding up his holster  belt.

"You know, boys" the police officer lectured smugly. "Theft is a serious felony, at this school, in this state or anywhere really"

"Yeah, but you do know it's just a roll of duct tape right?" said Joseph

The boy who sat across from Joseph, this humorous, likeable new friend he made, and Joseph himself were being profiled by the Principle and a Lyman high school police officer, and they didn't even know it yet.

"But hold on a second..." I said. "All we were doing was playing with duct tape that someone left on  the set building of the school play. Why are we getting into all this trouble just because you startled us by yelling at us. Anyone would run if you saw an armed officer yelling at you for something you weren't aware of. The only reason we ran WITH the duct tape was because you teriffied us. Look at my friend! He's mortified!" I said about my new friend who was broken down into tears by now. "Why us?"

"Because you STOLE SOMETHING, the police officer said."

"Oh really," I negotiated. And this has NOTHING TO DO with the fact that one of us is BLACK, eh?"

And that's why I ended up not attending Lyman. Much Longer.