As the novel opens Tamara is held up at gunpoint by a black youth. From the boy's fear Tamara can tell that this is the boy's first time robbing somebody. Because he is inexperienced, Tamara is able to escape by bluffing. She tells the boy that she is a cop and that her partner is on his way. This statement in itself makes the youth very nervous. She places the final blow by reminding the youth of the penalty for killing a police officer-life in prison. She also adds that more than likely he will be tried as an adult. This statement sends the boy running away. This situation which opens the novel illustrates the extreme mistrust between inner-c

Tamara is very wary of going to the police and she finally decides not to report the youth because she knows first hand the dangers that the boy will face in the hands of the police. Tamara had once been a police officer herself, but she quit the force in part because of the harassment she faced as a black woman, but mostly because of one particular incident. Her own son, Jamal, and one of his friends had been walking through a white neighborhood. The boys were stopped by Tamara's own partner. Then suddenly the officer opened fire and killed Jamal's friend. Tamara had not even been informed of the situation and only came to know about it later on. Another occasion in which the issue of police brutality arises is when Tamara is reminiscing with one of her friends. They remember Newark in its days of glory. It had once been a rich bustling town. White people had lived in Newark, and businesses flourished. As more and more blacks came, the whites left, and with them left the tax base. After the whites left, public funds dwindled. Money was no longer allotted for the town's upkeep. The town was allowed to slowly waste away. Besides the loss of tax money, greedy politicians also took advantage of the city. The final heavy blow upon the city was due to the riots. The police had murdered a youth and the riot erupted. The National Guard was sent in and innocent people were killed in the streets and within their own houses as well. Finally the introduction of crack toppled the town downward to rock bottom. Authors Joe and Clairece Feagin point out that white officials have often created riots through their violence against minorities (251). Police brutality against minorities is serious and quite wide spread within U.S. cities. Of 130 cases of reported police brutality against citizens, ninety-seven percent were directed against blacks o

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Approximate Word count = 1254
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)