When my sister and I moved to Memphis, Tennessee, we had no idea how big city violence would change our lives. Going out after dark was frightening because, there was always suspicious looking characters in the parking lot of our local grocery store. Most of the time our children would play indoors, even being allowed to ride their bikes, or skate. Sometimes, when the weather was really beautiful, we would take the children to one of the parks to play. My sister and I would watch them very carefully. In my pocket was a small hand gun my father had given me. We were afraid. Our whole neighborhood was afraid. Seven days prior, a police officer had been tortured to death one block from our house. Neighbors that lived nearest to the crime scene
