We Beat the Street: How A Friendship Pact Led to Success

Rameck continues to feel the pull of his Plainsfield friends though his mother continuously reminds him that they are going to get him into trouble. Hanging with the neighborhood boys usually means sitting on the back steps of the closed elementary school and drinking alcohol together. One afternoon, when Rameck and friends are doing just that, a crackhead comes by, desperate for drugs. One of Rameck’s friends sells him some but makes the addict promise that he will smoke it away from the elementary school yard. This promise makes Rameck and friends feel honest and upright, like they are protecting younger generations. When the crackhead refuses to comply, smoking behind the dumpster instead, the boys beat him up. The violence goes too far, however, with the teens punching and kicking the man even after he is unable to stand. Suddenly, and without thinking, Rameck pulls a switchblade from the inside pocket of his coat. As soon as he does, he regrets it. He feels that he has no choice but to stab the man with it, so he thrusts the blade into the man’s thigh. The friends then hurry off, only to be rounded up by the cops.