IN "RAIDING PARTY," POLICE SWEEP CATHEDRAL
Boston; November, 1994

In a collaborative effort, police officers from several law enforcement agencies swept through the Cathedral Housing Development Tuesday, arresting about a dozen suspects believed to be involved in drug trafficking and other illegal activities. [more]

I snuck into my bedroom.

I made sure my sisters weren’t around.

I took the picture off the wall.

I packed away my crack behind a poster framed picture of me rapping. [more]

"Frankie is your father," my grandmother said.

Looking through my mother’s photo albums I found a picture of me with this man, Frankie. I’m a toddler in the photo. Frankie wears a shabby brown leather jacket and a fisherman’s hat. He holds me in his arms. I’m wearing a brown coat with rainbow colors on the sleeves, and a fisherman’s hat like his. We’re both smiling. Frankie looks like a nice guy. [more]

I heard my mother calling me. "Lia."
I walked into the living room. "Yes?"

"I want you to go downstairs to meet someone for me. Give her this." My mother placed a piece of crack in my hand. It was presentably packaged in a plastic sandwich bag. [more]

My son was overjoyed. After school he jumped into the back seat, opened his book bag and pulled out an envelope and said, “Mommy, I am selling candy; do you want to buy some?”

I remembered the World’s finest chocolate bars – caramel, almond and crispy rice. He talked so fast, his words were running over each other. “I am going to knock on doors in our building, I am going to take it to church and sell candy to the Pastor. Mommy, can you take it to work and ask your co-workers to buy some?

“You are not selling any candy,” I said.

“Why?” Lil' Danny asked. [more]