Is Anybody Listening?

“If we can come to a consensus this will be historic. You can live without fear of having to shoot someone or of being shot yourselves. You can live your life without fear of being caught with a gun and going to jail. You can live your life without constantly having to watch your backs. You can live your lives knowing you will be around to raise your children and care for your families. We cannot promise you anything except that we will do whatever we can to help you turn into productive members of society. We want you to take the message heard today and think about it, talk with others about it.” They listened to the Reverend’s words and agreed to think about them. When they stood to leave, one of the youngest boys leaned over to me while the guard hand-cuffed him, and asked, “Can you come and see me?” Surprised, I said, “Yes.” I asked him, “What’s your name? Where are you being held? What unit are you on?” He answered. The next day I visited Weezy. All 14 years of him. I sat in a classroom behind a desk while I waited. I remembered attending a math class at the detention center. It was horrific. All ages and grade levels were in the same class. They gave each of us a packet of materials, but no one looked through it. The teacher yelled to get our attention. No one listened. The door opened and Weezy entered the room. “Thank you for coming to see me,” he said. He began to talk. “I think I might be down for two years. I will get sentenced next month. I am kinda glad though.” He asked, “Do you think the streets will forget what I’ve done in two years?” “Maybe,” I said. He rambled on. I interrupted him occasionally with clarifying questions. “What did you do?” “How many siblings do you have?” “What do you plan to do in two years?” After an hour I asked him, “Are you going to participate in the truce?” “Yeah,” he said. The staff escorted him back to the unit. He turned and thanked me again for visiting him. After I left I still didn’t quite understand why he wanted me to come and see him. Could it be that he just needed someone to listen?