A Brother's Murder by: Brent Staples

Brent Staples a journalist and college grad from Chiacago talks about  his past and how the fear he had for his brothers life led into a tragic loss. In the begging he explains about the death of his brother a dipsute between his brother Blake the age or twenty-two and a close friend of Blake's how a conflict over a female emerged from a share of unfreindly commets,gestrues,violence then the ultiamte death. His brother was the age of twenty- two when he lost his due to fatal gun shots wounds he was unable to recover from. The Staple brothers grew up in a Pre dominatley African American city(Chester,Pennsylvania) full or povery and violence. He explains the tragic losses of close friends due to perversity and corrpution of drugs,gangs,and all sorts or malicious activity overwhelming the low income neighborhoods. He later in life fled his home town and became a college graduate to defeat being a  street satistic back home. On a voyage two Roanoke,Virginia where his brother Blake lived he felt fearful of the lifestyle his brother choose. So instead of criticizing his baby cibling he encouraged him to leave where he resides and go on a journey with his older brother. Unfortuantley the plan was not so succesful.Brent got a call the next day and was not a pleasent one.


This story I can relate to because i grew up in an environement of poverty,drugs,and violence. The toughest decision to make was staying away from it all. It was very easy to fall victim to this lifestyle and so many teens and young adults fall victim to it everyday. I will be honest I  had my encounters with fights,drugs and malicious acts. For a while i saw it as a form of respect being the person i was. What i did not realize was that I was my own worst enemy. The choice was mine either stay in this way of life or be strong and come from among it. God gave me strength to say no to it all and that is why I'm here today.


 It is very hard for most people to leave it alone beacause they are blinded by what they are surronded by. What most people don't realize is that you can become deeply involved in a criminal lifestyle and not frind your way out of it.Those who live the life of a crimial do not perceive  themselves as a failure.Their perception of themselves is that they are in control of who they are and can't no body tell them different.A sense of pride is what it's called.They're living a lie. They want to be accepted by those the neigborhood fears ethier that or they fear if they don't unite with the bad people then they will become victimized themselves. Remaining in it is easy but leaving it alone can cause enimies. I say this because when people see you doing good then they envy that because they are not doing it so they want to lure you in their way of life and thinking.


Situations such as these happen all the time in everyday life.You always got two kids who live in the same household but grow up to have two completely different lifestyles. Some people would not understand why two children who have the same upbringing go in two opposite directions? Where did the legal guardian go wrong with the one child who is rebellious and unmanigable. I say this if they are both human then they have two differnt ways of  thinking and personalities. Its the individuals way of  percepiton of how they see life. Me i might see life one way but my brother will see it antoher way. We just are two differnt people. We have chioces. We were given choices on how we want to live our lives.