Headlines

Chapter 2

"Okay gang," Xavier said as soon as they were all in his room. "We are gonna take action immediately. I want y'all to look at this." He held up one of the newspaper clippings he'd cut out just for this purpose. They all gathered around. The headline read:

Teen fatally stabbed in project brawl

ST. PETERSBURG - - Earl Ray Patterson, a seventeen-year-old black male was stabbed in a brawl instigated by a group of teens. Earlier that day the victim had been involved in a heated argument with one of the members of the group. Witnesses report that the teenagers have been a constant problem in their neighborhood for months. The aggressors fled the scene of the crime before police arrived.

Earl Ray Patterson died as he was being transported to Bayfront Medical Center. No arrests have been made at this time.

"And this one," Xavier said, passing around another clipping.

Elderly woman robbed, beaten, left tied to chair

ST. PETERSBURG - - A sixty-three-year-old woman who lives alone was brutally beaten by intruders who forced entry into her home. The woman identified the intruders as being black males in their late teens to early twenties. They attacked her and tied her up when she refused to give them money. They made off with $250 in cash, some jewelry of little or no value, and a frozen ham.

"A frozen ham," Peter exclaimed.

"You would think about food," Xavier muttered.

There were several more clippings that he passed around. Included were incidents where a teenager shot another youth because of an argument over drugs. A sixteen-year-old was shot in the abdomen and left for dead as two others rode off with his bicycle. Last, a teen got stabbed during an argument over a girl.

"All of this happened this week," Xavier stated once everyone finished reading the articles. "It's all black on black crime. Brothers are killing brothers for stupid stuff. Brothers are going around jacking old people. We've got to put an end to it." They all nodded in agreement.

"I knew Earl Ray and I also knew the boy that got shot in the abdomen," Tim said quietly. "Those boys had been threatening Earl Ray for a long time." He paused. "Earl was a good person. He didn't bother anybody—minded his own business. He didn't deserve to die."

"Do you know who did it?" Xavier asked.

"I think so. Everybody's been talking about it," Tim replied.

"Then this is where BTO begins," Xavier said excitedly. Everyone looked at him in puzzlement but said nothing. He hurriedly continued. "We've gotta find those guys and when we do, we're gonna teach them a lesson in black history. Only, it'll be the new and improved black history."

After their discussion, the boys headed out to put their plans into action. As they passed through the living room, Xavier could see that his mother had fallen asleep in the chair.

"Y'all go on ahead. I'll catch up," he told the rest of the group. When the door closed behind the last one, he went over and placed a pillow behind his mother's back and slid her shoes off her feet. She sighed in her sleep. Xavier stared into her dear face. He loved her. She was perhaps the only person he'd ever have feelings for. He kissed her gently on the cheek and went to join the others.

The guys knew what they had to do. Their purpose was clearly outlined. They were going to the projects to locate the ones who had killed Earl Ray.

"I don't like this," Mike said. "The projects just ain't my usual hangout."

"Shut up and walk," Xavier commanded. He was not in the mood for Mike's whining.