SHORT STORY

Nestor Lopez (nlopez@ix.netcom.com)
24 Aug 1995 06:34:17 GMT

Bobby Brown was born in the housing projects of Tampa Florida in
1972. His mother, a cocaine addict, had Bobby while serving a 1 year
sentence for assault and robbery. When Bobby was 2, his father was found
guilty of the murder of a Sarasota county sheriff deputy. He received 3
consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parol. Bobby was
arrested for first time in 1984 for possession of cocaine with intent to
sel; he was 12 years old. By the time bobby was 17 he had droped out of
school and had been arrested 24 times. He was finally arrested and
charged with the murder of a prominent Tampa lawyer during a bank
robbery.
That's is when I had the dream. I saw Bobby sitting crying on a
chair waiting to be sentenced, and saw his lawyer standing up and saying:

"...Your honor, just imagine what would have happened if bobby
had been adopted by a wealthy African American family from Boston,
Massachusetts. Bobby Brown's father would be a lawyer, just like me. His
mother's would be school teacher giving him all the love he deserved.
Bobby would have graduated with honors from Greco High Schcool. He would
have gone to Columbia University where he would now be a freshman
business major. His life would be full of joy and success, he would be
society's dream man. Do you think the real Bobby brown had the same
opportunities, influences and motives to finish HS, go to college and
become a productive member of our society? NO! because of the environment
he was raised. Do you think the second bobby Brown had the same
opportunities to become a drug dealer, drop out of school and be arrested
for murder by the time he was 17? YES but he would choose not to do it
because of the environment he was raised...."

But now I have to confront reality, Bobby Brown is serving a life
sentence for the murder of a prominent lawyer, he probably deserved
it............ But Mark Lewis, Bobby's twin brother who was adopted at
birth, just graduated with honors from Columbia University.

Forget tougher laws and more beds in jail, change their
environment and you will change their life.