Lee - Code of Silence the Andre Coppage Story

ItsWednesday, the time is six oclock in the evening. The year is 1995. The sunhas set and dusk awaits the darkness. On a cold winters night, the street lampreveals a park and snow has covered the once green grass. The icy snow thatcovers the park grounds glisten as the lamps reflect a mirage of whitediamonds. In Minnesota, February is a chilly month and with the wind chill,temperatures can dip to twenty below zero.

In themiddle of the park is a concrete playground. A single basketball court standsadjacent to a gray. colored building. The basketballs net is torn, thebackboard worn out, from hard games of frustrated young people, who play thegame as a skillful art. For some inner city visionaries the basketball game isa way out, a voyage to the NBA. Across from the hoop of dreams, the graycolored building is the Jimmy Lee Recreational Center. The center provides thechildren with free activities and a free meal.

Oxford Park is empty. No one sits on the parks benches. Thereare no basketball games and no activities going on in the recreational center,Then why am I here? Im standing in the courtyard waiting with my hands in mypockets. This desolate place is a place of sorrow for me. In the corners of mymind, I can remember a time when the sun was shining, and I could hear thelaughter of children.

Lets run!Nikia said with excitement as she positioned herself on the green grass in arunners position. You count Andre, Nish said as he stretched both arms out,his hands on the ground, with one leg extended and the other leg bent. Okay,through the park the first one to the recreational center wins! I knelt downwith them and counted, One, two, and three! Their feet flew off the groundand the melody of their laughter diffused through the air. Nish hit thebuildings door first.

Outof breath and laughing, Nish yelled, I won, I won!

Nikia,catching her breath said, Just barely.

StillI won.

Noyou didnt boy, I let you win.

Theirlaughter disappears into the wind and enters the secure corners of my mind, ahaunting memory. I cannot capture the wind or rewind time. Im just waitingalone, in the park. Suddenly, out in the distance, beyond the park benches Ihear something. I take my hands out of my pockets and turn my body toward thedirection of the sound. The noise becomes louder as it moves closer, Crunch,crunch! It sounds like something or someone is moving very fast throughthe park.

What thehell is it? My feet get twisted, as I trip over them, walking backwards. I seesilhouettes emerging from the twilight as they appear under the street lamps.The silhouettes have faces and I can see them all, Buster Duddy, Chill, Toryand Tall Man. They all got guns, theyre strapped. I got my piece loadedand ready to fire.

Im AndreCoppage, AKA JJ an eighteen-year old Black dude. My dark eyes seek revenge. Mythin frame is unyielding to the fear, I feel inside while surrounding by myformer gang members. I thought that was you. Man, aint you doing life. Ithought you were locked up. I said boldly.

You did,huh, Buster said as he nods his head and continues to proceed toward me. Duddysmirked, as he looks me up and down, Aint nobody gonna say nothin bout SMG wehere and gonna be here. Their backup boys Chill, Tory and Tall Man draw theirsteel, growling with hatred waiting on Busters command. Buster lifts his handand with his gun, he signals his boys. He then turns and looks at me and Thismark is mine, you a dead man.

The crewfades into the darkness as Buster and Duddy step up to me. I stand alone.Whats up now? Oh yea, you thought I wasnt coming back, um here, yea, readyfor you, I announced with my gun firmly in my hand. I have been waiting foryou. Buster nods and smiles as he pulls the trigger again and again unloadingthe full steel piece.

Gunshotsecho throughout the park. My body plunges onto the concrete from the impact ofthe bullets. I see flashes of bright lights. Um hit. Lying on the coldground, I feel a thick substance gushes out from underneath my clothes. Myclothes are saturated with blood. I thought, I cannot die, not yet, not likethis. This can't be happening to me.

I then seethis dark shadowy cloud, an evil gray mist circling my body. The mist travelsin to my nostrils suffocating me, taking my air. Im choking. Somebody helpme, please help me! I screamed. I cannot hear my screams; no words come out ofmy mouth. My cries for help are trapped deep within my mind. Am I alive? Helpme. And then out of the dimness and image is coming into view. I try to focus,but I am in pain. Whos there? I whisper.

The image iscoming closer. I cannot move. My clothes are stuck to the cold concrete. As thefigure comes closer, I am struggling to free myself, I got to get up. Asthe dark figure moves closer, I realize that I am fighting death, the terror ofdeath has me, Im dying and I cant get away. I think I see something. Ican see my brother, my brother Nish. Nishs clothes are burned and tattered. Hehas a worried look on his face. I can smell FIRE! I panic as I try to get free,but the frozen grave will not release me.