literature

5: Gerald's Worst Fear

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Do I even need to answer this question? What do you think? I'm livin' in a hood, a place where some people are doing alright and others are barely getting by. Everybody, though, got problems, and these problems get some unwanted attention from cops.

So my worst fear is being confused with one of these people and getting killed all because of some black guy quota they keep saying doesn't exist. I know it exists. Why would you let the junkie-looking white guy walk and not the clean-cut black man during patrol? My buddies from school never got messed with by the police, but I got harassed once a week during the good times, once a day during the bad. I missed school four times in high school because I got pulled in. A teen walking to school in his basketball uniform totally matches the description of a 6-foot-ten, 300-pounder from a robbery, doesn't he?

I got family down South who told me to leave, and I really thought about it. When I started taking night classes and working and all those adult things, I couldn't do anything without some nightstick getting flashed in my direction. If it wasn’t the cops, it was the bodega owners giving me the side eye as I got milk for my family. All these people were against me, and I was going to make something of myself despite this, so I kept going.

Now, I've done that. I've got my own business, and I was able to put my sister through college then hire her when the market didn't do so well. She got experience then got out on her own, which is exactly what I wanted. But I still live in the area. Our ma needs us. Our dad died and our brother got killed, so it's just me here. She's broken now, and I'm done trying to fix her, but I'll never stop caring for her.

The community needs me too. I've helped organize protests using a secret name so people don't know it's me. My business means I don't get harassed as much by the cops, but it's not the same everywhere. They've kicked in the doors to preschools looking for drug dens, and it's just gotten out of hand. I also raise money for legal actions against the cops because it's too much.

But my worst fear is being just like my neighbors. We've lost a lot of people over the years to senseless violence, which I know the cops have tried to stop. Too bad they're some of the main ones causing trouble.
Another Hey Arnold character here, and this time I got a little deep. I feel like even though the show stuck with a theme of a healthy neighborhood, things aren't always as they seem. Kids shows in particular have a bad habit of not showing the truth, and I feel like Hey Arnold could be one of them. It's widely accepted among fans that Helga's mom was on drugs or an alcoholic, so why can't the neighborhood be trash? Either way, Gerald is a black kid living in the city. I'm white so I can't really speak on the subject, but I know from the stories I've heard that racism is alive and well, and often these kids, no matter what their socioeconomic status or what they're doing at the time, get targeted just because someone sees a black kid. It's ridiculous that we're still having this problem after so many years, but maybe we can fix things if we bring it up.

So, Gerald's worst fear is pretty simple. I hope you guys like it, and be sure to check out the rest of my confessionals series. Right now I'm just getting the cast together, but eventually each character I use will answer all the questions, and I intend to use as many characters as I can for the fandoms I've picked. To see the other pieces as well as the full list of questions, check out my Confessionals Series gallery folder. Also, if you have any suggestions or requests, let me know.

[one-shot 27/100 for 2017]
© 2017 - 2024 SS-Chrys
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WillM3luvTrains's avatar
Nice. Sad but nice! It really touched me when I read about Martin and Jameo, who in my opinion is better than that huge jerk Wolfgang!

I honestly thought though this would take place in Hillwood, where most of Hey Arnold takes place. Now I wonder if this takes place in Mississippi or Georgia or any of the southern states.

It's a shame racism exists, and sadly, as long as this world exists, racism will always exist. Such a sad dirty shame. :no:

Together blacks and whites and other races stand. Divided they fall. And I wouldn't have it any other way.