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Guns in School
"He calmly pulled out a gun and started
polishing it."
By Leon Sykes
 There was a boy in my algebra class in 9th grade who I'll never
forget. Everyday, he put a bullet on his desk. The teacher didn't know. One
day, when my teacher wasn't there, some knuckleheads came to the class and were
messing with the guy, making fun of him. He calmly pulled out a gun and started
polishing it. There were about ten of us around. We were shocked and kinda scared.
He told us that someone was out to get him and he was using it as protection.
Three days later, security guards and a cop came to our class. They pulled six
of the black guys out of the room - including me. I guess they had no description
of their suspect except "black male." They searched us for weapons.
We didn't know what was going on. Then, they pulled out a seventh black male
- my classmate with the bullets. They found two pistols on him - loaded, with
two extra clips. I thought to myself, "Wow. He was really serious."
It's not like I was ever scared, sitting next to him in algebra class. That
guy was quiet - a really nice person. Not a psycho. So there wasn't anything
to be afraid of. He was one of us. But what is "one of us"? Maybe
we don't really know.
At school, I hear people talk about guns. I just shrug it off. They say if they
get into an altercation, they're going to come back with a gun. I never used
to think about it. I just let it go. A lot of people are scared about what could
happen to them if they tell an adult. But now I think that's a bad idea. You
can't play around when someone talks about guns. No matter what, we need to
tell.
The guy who played with bullets in 9th grade is in juvenile hall now, and my
old classmates are still arguing about who snitched on him. I feel for him.
I hope he keeps his head up and knows he's going to get out one day. I'm sure
he regrets having a gun at school, because in the end it didn't protect him
at all.
— Leon Sykes is a sophomore at Oakland Technical High School
and he enjoys football and wrestling. He also sells The Chronicle on Sundays.
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