Summary

The essay begins with the author explaining that guns were pulled on him by four people: an undercover police officer, a mugger, his mother, and himself. During the first instance, he was 17, five years younger than Rekia Boyd was when she was killed by a police officer in 2012. Laymon and his friends were at a McDonalds and held the door open for an older white man wearing a John Deere hat. Upon leaving, he screamed “Nigger lover” at their vehicle (36). In a car, Laymon and company pursued the man, who eventually pulled them over, as he was an undercover cop. Eventually another cop showed up and deescalated the situation, and told Laymon that the other officer drank too much.

The second instance was when Laymon was 18, three years older than Edward Evans was when he was shot...