By YoungSoup
My brother, Diquan Jones, loved being with his family :my sister, our mom, and me. He was overprotective of all of us, but our mom is what kept us together. My brother always thought that he was my mom's favorite, even though my mom said she didn't have a favorite. My brother always loved having fun. He also taught me how to get girls.
He loved to play sports- basketball, football, and baseball. He was the one who got me to start liking sports, and he's why I love to play sports now. He taught me how to play basketball, and he could hit a baseball, although I never could.
My brother helped me when I needed it, no matter what. He made sure we always went to parties and places to have fun with our cousins. Diquan was also a math person, like me. When I was little he would help me with my math homework . He was a real big brother; he helped me with all my homework that I didn't get.
But in 2006, everything changed for us. Our mom started to get really sick and we didn't know how to take it. We dealt with it by running the streets, doing whatever we wanted. We also made a clique called Hyphy Boyz, and we did stuff that was against the law. We didn't know that we were making our mom sicker.
Eventually, we got kicked out of our house. My brother and I moved in with his dad, and my sister moved in with our grandmother. My brother made sure that we were together. We tried to get back on track. Then the unthinkable happened: our mom died. I didn't know right away, because I was at school. When I got picked up, my family had my brother tell me that mommy had died.
That was when my brother’s life changed. Once that happened, it sent him over the edge. He just didn't care anymore. He went back to his old ways, and got arrested. He went to jail for nine and a half months. When he was in there he called me and told me to stay out of the streets. He also told me to go to school and make something out of myself.
He got out of jail on November 14, 2008. A week later he was in the mall looking for some girls. He saw some people there that he didn't like. They insulted our cousin, who was killed over the summer, and my brother got really mad and beat one of them up. Then that guy’s brother started shooting inside the mall, and my brother got shot and later died. My brother was shot and killed in the mall, November 22, 2008. HE WILL ALWAYS BE LOVED.
Diquan’s birthday was March 3. I wanted to honor his memory by posting this essay about him on his birthday. I know I will think about him on this day every year, and he will always be my hero.
Character Appearance
14 years ago
6 comments:
nice essay u should do dis more often
I wanted to let you know that your writing really moved me. You have a powerful voice and an important story to tell. Your love for your mother and brother come through so strongly in your essay and that is hard to do in a piece of writing.
Keep telling your story. Your voice is strong and your writing is powerful.
-Sarah Kavanagh
Beautifully written. So powerful. I'm stunned. Thank you for writing this and for making a sad Oakland statistic into a real person. I hope you'll keep writing - about him and about anything else. There are many writers who suffered terrible losses and survived because they found a voice, a way to tell stories, a way to get the pain out and even help others along the way. Thank you.
Your writing is inspiring. I know your mom and your brother would be very proud of you to have found such a strong voice.
You are brave and wise to have written about this deeply personal experience. I read every word and then I read your post again.
I am glad you shared your story. Even though I was aware of some of the events, I understand more know. Your story is moving, and you did a great job with the writing. Keep it up. Your mom and brother won't be forgotten.
Ms. Solecki
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