The first day of September, in 2004, is a day that I will never forget. This day still has an influential effect on me to this day. What happened on this day is something that most 7-year old children will never have to experience, or to say the least, know of someone who has experienced something of this nature.
On this day, my mom was called by our county sheriffs office, and she was told that there was a warrant out for my arrest. She had little understanding of why there was a warrant out for my arrest, so she asked were they referring to my father, because we have the same exact name. However, this was not the case, I had to report to the county jail by a certain time that day, and my mom had to take me.
A few weeks earlier an incident took place, involving me, another student and school officials. The typical acting out in class lead to me being restrained by teachers, a principal and school resource officer. I was just like any other kid; I had temper tantrums, which lead to me getting angry and trying to get unrestrained from those that were restraining me. As a result, I left those individuals with a few minor scratches, nothing more. My mom was called to the school and told that I was a distraction in the classroom and this was not my first incident, when in reality the school did not have any records showing that their statement was true. Furthermore, they told her I would not be able to return to school ever; I was expelled.
Once my mom dropped me off to the county jail, I was fingerprinted and took mugshots for my arrest records. I was charged with four counts of third-degree felony and a first-degree misdemeanor. I still remember how,� while in the jail cell I cried continuously, begged to see my mother, and requested for a blanket because it was very cold. I awoke about six hours later and was told that I would be getting transported to a juvenile detention center. Before we left the county jail for the detention center I was handcuffed and shackles were placed around my ankles. I never knew that a 4 foot 7-year old that only weighed 60 lbs could be so harmful. Once at the juvenile detention center, I took more photos and was asked a series of questions. After going through this process for about 7 hours I was reunited with my mother and father.
This is something that no child should ever have to experience, especially from something as minor as acting out in class. I feel as though I was robbed of my childhood experience as a result of being arrested and going to trial because of this incident. All of the court hearings and meetings with reporters and lawyers all had an effect on me. This was a very hard time for me, I experienced moments of crying spells and was eventually diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, something that is typically only experienced by adults. I was deemed as a "bad child" by people who knew about this incident and some of my peers feared me as a result. I did not want to be seen in any way as one of these horrible things. I was just a kid that made a wrong decision but I had to pay for it in this inhumane way.
These series of events had an effect on my personality, I developed a timidness. I did not want to hang around other kids because I felt I was different and that itself would be a problem. In the various schools, I attended during my elementary years, I was labeled as a "bad child" so it followed me everywhere I went. I heard the same comments from adults and children, who did not even know the half of what I had experienced. I remember changing schools at least four times as a result of being bullied and teased.
There have been many times this incident so many years ago has hindered me. For example, I once dreamed of going to the United States Navy active duty. However, this dream was short-lived when my recruiter and others found out that I had been arrested at the age of seven. This was something that was supposed to be expunged from my record, but it never was. I was never convicted of any of the counts that I was charged with, however, I was still arrested. Because of this I cannot join military service or any branch of the military ever in my lifetime.
�Although, this incident has had its negative effects, I have grown because of it. I say this meaningfully, I would not be the strong-minded and resilient person I am today, had I not gone through this. I did not go through it, I grew through it. I do not feel any rage or hate for those individuals who insisted on making my life hard with this adversity. I simply say to them, I forgive you, and I wish you nothing but the best of blessings in your life. This has helped my desire in wanting to create a platform in the future that would help kids who have experienced the same things that I have. I say to those of you who have experienced some of the same adversities during your childhood do not let it become you, use it as your source to make someone else's life better.
