Before the busing program began South Boston High School was one of the best high schools in Boston. When Judge Arthur Garrity decided to integrate the schools, South Boston High became a war between the whites and blacks. Mikey Faith a good friend of Kevin Weeks was stabbed in the stomach in front of the school library when the slayer was caught he was grabbed and sucker punched by Kevin Weeks and also by a cop which were both white. The next day things got worse three black girls walked into the bathroom while Pam, Kevin’s girl was in it and the black girls jumped the two white girls. Kevin went into the bathroom and broke up the fight, one of the black girl scratched his face which he need a tetanus shot for. After school a mob of white parents came and the black kid weren’t let out of school more of a safety issues because the cops believed that the parents were there for retaliation. With the busing program still going on, should they change it and stop the busing program?

Right Decision?

Rather then the Judge Arthur Garrity taking whatever steps needed to be taking to improve the black’s schools with better teachers and just a better education he started the busing program to integrate the students. (Pg 17) “But the program didn’t integrate anything. Instead the city became a Battle Field!” Do you believe it was a smart decision to start the busing program to integrate the students?

Brutal

Born on March 21, 1956 Kevin Weeks was born into an Irish family of six. Kevin grew up in the Old Colony Housing Projects in South Boston. His father John was a well known boxer in the area. Growing up Kevin lived a usual life he boxed and when he wasn’t boxing he was apart of swimming team. In South Boston at this time the majority of people living in South Boston was white with a couple of African American families in the area. Kevin attended Boston College High ninth grade but left to South Boston High. He graduated on June 12, 1974 when the school was still a mostly white school. Kevin started working as a security aid at South Boston high he liked working there because he like being with his friends and it was a place he felt comfortable in. When the next school year rolled around Judge Arthur Grarrity ordered 17,000 Boston school children to be bused to integrate the Boston schools. With the education for black student being low, the judge ordered that any student living in Boston will be able to go to any Boston school and most of the African American student’s chose to go to South Boston High since it was a great school.

Was it right?

On October 17, 1995 Johnny and Tyrone were found guilty of first degree murder in a Juvenile Court. On January 29, 1996 Judge Carol Kelly handed her decision and sentenced Johnny and Tyrone to prison, making them the nations youngest inmates at this time. Do you believe this was the right punishment for Johnny and Tyrone?

Blame?

Who is to blame? LeAlan talks about it (Pg 145) “No way you lay all the blame on Johnny and Tyrone. I’d say it’s twenty-five percent blame for the kids, twenty- five percent blame for the parents, twenty- five percent blame for the building, and twenty- five percent blame for the environment that equals a hundred percent failure.” Who is really to blame?

Life

Lloyd talks about what he thinks of Tyrone and Johnny lives after the murder. (Pg 114) “You don’t know how it is to take a life until you value life itself. Those boys didn’t value life. Those boys didn’t have too much reason to value life. Now they killed someone and part of them is dead too.” Does it take someone you know to die to realize that a person should value life? What does it take?

Penalties?

Now that Johnny and Tyrone are in jail for killing little Eric, Lloyd and LeAlan go around interviewing people to find out about Johnny and Tyrone’s past. Lloyd and LeAlan come across two officers that patrol the projects. Officer Laurie Sabatini and Officer Dannie Hixon when asked about Tyrone they told Lloyd and LeAlan that he was a good kid that hung out with the wrong group of kids for example a kid like Johnny. When asked about Johnny they answered that he was a troubling kid, which would like to look at the older kids in the streets and be just like them. They also told Lloyd and LeAlan that Johnny has had a lot of run in with the cops and that if the punishment for juveniles was stricter, Eric’s death could have been prevented. (Pg 133) Sabatini “I think that if Tyrone and Johnny had been incarcerated after the first heroin incident, or gun incident, or crack incident the child probably would not have been killed.” Do you believe that the government should make stricter penalties for juveniles?