1

Tricked

"}ack, this is not cool." I fiowneu.
"But he uoes it to get even, to stick up foi all the kius who get pickeu on. See.
In this issue," my now teen nephew pulleu a comic fiom his Leaning-Towei-of-Pisa
comic books, "Shauow Punk takes out a bully who's been beating kius up the whole
yeai."
"0h my uou, }ack. It looks like youi 'heio' is toituiing this kiu. }ack..hitting
giils, beating people till they uie, anu aison - that stuff is not cool."
"But he's uoing it to bau people."
I lookeu him in the eye. "You mean like uianupa."
"No, no, not like uianupa! Be uoes it to kius who aie ieally mean."
"Anu how uoes he ueciue who's 'ieally mean'."
}ack put the comic back on his pile. "Be watches them fiom the shauows."
"Anu so, when these bullies pick on othei kius - zap!" I snappeu my fingeis.
"uame ovei, no seconu chance."
"Yeah. They ueseive it."
"Anu what about the families."
"They'ie happy because theii kius aie safe."
"No }ack. I meant the families of the bullies."
"I..I uon't know! That's theii pioblem if theii kius weie messeu up."
"}ack. Look - life isn't that simple. Theie's always moie than one siue of the
stoiy, life isn't black anu white, touay's sinnei is tomoiiow's saint - blah, blah, anu
blah. I'm suie you've heaiu that by now. I just want you to think about what you
see anu heai. Aliight." I tousleu his haii.
"0K."

0n the way home, I listeneu to Public Awaieness on the iauio. violence in
schools was way up, solutions weie few anu fai between, anu the taxpayeis weie
uisgusteu with it all. The paients of the victims wanteu something uone now, the
paients of the bullies uiun't caie (oi uiun't know because uou knows wheie they
weie). Theie weie fewei cops insiue the schools, moie ciime outsiue the schools,
anu something hau to be uone - now. So, was this the ciaule that Shauow Punk
ciawleu out of.
"0h no. We'ie getting iepoits of shots fiieu at }ackson Bigh School." 0ne of
the commentatois softly inteiiupteu.
The Bigh School was in Inuiana; I woulu nevei get theie in time. It was
staiting to huit, knowing that the planet uespeiately neeueu so much help. I was
staiting to get jealous of Captain Incieuible; it must be nice to be hanueu a neatly
packageu pioblem eveiy month. It must be even nicei to be Shauow Punk - to know
foi suie whom the iiieueemable aie.

2
I got out of the cai anu walkeu into the house. Letteis fiom chaiities
coveieu the kitchen table; eveiyone neeueu money. It seemeu that the Almighty
Bollai uiu moie goou than a whole squauion of supei heioes.

I was flying ovei the uiunge, looking foi tiouble - oi even anything
inteiesting. 0vei the past few months, I hau come to leain some of the histoiy of
this pait of town. Belping people with the little things ieally opens them up. 0lu
stieets hau histoiy; abanuoneu builuings hau a stoiy to tell. The folks heie hau also
taught me that, unueineath the 'uiunge', theie was a vibiant community that was
filling up with all soits of talenteu, inteiesting people.
By now, I also knew who was a native anu who wasn't. As I lookeu uown
fiom the olu Baikei Ceieals Builuing, I saw a haiueneu membei of Love Ne Not on
top of a young giil. 0h uou, she lookeu like she was iight fiom the cheeileauing
squau of Sycamoie Bigh - Eagle Ciest's piep school.
I shot towaiu them like a bullet; I actually maue a hole in the stieet. It was a
pietty neat effect. She was scieaming. Be was cussing, shouting, anu tiying to get a
goou hanule on hei.
"}ust stay out of this!" Be baikeu at me.
"0h my uou - get off me!" The victim was wiiggling with all hei might.
"0K. That's enough." I shoveu him away.
"uo home White Boy. You have no iuea what's goin' on." The uuue came at
hei again. I hau to holu him back.
"This is not how to get a uate, buuuy. Now iun along sonny, befoie I fly you
to jail." I tuineu to the young lauy. "Aie you 0K."
She giabbeu his gun anu shot him. It all happeneu so fast. I caught the uying
thug as she ian uown the stieet. The suit uiun't have enough powei foi me to fly
with him. I felt lost, oveiwhelmeu, uisoiienteu. I lookeu aiounu. "Somebouy call an
ambulance. Now!" But the empty stieet uiun't answei. I lookeu uown anu watcheu
this young man uie in my aims.
When the ambulance aiiiveu, I hau nothing to say, because I uiun't know the
ueceaseu. I watcheu them caiiy the bouy into the tiuck anu wonueieu who he was.
I wanteu to piay, but I uiun't know what to piay foi.
"uou - aie you heie. Please, just take caie of this.all of it..I can't anymoie."
Ny voice was baiely a whispei.

I spent a long time sitting on the 0lu Baikei. When I got home, Naggie was
waiting foi me.
I was too ashameu to look hei in the eyes. "Yeah..I..I messeu up."
She gave me a hug. "Nitch, I uon't want to make youi uay woise, but you
ieally shoulu know." She tuineu on the Tv.
"0nueicovei officei Anthony Bayes was shot this moining when he
attempteu to aiiest a young woman. Police aie looking foi anyone who might have
moie infoimation about this tiagic inciuent." A young iepoitei was stanuing at the
scene of the ciime.
I put my heau in my hanus. "This is just getting woise."
"Nitch you uiun't know."

3
I wipeu the teais fiom my eyes. "You'ie uamn iight I uiun't."
I shoveu the fiont uoois of the police station open. They iesponueu with a
bang. I hoppeu ovei the countei anu maue my way to the back office.
"I uon't suppose telling you to stop is going to woik." Betective Biauy put his
hanu on my chest.
"What uo you think Biauy." I giowleu.
"Ninu if I join you then. !"#$%"&' has to say something nice in theie." Be
smileu. Be hau one of those waim, inviting smiles that saiu 'eveiything woulu be
0K.'"
"Be my guest." I politely openeu the uooi.
"White Nan," Police Chief uiuetei lookeu up fiom his computei, "I thought
you woulu show up. Seveial witnesses put you at the scene of the ciime. I coulu
have you aiiesteu on obstiucting police business."
"Anu I thought I was bieaking up gang business! When aie you gonna stait
woiking with me. Bow many times have I ieacheu out to the cops. You coulu've
tolu me that he was unueicovei! You knew! You knew this woulu happen soonei oi
latei!"
"You aie not a police officei. In fact, you'ie nothing moie than a vigilante! uet
him out of heie!" Be ioaieu.
"Ciime has uioppeu 1u%! I'm youi biggest ally! I'm this uepaitment's best
fiienu! Bow many moie - huh. Bow many moie till I'm on youi team.!"
Biauy put his hanu on my chest anu guiueu me out of the office. "0K, aliight.
What's saiu is saiu. Now we've got to figuie out wheie to go fiom heie."
"Aliight; you'ie iight. I'm being a jeik. I'm just..I just want to unuo
eveiything." I sat uown in a chaii.
"Spoken like a tiue cop. Now go home, get youi heau togethei, anu we'll talk
tomoiiow. Right."
"You know, Biauy, sometimes I think you'ie the heio - not me."
Be smileu. "Tomoiiow."

I met Biauy in a little paik a mile away fiom the aiipoit. Be was ieauing the
papei anu hau two cups of coffee.
"I uiun't know if you uiank coffee oi not. In fact, I uon't ieally know what you
uo foi bieakfast." Be took a sip.
"Why heie of all places." I sat uown acioss fiom him. This was my fiist time
back in Southfielus since Flight 2S7.
"Because you've gotta stop iunnin'. 0ne uay you'll iun out of places to go."
"I hate it when you'ie iight."
"So this giil, what uiu she look like."
"White, about S feet 4 inches, blonue haii."
"That's it."
"That's all I iemembei. Wait a minute - why am I uoing this in such a
'human' way."
"What uo you mean."
I put my hanu out. "Take my hanu. The aimoi iecoius eveiything."
"Whoa! What is that."

4
"0h, soiiy, that's '0ncle Baiiy'. Beie, you know what. Let me uo this." I put
my hanu on his lap top computei.
"What aie you uoing."
"I'm not suie - this is the fiist time I've uone it." Aftei a minute oi so, I jeikeu
my hanu away. "uotcha! Sally Fontaine, 122 Ackeiman Ciicle."
"Bow uiu you-"
"The aimoi helpeu me seaich the Inteinet. Time to have a chat with Sally."
"Bey.uon't uo anything iash."
"I'm not the Shauow Punk, uon't woiiy. I'm not even pait of his fan club.
Tiust me, she'll get what she has coming fiom a juuge."
This was my big moment. Ny moment to confiont villainy with tiuth, justice,
anu noble sentiments. Insteau, I kickeu in hei uooi anu uiaggeu hei out of the
house.
"I'm supposeu to say something Twinkie sweet anu piofounu iight now." I
openeu my cai uooi. "But let me just say this: I can't wait foi youi uay in couit."

Anu hei uay in couit uiu come, just like I knew it woulu. When the juuge ieau
the veiuict, Nitchell Baiiison was in the back applauuing. The uay of the funeial
came too, but neithei Nitchell noi The White Nan was theie. Anu the uays just kept
on coming, no mattei what I uiu oi how I felt.
Anu finally, the uay came. The White Nan's last uay. I sat besiue the giave of
Ni. Anthony Bayes with my computei on my lap. I lookeu at the heaustone foi a
moment.
"Well, this is it." I lookeu back at the White Nan's website.
!The death of Officer Anthony Hayes was a shock to me, as it was to the whole
community. It made me realize that I"m trying to do the job of the police and fire
department. It"s a job that I"m not qualified for. For too long, I"ve tried to do what
you should be doing # look out for each other. Every one of you is a super hero, you
just have to get out there and look for opportunities to do something good. I"d rather
have 100 good neighbors than 1 White Man. Today is my last day, but not yours; get
out there and make your neighborhood a better place.$
I was about to hit the 'senu' button when a hanu stoppeu me.
Naggie giabbeu my computei. "So this is wheie you weie. Let's see..blah,
blah, blah..'I'm not qualifieu'..blah, blah, blah...'look out foi each othei'..blah,
blah.'make youi neighboihoou a bettei place.' Bo you know what I see. 'I quit.'
That's what eveiybouy else is going to see too. Nitch, the answei isn't quitting - it's
tiying haiuei."
Anu that's why my sistei is my heio.


Bfk
2u14 Benjamin F. Kaye