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In the book All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, Rashad is a black boy who doesn't live in the best part of his town. He does wear baggy clothes but he is in the ROTC in his high school. Rashad’s dad wanted him to join ROTC because he was in the military and he wants both of his sons to follow in his path, his dad believes when a black person joins the military is shows the white people that they can do the same things no matter what color a person might be.

The only reason Rashad joined this military program was to make his dad proud, but all Rashad wants to do is be a normal seventeen year old with his friends.

On the way to a high school party Rashad really wanted to go to Jerry’s corner store to get a bag of potato chips. After he finally picked a bag of chips he noticed a white lady getting two glass bottle beers, he didnt think anythig of her and as Rashad was kneeling on the ground getting some money out of his duffle bag the young lady accidently tripping over him.

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The young lady fell on the ground, the bottles broke and beer went everywhere and Rashad fell over as well. The younger woman was appologising becasue this was all her fault and all this was caught on camera. As the security gaurd for Jerry’s store was walking over he said “ Did he do something to you?”( Reynolds pg.

20). Before they lady could even answer the store clerk said

“ he was trying to steal those potato chips!” ( Reynolds pg.21). Right from there the cop instinatly hated him due to the fact he was black. The cop slammed Rashad down on the ground and started beating him, while the cop was beating him he was asking Rashad “how do you like this? This is what you get for stealing!” ( Reynolds pg.28).

As all this was going on Quinn was meeting up with Guzzo and Dwyer in an ally right next to Jerry’s store, they were asking people to go in and buy them some beers for their hang out party. After about five minutes of standing there asking people to buy them beeers the boys noticed a black boy being slammed down on the ground getting beat and all they could hear was “stop resisting” (Reynolds pg.22).