Out of 16 years existing in the community I implied that I know. Concluded with my heart that I know exclusive and inclusive of my hood.

It amazed me when I saw the mass of people, angrily and aggressively protesting on the road. I was coming from school with my two friends. Strange things were running from my heart throughout my veins and I could feel in my blood that there was something new discovered. My eyes were covered with angry faces I saw all over the place and my ears heard numerous voices yelling out.

I thought they were just protesting to the mayor of the area, in need of service delivery, as I know it’s what they do. “Let’s go to the police station, it seems they don’t recognise us while we are here,” a man in the lead said. The crowd ran to the police station about five hundred metres away. I and my friends ran together with them and as we arrived there, we found the police officers holding guns at the gate.

“They have been waiting for us” the crowd said.

The man in the lead asked, “Are you ready to tell us the answer?”

“Members of my community, our hands are tied, there is nothing we can do to find that person who killed the little girl, and we also want to find this murderer and arrest him,” said the police man in front. My scattered memory now started to get the point of the mass on the road, some little girl was killed and my question is who is she?

“How can you find the killer while you are standing here holding guns at us as if we are the suspect, you sit here the whole day, doing nothing expecting your salary at the end of the month,” the leader of the crowd said.

The crowd yelled at the police officers. “Guys, let’s go in front and check what’s going in and hear the whole story,” said Leonard. I couldn’t figure out when and how this happened.

Treasure said to me, “Earth to you, Leave,” and now they finally got my attention. They said, “Let’s go in front and hear what going on.” We went there and found one of our former primary school classmates. We asked her what’s going on and she told us that they have killed the girl who was our classmate in grade 7. Now it all seemed to be a dream, I could see them protesting but couldn’t hear them; it felt as if it was in the dream and I should wake up.

The community started to throw stones at the police and the shooting started. Everyone was running in various directions. I saw blood on my school shirt, I looked ahead and I saw my friend Leonard lying there. I ran to him and picked him up. He was shot on the stomach and I carried him. Another boy was shot next to me.

I jumped near the bridge next to the entrance/exit of the police station and hid myself and Leonard there until the mess was over. We went to the clinic and the nurse told us he was lucky he survived. That’s the unforgettable day I discovered the feeling of being unsafe in my own hood.