Ian Manuel is a young black man who is from Tampa, Florida. He was raised in the streets with no parental supervision. He grew up in the projects with a drug-addict mom, and no dad at home, so he was constantly in and out of trouble. By the age of 13, he had 16 arrests. It was obvious that he needed desperate help and a good home to go back too, but instead the authorities kept sending him to the dysfunctional home. At the age of 14, Ian shot Debbie Baigre with a handgun. The bullet went through her cheek, which ended up shattering several teeth and damaging her jaw severely. Ian's lawyer convinced him to plead guilty, assuming that they would only sentence him to 15 years in prison. His lawyer did not know that two of the charges against Ian were punishable to life in prison without parole. The judge ended up giving him life in prison, and because of his age he is put in solitary confinement. He ends up developing psychological health issues due to being in solitary for 18 years. He also has tried to commit suicide on multiple attempts. Race in America is a very real topic that still goes on today. Some people will focus on the brutality of Ian's crime, while other people, including myself, will focus on the barbaric of a sentence that they gave a 14-year-old boy. A sentence that they would probably not have given to a white 14-year-old boy. Racism holds perfectly people back due to the color of their skin. Although what Ian did was horrific, it's injustice. Giving a 13-year-old ...
