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Our case started with a complaint to her teacher the next morning by the young 16 year-old accuser that "words" had been exchanged. We got a letter for a three-day suspension, the next day, Friday, she alleged that he had threatened her (i.e. fight) by saying he was going to "shank her black ass" (son had to ask what "shank" meant) -- 10 day suspension. When that didn't effect the desired result, she had her mother bring her to the police station and alleged that he held scissors to her throat and threatened to cut her throat, bingo (i.e. safety scissors he had been using in the Dark Room to trim a negative to fit in the "pancake" developer)! It went to 180 day suspension, a felony charge of "attempted felonious use of a weapon." Even though there was another person in the room who said there were never any scissors, struggle or touching.

At the preliminary hearing (no investigation, mind you), she got on the stand and said she never saw any scissors, it could have been a ball point pen. Just who could have the ability to orchestrate such an elaborate hoax? Well, we had that covered, too. Her next door neighbor whom she told two weeks before she pulled her stunt that she was going to do it because she didn't want my son to go D-I on a Football Scholarship. She told her neighbor that our son was a "cocky white bastard who needed to be taught a lesson." Who, indeed?

When the neighbor tried to tell the school authorities and police what she had done, she threatened, "I'll do to you what I did to (our son)." He called us and asked us to help him. I told him to go to the police, but guess what? He didn't trust the police or the school anymore. That's the bottom line, end result of injustice -- it endangers us all.

"attempted felonious use of a weapon." I mispoke, the original charge was "felonious assault with a weapon". The charge was reduced to "attempted felonious use of a weapon." He's 6'4 and 225 lbs, a tremendous athlete, if what she said had been true, it wouldn't have been "attempted," it would have been a done deal. He had never been in trouble in school, never been in a fight, never said the "N" word, or gotten into a war of words with anyone, brought a variety of students home for dinner, overnights and pre-game meals. He was, and is, a gentleman, albeit now a very, very cautious one. Not perfect, but well brought up in a color-blind home.

He did get in trouble at college last week, he was asked to leave the team meeting because he had been goofing around in between lifts in the weight room. He came home in complete terror because he had never been put in a disciplinary position before. I told him to suck it up, stop jacking around in the weight room, give 100% and get over it. This is not a kid who was a "problem child."