By Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
YAL Blog Post #1
Dear Diary,
I remember this like it was yesterday. Paul, Quinn, and I were practicing for basketball tryouts at the park. The courts were made of huge black asphalt, and it was well loved. The pavement had started to crack, the paint had faded away, and the hoop had no net, just a round metal circle to shoot through. Paul was working closely with Quinn, making sure he was in shape enough for tryouts. I remember being so jealous of their relationship because even though Paul was my brother, I didn’t get to see him much since he joined the force. Every night he came home, he was beat down and exhausted from what he had seen that day. He smelled like sweat, tobacco, and fast food. His eyes always had bags under them from the long hours he worked. Even so, every Saturday morning he would wake up and help us practice basketball skills until late afternoon.
That’s why I don’t understand why Quinn so easily flipped a switch and joined the bandwagon against my brother. Paul was basically his father and has looked out for him since he was a kid. I know that the video looks bad, but the media always twists everything against cops. How is this any different? I know my brother, and he would never beat up anyone who didn’t deserve it.
-Guzzo
Goodell YAL 