All American Boys

The chapter begins with a voiceover from news coverage of Rashad’s beating. Some citizens protest Rashad’s unfair treatment, while others support Paul’s actions, rationalizing that such violence is acceptable if that’s what it takes “to make the people who live around here feel safe” (187). Rashad has plugged the TV back in and is watching this coverage as he continues to work on his art.

Rashad’s mother arrives at the hospital with a letter from ROTC Chief Killabrew, which Rashad sets aside. She becomes emotional and insists that Rashad is “not a criminal,” that he is “not some punching bag,” and what happened “is not okay” (193). Seeing his mother’s anger, Rashad realizes that the situation is “breaking her down inside too” (194).

Later, Spoony arrives with Berry, who is in law school. Spoony shows Rashad a picture of the “RASHAD IS ABSENT AGAIN TODAY” graffiti and tells him there’s “major buzz” about it online and how “people are pissed off” (197). Berry shows him pictures of similar tags all over the city. Rashad recognizes the first one as Carlos’s work, but the rest as copies. There is even a hashtag, #RashadIsAbsentAgainToday, and Rashad is stunned that he has become “searchable. A trending topic” (198).

At the hospital, they discuss the possibility of a protest. While Rashad’s mom is worried about inciting more violence with a protest, Rashad himself wonders if “protests even work,” while Berry maintains that “protests are what send the message to folks in power that something needs to change” (199). English, Shannon, and Carlos show up and immediately mention the protest as well, saying their history teacher, Mr. Fisher, is helping to plan it. As they continue talking, Rashad realizes all his friends have stories about being stopped by police officers, who “always seemed to act like bullies” (202). Rashad reluctantly agrees, saying, “I’m down with the protest” (202), and, despite his fear, acknowledges that this has become “bigger than [him]” (203). Rashad is ready to “stand with” his brother and friends (203), but he must make it out of the hospital first.

Quinn runs into Paul before school on Wednesday, and Paul says that he knows Quinn witnessed the beating. Paul explains that he was protecting the woman in the store after “the kid took her down” and that he “was just doing [his] job” (209). Even though Quinn responds, “I know” (210), he’s lying to Paul. He knows that he “saw what [he] saw” (210), and he’s sure Paul’s story isn’t the real one.

In front of school, Quinn catches up with Jill, who is handing out flyers for a protest march on Friday, planned by a community group as well as church and student clubs. The march will begin at 5:30 p.m., the same time as Rashad’s arrest, and will go from the West Side of Springfield, past Jerry’s, and then to the city hall and Police Plaza.

Quinn arrives in English class to find his teacher, Mrs. Tracey, breaking down in tears, sobbing that she doesn’t want “to see this happen to any of [her] students,” or even “to believe it still happens” (214). She explains that the department head, Mr. Godwin, thinks she shouldn’t assign papers on “Battle Royal,” a short story from Invisible Man, which the class started reading before the beating. Quinn feels like they’ve been “cheated” (215), as Mr. Godwin clearly doesn’t want them to discuss “The Invisible Man at Central High: Rashad” (215). Quinn writes a note to Tooms, another black member of the basketball team, imploring they should do something, so Tooms begins to read the short story aloud, saying, “For Rashad” (216). Quinn reads the next paragraph, and the entire class takes turns reading, some saying the racial slurs aloud and some not. Quinn reflects that “nobody says” those “words anymore, but somehow the violence still remains” (218).

In basketball practice, Tooms knocks Guzzo’s face with an elbow, and although he says it’s an accident, the two get into a scuffle. Guzzo says that “everyone has it out for [him]” (220) and later accuses Quinn of no longer having Paul’s back. Coach calls the team together for one final huddle, but even as they shout “TEAM,” Quinn thinks that they’re still lying to each other—that “Paul wasn’t the only one” (225) who isn’t telling the truth.

On Tuesday night, Rashad reads Chief Killabrew’s note of support, which includes a copy of the ROTC creed. The tenets rub him “in a weird way” as he wonders whether policemen like Galluzzo represent the “American way of life” and “good citizenship” lauded in the creed (228).

On Wednesday, Rashad’s father tells him that, while in the police force, he was called to break up a fight between a black kid and a white kid. He explains to Rashad that the black kid was dressed like “[his] brother” Spoony, in a hoodie and low-slung pants, and was “pummeling” the white kid (232). David immediately “jacked up” the black boy, sure “he was in the wrong” (232). When the boy ran for his backpack and reached inside it, David pulled his gun and shot the boy, paralyzing him from the waist down. He later discovered the boy was reaching for an inhaler because the white kid had tried to rob him, and their fight triggered an asthma attack.

Rashad is stunned to realize his father is, in a way, no different from Galluzzo—"another trigger-happy cop who was quick to assume and even quicker to shoot” (234). David tries to justify himself, saying that he just wanted to “mak[e] it home to his family” (235) and that when he realized he had begun to make damaging assumptions, he quit the police force. He finishes by pointing out that “most cops are good,” and Rashad counters that most “kids who look and dress” like him aren’t bad, and how even the ones who may be “don’t deserve to be killed” (236). Rashad and his father have come to a new level of understanding—they’ve each “taken off a mask” (236). Rashad invites his father to join him at the protest on Friday—that is, if Rashad is well enough to go—but his father doesn’t respond.

Rashad takes a walk through the hospital and returns to his room to find Mrs. Fitzgerald and another woman, who introduces herself as Katie Lansing, the woman from Jerry’s. Katie has come to apologize and to let Rashad know she’ll testify on his behalf, and she leaves after giving him a business card. Mrs. Fitzgerald tells Rashad she knew who he was even when he claimed to be in a car accident, but she wanted to treat him “as you. Rashad Butler, before all this” (243). She tells him she was alive during the Civil Rights Movement, and she regrets not participating because she was scared. She points out that Rashad will be scared whether he goes to the protest or not and that he “might as well let [his] voice be heard” (245).

Even though Rashad is still anxious about the protest, the inevitable trial, and even watching himself on TV, he turns on the news and “really watched it” (246), using the experience to draw what he sees. Breaking for the first time from Aaron Douglas’s style, Rashad draws facial features on his self-portrait, symbolically “starting with the mouth” to represent his own voice (246).