Riverside Campus Finalist

My name is Mark and I am a 49-year-old African American. I am going to make this short and sweet because every time I think about the situation it hurts! I was first introduced to racial social injustice in 2015. I was driving my 1992 Cadillac sedan and I continued to drive to my house which I owned. I pulled into my driveway and placed my hands on the car. The officer opened my car door and socked me in the face, took me to the ground and handcuffed me. Another officer tased me while I was handcuffed with my hands behind my back and my jacket over my head. Five officers and one lady officer beat me until my neighbors came outside. My neighbor was a black woman in law enforcement and then they stopped beating me! They drove around the corner to the ambulance so no one could see my injuries and the medic said I need to go to ER!! To this day those officers have never been prosecuted and there were no bodycams back then! It hurts to see George Floyd and the same police brutality still happening today! I was a friend of Tyisha Miller and she was shot by Riverside police! I have given my life to Jesus Christ today and I have a biracial son who is 10 years old and he remembers what happens to me and he wants to be a police officer to arrest the bad cops!! Life has been a struggle for me and I signed up at UEI College in 2019 I was homeless and I still am homeless but due to Covid19  my son's mother allows me to sleep in my tent in her front yard!! It's better than being in the street becoming a victim!! I want to be a good role model, it's never too late to go to school and be an A student!! I thank Mr. Mark Platt and Mr. Marrs they know my struggle, and I have made a positive turn around for an African American in today’s world. I think this is a blessing from Jesus to be able to share and maybe able to get my tuition paid for! I could use that money to get a house again and with my HVAC career, I will be financially stable next year!! God Bless Us and I Believe All Lives Matter!