The Thug Life tattoo on his stomach looks bolder than the rest of the photo. It was the first thing I put in my new room. Kinda like bringing Khalil with me.

Yeah. A li’l damaged, but alive. I’m gon’ try something different with them. Putting them in new soil can be like hitting a reset button.

A car honks at us, and the driver yells out to let us know he has our back. The answer comes easily. “We’ll rebuild.”

It would be easy to quit if it was just about me, Khalil, that night, and that cop. It’s about way more than that though.

Khalil, I’ll never forget. I’ll never give up. I’ll never be quiet. I promise.