NORTHEAST OHIO YOUTH OUTLET

No twelve-year-old girl should be thrown to the ground
​and jumped on by a police officer

Poetry by ​Eleta Jones

But I can’t change what already happened.
 
He was short, white and bald
And he jumped on top of me for fighting.
 
He handcuffed me and put me in the back of his black cruiser.
 
This was after the girl who was wearing a white shirt
And unicorn leggings fought me over a misunderstanding.
 
After her friend threw a blue slushy on me.
 
After we argued back and forth
Our voices loud like thunder.
 
After we took it outside.
 
No twelve-year-old girl should be thrown to the ground
And jumped on by a police officer.
 
But I was.

Eleta Jones

​Eleta Jones is a 9th grader at John Marshall High School. She loves to dance, write, and spend time with her family and friends. She’s been a part of the Sisterhood program for six years.

About Issue 7's Youth Outlet Partner:
The West Side Community House's Summer of Sisterhood is an intensive, 8-week summer arts camp designed to teach inner-city girls how creative expression can transform a community and positively impact public perception. Participants work with professional artist/teachers in several areas of the arts, including music and poetry composition, creative writing, dance, and acting to develop a project that they write, perform, and record.