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- A Eulogy Too Soon
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For Luis Lopez, violence arrived unexpectedly at his own front door. The seventeen-year-old sophomore starts his story in a classroom.
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Piece Description
For Luis Lopez, violence arrived unexpectedly at his own front door. The seventeen-year-old sophomore starts his story in a classroom.
Transcript
Have you ever lost anybody you were close to?
I have.
Recently, my friend Anthony was shot four times over a drug deal gone bad. He didn’t deserve this. Anthony was ten years older than me and he was the guy I would go to if I had a problem. I couldn’t believe that people hated him enough to kill him.
I remember when I was seven, on a hot sunny day, Anthony and I hanging out with the others from the block. They would all come to my house – sitting on the stoop telling jokes. Anthony told the funniest ones.
He was the ‘funny man’ of the block. He had voices that at times, were as deep as a movie super villain or as screechy as a cat. People walking by would squint, grin, and laugh.
Today the block I used to live on in North Philly looks deserted, except for dealers lurking for drug fiends. When I visit my uncle, who still lives on the block, I don’t stay outside, I just go straight...
Read the full transcript
Intro and Outro
INTRO:Philly Youth Radio works with young people to produce their own radio stories. The project brings us the series "Students of Violence," where local high school students tell true stories about the violence that has changed their lives. For Luis Lopez, violence arrived unexpectedly at his own front door. The 17-year-old sophomore starts his story in a classroom.
OUTRO:That was Luis Lopez for “Students of Violence.” His essay was produced by Philly Youth Radio.
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