Redemption: The Beginning

By Eddie Smith

White corrupt racist cops along with other follow officers who brutally beat and murder a black man who has a wife and son.
(Based in the 60's and 70s)A young kid named Edward Hayward Jr. father was killed when he was one years old. The mother witnessed the murder and couldn't handle it. She became strung out on drugs. Because of her history of suicidal behavior, she was thought to have committed suicide. At the age of six he was told that his father was murdered by the police, because his family couldn't afford a lawyer, the cops got off. He decided to go to law school to become a lawyer. Because of the murder of Edwards father, one of the officers involved lost custody of his son when his wife left him and he became an alcoholic. The son was put in foster home after foster home all the while wanting pay back to the family he thought caused it all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 22, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483601670

Eddie Smith

Born six weeks early, during the War years, life never got any easier. This lead to a biography of his birth and early years and was documented in a booklet called "The Life and Times of Eddie Smith", published by Anne Bradford of "Hunt End Books". This true account of his life follows on from where, at the age of 16, he joined HM Forces, at which point a series of events—unintended and mostly humorous—gave the impression that he could be a security risk.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

E dward may not be the smartest man in the world and he may have quit school in the tenth grade, but thanks to his dad, he was the best mechanic on the whole eastern shore. Even through he was a good mechanic, Edward was only paid enough to support him and his wife. When Edward found out his wife was having a baby he decided to ask his boss for a raise and when he did he was fired. Edward worked at this small dealership called Harman Motors for about ten years. They told him that they didn’t need him anymore, but what they didn’t tell him was the business was going under and if they didn’t let him go they have to pay him severance pay. Large companies like GM were putting small companies out of business. A mass influx of people moved to cities in search for factory jobs. Edward and Marlena loved the country life, but they knew that they had to do something. Edward and Marlena Hayward moved from a small town called Whalleyville, MD to the big city of Detroit in search for a better life for them and their unborn son. Edward was offered a job in a GM factory working on cars. Edward was a hard worker. He came in early and stayed late and he never missed a day.

Edward loved his job, but he only had one problem, he had been working at GM for about a year and a half and he has not received a raise. It seem like every time it was his turn to get a raise someone of a lighter shade got it before him. Finally, what set him off was a twenty year old white male, who had no experience, was hired to be his supervisor. Edward was a patient man, but he could not hold his tongue any longer. He was outraged and he desperately wanted to know why. Why didn’t he get that position or even a raise for that matter? Edward stormed toward the front office bumping into co-workers mumbling to himself with a look on his face so harden that if he looked at his own reflection in the mirror he wouldn’t recognize it. He arrived at the plant manager office and swung the door open so abruptly that papers blow off of his desk and slammed it so hard that the only thing that anyone could hear on the whole floor for about a minute was the sound of the door slam vibrating in their ears. Before the plant manager could speak, Edward yelled out vicinities so foul that they would make the worse sinner cover their ears. He accused the boss of be a racist and that he was holding him down. The plant manager had an angry, but hurt look on his face.

He didn’t say a word; all he did was shake his head.

He got up from behind his desk picked up the papers that blow off the desk and gave them to him. The boss told Edward to read the paper and tell him what it said. Edward read it out loud and it said, "Memo: Note to staff Edward Hayward as of May 28 will transfer to second shift to become a shift manager. He was so upset that he started walking out of the plant. While walking out Edward’s walk turned into a trout than into a flat out sprint. He left everything behind including a trail of tears that laid so thick that the staff had to mop up the floor. Tearing out of the front door and bolting passed his car like a bullet going nowhere fast. He was so distort that he could not face his wife. Eyes blinded by his own grief and the wetness of his tears obstructed his vision causing him to walk aimlessly for hours in the streets. After the sun went down Marlena began to get worried. She went to the job and saw that his car was still in the parking lot and knew that he couldn’t go far without his car. Marlena searched in the surrounding communities. On one side were the black section and on the other side lived the upper class white people. Marlena drove down Civic Avenue and spotted Edward wonder into the wrong community.

The street she went down was a one way street so she had to go down and turn around by the time she returned he was gone.

By the time she caught up with him he was surrounded by four white cops. One of the four cops told him to get down on the ground. He spoke out, I didn’t do anything wrong.

The cop yelled it again than another cop came up behind him and hit him across the back of the head. The other three cops joined in and beat him over and over again like they were tenderizing a steak. Marlena watched the cops beat Edward until he became unconscious. They turn him over; hand cuffed him, and threw him in the back seat of the police car like he was a slab of meat. Two hours later he dies from complications in the hospital. In the Detroit Times, all it said was that he cursed and resisted arrest. The police stated that they had to use extreme force in apprehending the suspect who was suspected of breaking and entering in a number of homes in the area. In the process the suspect was injured and had to be taken to the hospital. While at the hospital the suspect suffered complication and die. Marlena toke the police involved to court but lost the case because she couldn’t afford a good lawyer. Marlena couldn’t handle the murder of her husband. She attempted suicide twice. She turned to drugs and eventually lost custody of her three year old son Edward Jr. to her parents Frizell and Lydia Hayward.

CHAPTER 1

B oom! The thunderous sound of the door slamming behind him was so loud that every conversation was silenced all at once. A thunder that sounded so real that the next sound that was expected to be heard was the pitter patter of rain drops hitting the windows. The boom echoed over and over again from hallway to hallway. Boom! Boom! Boom! As if the door slam wasn’t loud enough every word that he said behind the closed door was heard loud and clear. The other co-workers in the office had no need to listen at the doors to hear what was said. Positioned in the middle of the office directly in front of the desk towering over the plant manager Mr. Turner while standing at the height of six one, the room suddenly became smaller. His breathing became so intense it was like he was running out of air. His heart pounded so rapidly and so hard it was as if it was held captive and it desperately tried to escape. His fist clinched so tightly that not even one ounce of blood could be capable of circulating to his finger tips. His eyes were so blood shot red it was like he was holding the burden of a thousand murder slaves. Sweat dripping from his body so rapidly that it looked like he just arisen from the fires of hell. His eye brawls was form in a way that he could pass for the devil himself. For one small instant there was a piercing silence, after that all hell broke loose.

Who the hell do you think you are Mr. Turner?

I never said shit when you passed me over for a raise three times in a row Breathing even harder.

You knew that I deserved those raises, but what did you do. You gave them to some no good, no experience, and no brains just pale skin pieces of white trash.

Mr. Turner tried to get a word in, but he didn’t have a chance.

I worked so damn hard for you, I have never been late to work, and I put everything that I had into this job and never once did I complain. I have a wife and I have a newly born son. They mean the world to me. I would do anything for them. I want my son to be better than me. I want him to go to college, but I can’t afford it. I am so sick of this racist society setting time bombs to the chest of young colored men and women by calling them inferior setting off a chain reaction that is destroying the whole negro race.

Mr. Turner said, Hold on a Second1s

Hold on! Hold on! there was a short pause as if he caught his breath. No you hold on a second. You are a stinking white racist pig and I hate you. I wish I could drown every last one of you white devils.

Mr. Turner with and angry look on his face, just nodded his head and said, Pick up the paper on the floor

What?

Edward! I said pick up the paper. Are you listening to me?

Mr. Turner stood up from behind his desk. He walked over to where the papers had blown onto the floor. He picked up the papers and held out the top sheet. Read the memo and tell me what it says. Edward takes the memo from Mr. Turner’s hand and reads.

Note to staff Edward Hayward as of May 28, 1971 will transfer to second shift to become a shift manager.

He stood there with a horrified look on his faced. All of a sudden he broke down in a stream of tears. He turns around and walks out of the office and slams the door behind him. He mumbled to himself as he walked down the hall and out of the building. Mr. Turner tries to stop him, but Edward doesn’t hear him.

She is going to kill me. What have I done? What have I done? yelling louder the second time he said it. I’ve let them down. God please! Please help me. Tell me what to do. What am I going to do now? Blinded by his own tears, almost tripping over his own feet, he started to run as fast as he could. What am I going to do? Where am I going to go? I don’t even care anymore. My life is over. while he was walking down the partially lit streets, he beat himself in the face and chest as if he wanted to punish himself for letting his family down.

I am tired of this life. It is too painful.

He was walking in the middle of the street when all of a sudden a car slammed on brakes to avoid hitting him.

He didn’t even see the car because his head was sunk down in his chest so deep that he could hear his own heart beat. A gray four door Benz with a white couple in it blew their horn when they drove by.

The man yelled out vulgar obscenities, Get out of the street you dumb Niger before I hang you. Another car with four college kids slowed down and yelled out, Go back to Africa you retarded ape. One of the guys spit just before they peeled off. He was so out of it he didn’t realize what had happen or even where he was. All he could say is how his family was going to suffer because he lost control. With massive tears falling from his eyes Edward said, My wife my son they are my life. Without them I have nothing. I am nothing.

When he realized what was happening, to avoid the trouble he turned and walked across the street. Honk! Honk! Cars blew their horns as if they were trying to get his attention just before he walked cross the street. All of the noise drew the attention of the nearby residence. Person after person came out of the front door to see what all the commotion was about. Twenty minutes later a patrol car pulled up beside him and stops. Two police officers jumped out of the car drawing their weapons.

About a few minutes later a second patrol car pulled up from the opposite direction. The other two officers got out of their cars and stood behind him. One of the officers named Thomas Mack said, "Wondering into this neighborhood at this time of night was the biggest mistake of your life. What do you think you are doing? You don’t belong here Niger!

Get down on the ground!"

Why? I didn’t do anything.

I said get down on the ground now!

I have done nothing wrong

Boom! Officer Selinsky pulled out his night stick than struck him in the back on the head. Dropping down to his knees, he screams out in excruciating pain.

Officer Selinsky grind and smiled when he said, I didn’t believe it unto now. Niggers do have red blood.

All four cops joined in and beat him as if he wasn’t even a man. He was beaten to the ground. He looked up and saw Marlena running toward him. He lifted his arm in pain and said, No Marlena no! She could do nothing but watch him suffer from a terrible fate. He had a look on his face as to say I wanna live.

Officer Selinsky kicked him in the side breaking some of his ribs.

Ah… Ah!

Wake up! Edward was tossing and turning in his sleep as if he was fighting people off of him. You are having a nightmare. Lydia, Edward Jr. grandmother rushed into his room grabs him and shakes him until he wakes up. Are you ok? What was your dream all about?

It was so real.

What was so real baby?

"The dream it was about the day my daddy was killed. I know I was too young to remember, but you and grand pop told me the story so much I feel like I lived it.

What do you mean son?

I mean the person in my dream was not my father it was me. It was me! I felt his pain! I was living my father’s murder. I am my father in the dream. It seemed so real. The pain he felt when he thought he let me and mom down. I felt every blow of the night sticks striking every inch of my body until I could no longer remain conscious. I even heard every derogatory word they said about him. Edward eyes began to water. He turns away so his grand mom couldn’t see his tears. Lydia put her arms around Edward and said, Are you crying?"

No, I’m not.

Cry Its Ok honey.

No I don’t want to cry!

Look it is ok to feel sad. You lost both of your parents.

I love you. I know you and pop did the best you could raising me. I look around and I see kids with both their parents and it hurts. It hurts so much!

I know we didn’t have the best education.

Nana I didn’t mean…

It’s alright! Even though we couldn’t help you with your homework, you turned out fine. You are a straight A student and you will be off to college next year. You will be the first in our family to even go to college. I know you didn’t have your parents growing up, but you going to be ok.

Thanks

Lydia leans over and glances at the alarm clock. She sees that it is after seven thirty. She jumps up from sitting on the bed. Then she grabs him and gives Edward a hug and kisses him on the forehead Now it’s time for you to get ready for school before you are late. she walks to the bedroom door with a big smile on her face. I am going to cook your favored blueberry pancakes.

She opens the door and then closes it behind her on the way to the kitchen. Edward rolls over to the other side of the bed. Then he picks up the clock and resets the alarm for ten more minutes. He grabs the covers and pulls them over his head and says in an exhausting voice, I need to sleep a little bit longer. Lydia opens Edward’s bedroom door abruptly and yells, Get up out of that bed boy! You are going to be late. Your breakfast will be ready soon.

Edward hops straight out of bed and landed on the floor standing straight like a board as if he was a new recruit in the army.

I’m up grand mom. I’m up.

Fix your bed before you leave.

Yes Nana

He relaxes when his grand mom walks back out the room. Walking toward the bathroom in his room, Edward strips off his pajamas, leaving a trail that leads all the way to the shower. Edward steps into the shower and starts to sing.

You are my girl… You are the love of my life… One day you will be my wife.

He cuts off the water than he moves his arms and legs to shake off the excess water. He steps from the shower and goes to his closet.

He opens the closet and stands there with a puzzled look on his face.

What am I going to wear? he walks to the window and opens it. The sun is shining, but the wind is blowing. It is kind of chili.

He runs to the closet and pulls out a thin sweater and a pair of blue jeans. The smell of blueberry pancakes, bacon, and eggs was in the air. Lydia yells, Breakfast is ready!

Coming grandma

He walks into the kitchen and sits at the table. Lydia puts his plate on the table in front on him. What toke you so long to get up? You might need to go to bed earlier. What time did you go to bed?

"I went to bed at twelve