Eva's story

                Eva is a young 14 year old girl. In our young lives, we think we've lived the hardest drama's ever in this world. But my life, our lives. She is as she says " Latina". growing up in the projects has been a war since day one. When she was 6 she started learning how to box or how she says" defend myself from those kinds". One day, while waiting for school, she goes outside. While waving at her next door neighbor, two gun shots were fired into his head. why? We wonder. After witnessing this. how could the day of a 6 year old girl get any worse? While going back inside the police come in and arrest her father as she says " mi padre is innocent, the WHITE police took him away because he was respected by my people. that is the only reason. A war has been decleared".
                  After a few years, she was initiated into "the gang llife" as they say "mi nueva  familia", they do not care if you cannot breath, or if you end up at the hospital as soon as you get out your one of them. School has just started and she finds herself in this "dump". Because of her race everything has to be hard. Going in to school she notices that school is just like a city and a city is just like a prison. Everyday is hell. coming into her new english class she meets her new teacher Ms. Gruwell.
          When sitting down she notices that just like outside the classroom is seperated. You have your latino's, china town, the ghetto, and a white kid. " Im only in here because of my probation officer". Her hathred for white people grows more and more day by day, remembering her father's arrest, and now having a white teacher does not help. You cannot walk these streets without the fear of it being your last day walking, or without having a gun or knife on you. While walking to school with her boyfriend, the fear vanishes, but in a second she starts running for her life, why ? she is being chased by members of another race. Her boyfriend pulls out a gun and a shoot out starts.
            Getting to school is one challenge, surviving it is another. While others are being initiated into the gang life they have to tresspass another's territory just like it was walking trough a medow "a war has been declared". One day while in school, the alarm bell rings , there is a fight in the court yard, every race against every race. But the war has just started. While shopping at the drug store, the war is still bruwing. The young Black men that tresspaced the latino's territory is there, after a brief call, gun shots start to fire, the owner of the store " chinese men" is killed and the young black male is arrested. With Eva being a witnessed she is asked for trial. many families wonder what happened but only she knows what really happened, either she tells the truth and dangers the life of her people, or lies and keeps the alliance. After visiting her father she knows what she has to do, lie and protect her people just like her father. At the trial, the division is more than visible. On the stand is Eva and watching her is her mom and her gang , on the other the victims family and right next to them is the " killers" family. While being asked she says " i know who did it" looking around wondering what she should actually do, she decides to tell the truth " Paco did it ", by saying the truth she is in danger, but knowing that she did the right thing makes her feel much better.
                     After the trial while thinking that she does npt have a familuy, her classmates who were once divided, came together and showed her that they are her family and that she will never be alone.