I grew up in a world where there was nothing but tall pine trees and soybean fields as far as

the eye could see. Where violence was something unknown and very, very far away. We could ride our

bikes anywhere we wanted after school. We could build forts between pine trees and only come home

when we'd hear chimes in the church deep, all telling us it was six o'clock in time for supper.

I could explore rushing streams and pastures full of cows, munching grass,

edge with trees. I could swing from a rope out in a circle over a gully full of water,

crash running once I hit the soil when the circle ended. Keith's murder changed all that.

I found out about an alternate universe, a world of violence and hate. I couldn't eat, I couldn't

sleep. I couldn't stand to hear the music or the TV. My mother had to stop the clocks,

because I couldn't bear the tick, tick, ticking. I dropped out of school. Weeks, then months passed.

I'd sit for days on our front porch in the sun. I was fading away mentally and physically.

Nothing mattered. Having threw me a rope and even though I didn't realize it at the time,

I grabbed it. Yes, I went back to school, but teaching literature was no longer an option.

My one goal was to somehow get into law school and then fight crime with all my might.

I only had one reference to present to law school admissions department from my Sunday school

teacher. But they let me in. And after a period of years, I made it to the district attorney's office.

I met C. Grace. I just read you one of the first passages from our new book, Don't Be a Victim

Fighting Back against America's crime wave. You know, in all the years, I prosecuted violent

felonies in inner city Atlanta. I knew I was doing something right. Every time in jury would return

a guilty verdict. I knew for that moment, just that moment, I did a good thing. One more bad guy

was off the streets. And all the time, I've been covering cases at court TV on C. Grace, the

Johnny Cawcran on H. L. N. and now on crime stories. I don't want to just stand back and cover

...