We Beat The Street Sparknotes

The book We Beat the Street by DRS. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt, and Sharon Draper, is a captivating autobiography about three boys, Sampson, Rameck, and George, who overcame several obstacles and became important doctors. This story took place in the dangerous location of Newark, New Jersey, in the 1980-1990’s, where violence, peer pressure, and drugs were often found. Accordingly, the majority of people were greatly impacted by the negativity around them. In this book, Sampson and Rameck were affected by their negative environment, hence they were involved in unfortunate situations, and often had to face severe consequences, some as serious as being arrested.
It was Thanksgiving weekend, and seventeen year-old Rameck

was hanging out with some of his friends at a nearby elementary school. Rameck’s friend sold some crack cocaine to an addict, however he specifically told the addict not to smoke it at the school due to the fact that young children were often found there. Later, Rameck and his friends witnessed the man smoking where they instructed him not to, so they beat him up terribly, and Rameck stabbed him in the leg. Policemen caught the boys, and that was how Rameck ended up taken to jail. In the cramped prison cell there were “two other boys he didn’t know. The cell consisted of a toilet and two cots, both of which were occupied, so the officer told him to sleep on the floor” (Draper 105-106). The food in the jail was dreadful, and the people were horrifying, but they accepted their life as it was. Rameck was in the prison cell for four days, as it was Thanksgiving and his mother was not allowed to pick him up. During those four days, Rameck heard, “the horrifying but unmistakable sound of a boy being raped” (Draper 106). Rameck felt terrified and trapped. He decided to avoid ever going back to prison. Although Rameck’s experience in jail was awful, he was not the only one in his friendship group to be arrested.
Sampson Davis and his friends were hanging around on one of the most dangerous places in Newark, the corner.

The boys decided to earn some extra money, therefore they decided to rob some of the younger drug dealers on the corner. Not only did they rob them of their money, but they scared them with a gun, and when the police found out they arrested Sampson’s friends. Although Sampson managed to escape in time, his car was left at the crime scene and he was found guilty for the crime. Sampson was taken to the first of four units, the section for violent crimes at a detention center where he would stay imprisoned for four weeks. His cell was tiny, and he had nothing but a thin, dirty, mattress which had been previously been slept on by several others. In addition, Sampson had a great amount of time to think about things. First, he thought about the boy he had been arrested with , whose location was unknown to him. Next, he thought about staying away from people who impacted him negatively like his “friends”, and although he knew it would be difficult to do so, he felt the need to. Finally, Sampson thought about Rameck, George, and his future. The three of them tried out for a doctor and dentist program at Seton Hall University, and Sampson realized how much better it would be at a university than at a jail. In addition to thinking a lot, Sampson saw his family regularly. He also watched the

same

shows, and listened to activities outside his window, attempting to match a face to the voices. Sampson felt “so alone, so out of place, and so angry with himself” (Draper 115). Jail tends to have a large impact on people, and it changed Sampson.
Sampson’s experience in jail changed his life positively because it helped him realize that what he was doing with his life was incorrect.

He now understood that he should not have been hanging around people who impacted him poorly. In addition, Sampson also knew that he must prioritize himself and not other people. This changed Sampson’s life because now he desired to work toward a better future. Eventually, he left behind what was holding him back and worked to become a doctor. Sampson never got involved in anymore criminal behavior. Similarly to the way prison changed Sampson’s life, it changed Rameck’s as well. Rameck decided to “stay out of trouble, to hang out with Sampson and George more, aim for higher goals.” (Draper 107). He learned about the horrible things that happen to people in jail. Furthermore, he realized that he couldn’t continue with his daily activities because he wasn’t free to do so. This experience changed Rameck’s life because he realized that unlike the people in jail were, he never wanted to be accustomed to the lifestyle that he had to bare for four days. Rameck wanted to be able to have goals and to achieve them, and he never went back to

jail.
In the book We Beat the Street by DRS. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt, and Sharon Draper, both Rameck and Sampson endure a horrible experience in prison. After nearly killing a drug addict, Rameck stayed in prison for four days on Thanksgiving weekend, and faced experiences as terrifying as hearing a boy being raped. In a similar fashion, Sampson was sent to jail for armed robbery and was held captive for four weeks. He had to stay alone and therefore thought a lot about his friendships and his future. Sampson learned to put himself before others because it will lead him to great things, and Rameck learned to achieve his goals. Both of these characters were positively impacted by their time in jail because they learned how to work for what they want, which led them to become great doctors after a lot of hard work and determination.