Casper

Name: Sammy Bennett Age: 17 Ethnicity: African American Residence: Lives in a low-income housing project Family: Mother: Works long hours at multiple jobs. Father: Absent; never in the picture. Life in the hood: Sammy Bennett is born in a neighborhood where opportunity came in two forms: get out or get in. Most people got in. His mother, Lisa, tried to shield Sammy, working double shifts at a diner, but the streets taught faster than she could protect. The streets raised him louder than love ever could. Sammy is turning into a thug. He is sharp. He listened more than he spoke, kept his eyes open, and never made the same mistake twice. Sammy was exposed to violence, drug dealing, and the daily grind of survival. His childhood was fractured by his father’s abandonment and his mother’s inability to fully care for him.