A Black Man Speaks / Travon Mcdougal

I had the pleasure of sitting down with TraVon McDougal, a resident of Raleigh, NC. I sought him out to interview specifically because I saw a photograph of him that was taken during the protests that followed the killing of George Floyd. The photograph was charged with so much energy that I had to reach out to this young man to get his take on the current climate surrounding police brutality. After doing my due diligence, I discovered that Mr. McDougal was the brother of Akiel Denkins, a Black man who was shot and killed by the RPD in 2016. Unbeknownst to me, this young man had a story. He arrived at my home on time and was prepared to sit with me and let me pick his mind. My first impression was that he seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulder. Be on the lookout for July's Black Bird's Eye View in the Carolina Call Newspaper when I will give perspectives of police brutality from various perspectives.