Sometimes life can take a turn you least expect; as it did for me in the summer of 1988; the weather was warm and sunny. I was spending the day at the beach at Wolfe's Pond Park in Lower Manhattan, just lying around soaking up the sun when I decided I needed a drink. This was the first time I had been to Wolfe's Pond Park, and had no idea where to buy a drink. I started to move up the beach towards the shops to look for a bar when I saw a young guy struggling to breathe and blood pouring from his mouth. I raced over and saw his throat had been cut and a knife lying next to him. I stupidly picked up the knife and saw blood on it, threw it back down and then tried to stop the flow of blood from the man's neck; but to no avail, and he died in my arms before the police and ambulance arrived. Many people had gathered around me and when the police arrived, they; the people standing around, said they had seen me cut the man's throat. The police immediately cuffed me and led me away with me protesting violently; so much that one policeman coshed me over the head to quiet me down. I lay inside the police car in a daze still trying to understand what had happened. I was just an innocent bystander yet accused of murder. How could this happen to me? I just wanted to buy a drink and found this guy bleeding on the beach but end up accused of his murder. It was quite a while before the police drove me to the station and led me down to the cells. I was still in my swimming costume and had no other clothing. The cells were cold and open bars with no walls. I could see others incarcerated inside the cells and I was scared. Some were drunk; others tattooed from ear to ear and some women I assumed to be prostitutes. I will not say my life was as clean as a new born baby; far from it. I had been in trouble with the police as a youth and had spent time at Juvenile hall for stealing cars, but nothing heavy. I was now 19 years old and had kept my nose clean for over a year. I knew what was to happen; the questioning, body and cavity search, clothed in prisoner clothing to await a decision as to whether I was to be released or charged; but I had done nothing illegal so why was I here in this cell? I was finally taken from the cell and to an interview room. I refused to say anything until the court appointed a lawyer to defend me. I didn't have any money to hire a lawyer as I worked as a construction labourer and earned little money. I lived in a bedsitter in the Bronx and worked in Manhattan on whatever construction job I could find. As a labourer, I got the lowest pay and barely had enough to pay the rent and feed myself some weeks. It all depended on the weather as to if I worked. My education was poor as I played hooky most of the time and my mother worked most nights so homework never got done. I used to go to the local pool hall when mum was working and that's how I got into the wrong crowd and we stole a car to joy ride in and smashed into a lamp stand. I was injured and could not get out of the car; so got caught, but never dubbed the others in so I took the rap. One thing I learnt on the streets; never dub in your mates. I was kept in cells for over 12 hours before a lawyer came to interview me and then we entered an interview room and the questioning began. Somehow I had to convince the detectives I was innocent. Somehow I had to get out of here.