We too were affected by the E-2 tragedy. It all played out like a television movie series depicting sounds and scenes of a make-believe story whose end would never be seen. The prelude was a definite, insistent, unknown, ghostly wail that emendated from a mysterious place that had residents wondering just what type of alarm had invaded our peaceful Sunday night. It began about 8:30 p.m. and sounded at about every sixty seconds. If you ever heard a fog horn, it was reminiscent of that certain eeriness that comes over you.

We never found out exactly where that ominous warning signal came from, but it put us to sleep only to be awakened by the real deal. What seemed like hundreds of ambulance and police sirens disturbed the sleep in one way or another of the many residents of Ickes Homes.

This reporter for instance tried in vain to count the incoming moving emergency vehicles and frantic police sirens. I got the picture: as each ambulance and squad car came to a halt, drivers failed to turn off their sirens. Looking east along 23rd Street from the buildings, all you could see were white spotlights creating a day light atmosphere and red and blue flashing emergency lights that seem to be purposely left on to emphasize the depth of the actual tragedy.

It wasn't long after the news media got their first call that the helicopters took to the early dawning ship to position themselves right above our housing complex and wake up many of the soundly sleeping children.

One child made sure she told me about her experience.
G: Miss Jackie, the helicopter woke me up and I though that it was Osama Bin Ladin and another 911 happening before I saw the T.V. was still on

RJ: What did you do?

G: I went and woke up my mother, I was so scared.

RJ: When you went to school the following day, did your teacher talk to you about it?
What's your teacher name and room number?

G: Yes, Ms. Fisher, room 410.

RJ: What was the teacher saying?
G.: That they feel sorry about what had happened. At school (the New National Teachers Academy school) we have a Monday morning meeting to talk about what happens in our lives over the weekend.

RJ: Did your teacher say more?

G: She said that she too had seen it on the television and at the time [no one] knew how many people had died. Then she listen to all of us talk about what happened.

There's no telling how many children had a similar experience. In the fullness of the light of the day that E-2 became a household term around the country, this reporter felt the helplessness of being close and almost totally uninvolved. I wanted to throw my arms around the bereaved families.

Prayer being my only power, I latched on to the news that a prayer vigil was planned for later that day, at 5:30 p.m. There was my opportunity to go into the heartbreaking site and join in on the prayer vigil, maybe see and offer my condolence to family members of the ones that died.

My mission was accomplished by being able to talk and listen to first cousins of one of the girls who died and hug and express condolences to her father. It was also gratifying to hear the powerful pleas of the reverends Sharpton and Jakes for comfort and light to descend on all who were part of the tragic event.

Some of the young adults who live in Ickes were at the E2 on that fateful night, however they left early, but were still shaken by the outcome of the evening.

The students speak out
Nothing can take the place of spring break! This is the first of its kind for the students and the staff of the National Teacher Academy, so I took to the playgrounds and front porches to talk to the children about their new kind of educational experiences and what they will do while they are out of school.

Keywani Evans was one of the first children I spoke to.
R .J: What are you going to do with your spring break?

K. E: Play video games, play with my friends, help my mother cook.

R.J: What can you cook?

K.E: Mac & Cheese; Fried chicken.

R.J: How do you like the new school over your old school?

K.E: Here we have a swimming pool, there we did not. We swim on Wednesday and have gym on Tuesday.

R.J: How's the food?

K.E: A lotta pizza. Fried and B.B. Que chicken.We also see videos at lunch on the large screen. Stories about other schools, drawing and painting - it's fun.

I talked to one child who planned to go visiting her cousins. I talked to Tanesee Preston who said she did not plan anything, and really didn't want to do anything.

R.J: Tanesee What is different about your new school for you?

T.P.: You can't chew gum. You have to say "yes Mam, yes sir No sir."

R.J: What about swimming?

T.P :I don't go swimming, I don't like it.

They all spoke of homework.

I spoke to a group of older students who didn't like the new school because now they call your house when you do wrong. I spoke to one child who had been made to transfer because he misbehaves too much. One thing about this year's spring break, the weather is just about perfect.

Friends are free to play long hours out of doors and relax and help their mothers and younger siblings over longer periods. The older students have what they call juke dances at someone's home and they say all the young teens try to go there in the evening. One teen said, "Ms. Jackie you ought to say something about that."

I said, "Their parents ought to say something about that." And parents, if you are reading this it would be a very good idea to look into this before it is too late!