Keenan Jackson

Essay 4
Expository Writing
Essay 4
Tragic Death of a Prince
In his book Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates refers to Howard University as
one thing: his Mecca 3. Throughout the book Coates reflects on numerous friends that he made
while attending this Mecca. A friend that Coates goes into extreme detail when describing is
Prince Jones. Coates says:
I think sometimes that he was an invention, and in some ways he is, because
when

they young are killed, they are haloed by all that was possible, all that

was plundered. But I know that I had love for this boy, Prince Jones, which is to
say that I would smile whenever I saw him, for I felt the warmth when I was
around him and was slightly sad when the time came to trade dap and for one of
us to go. The thing to understand about Prince Jones is that he exhibited the whole
of his given name. He was handsome. He was tall and brown, built thin and
powerful like a wide receiver. He was the son of a prominent doctor. He was
born-again, a state I did not share but respected. He was kind. Generosity radiated
off of him, and he seemed to have a facility with everyone and everything. This
can never be true, but there are people who pull the illusion off without effort, and
Prince was one of them. I can only say what I saw, what I felt (Coates, 64).
When reading the in depth description, readers may be caught off guard; others, confused
2. Coates clears up the confusion by telling the story of Prince Jones. Coates informs the reader

that Prince Jones was murdered by a police officer. Even more importantly, Coates informs the
reader that Prince Jones was unarmed. The story of Prince Jones is indeed a tragic one. Carlton
Jones, a police officer of the PG county police department was following Prince Jones in his car
because he believed he was a drug dealer. After being followed for so long, Prince Jones pulled
into a driveway. Then, according to the officer's attorney, Prince suddenly pulled out of the
driveway, blocked the driver's door of the police car and confronted him (An Echo of Gunfire).
It was at this moment that Officer Carlton Jones pulled out his gun and pointed it at Prince.
Officer Jones claims to have announced he was a police officer-in an attempt to convince the
public that Prince Jones simply did not respect the law- but he never showed his badge (An Echo
of Gunfire) 7. The story of Prince Jones ends shortly thereafter:
Without a word, said Jones, the suspect got back into the Jeep, rammed the
Montero once, paused, then rammed it again. As the Jeep was preparing to hit him
a third time, according to the officer, he emptied all 16 shots from his 9 mm
Beretta into the back window of the Jeep. Five of the bullets struck Prince Jones
in the back, killing him almost instantly.
When reading Between the World and Me, it becomes extremely clear that the murder of
Prince Jones enrages Coates. Coates rage comes from the thoughts of how easily Prince Jones
murder couldve been prevented. Prince Jones murder reminds Coates how unvalued black
lives are, and it affects him even deeper than most because it causes him to reflect on the night he
was pulled over by the Prince Georges county police.
When analyzing the facts of Prince Jones case, there are a few elements that are
extremely hard to understand. Coates addresses the horrendous reputation of Prince Georges
County police and also the reputation of Officer Carlton Jones. Coates says The officer was a

known liar. A year earlier he had arrested a man on false evidence. Prosecutors had been forced
to drop every case in which the officer was involved. The officer was demoted, restored, then put
out on the street to continue his work (Coates, 80). If the PG county police department would
have handled Officer Jones previous offenses appropriately by removing him from the Police
force, it is possible that Prince Jones would still be alive. Coates continues to highlight the
wrongdoings of Officer Jones, creating a lengthy list. Firstly, the suspect that Officer Jones was
supposed to be pursuing was five-foot-four weighing 250 pounds (Between the World and Me).
It has been released by the coroner that Prince Jones was six-foot-four and he weighed 211
pounds. There is a distinct difference in appearance between the initial suspect and Prince Jones,
a distinct difference in appearance should call for an immediate stop of pursuit 9. Officer Jones
was not the only one with a controversial past; the PG county police department had a reputation
of its own 1. Coates even states, At that point in American history, no police department fired its
guns more than that of Prince Georges County (76, Between the World and Me). Knowing that
Officer Jones should have already lost his job, and also that the department Officer Jones worked
under was extremely corrupt, makes Coates acknowledge how easily Prince Jones murder could
have been prevented. If Officer Jones was fired, and if the Prince Georges Country Police
department was investigated and properly reformed, Prince Jones would still be alive.
When describing Prince Jones, Coates is sure to highlight how much of a respectable man
he was. Prince Jones was a Christian, college student, and an all around likeable person. Coates
says, Prince Jones was the superlative of all my fears. And if he, good Christian, scion of a
striving class, patron saint of the twice as good, could be forever bound, who could not (81,
Between the World and Me)? Coates recognizes that Black lives are so unvalued, that not even
the most respectable black man can escape from racism. Prince Jones being respectable and

murdered is only half the story. The even more impactful part of the story is that the officer who
murder Prince Jones, Was charged with nothing. He was punished by no one. He was returned
to his work (80, Between the World and Me). Coates acknowledges that even the most
outstanding Black lives are still unvalued enough to be taken by a police officer, without
repercussions. This contributes to Coates rage.
Coates first reaction to the murder of Prince Jones was, this could have been me (76,
Between the World and Me). Coates continues to reflect on the time he was stopped by the
Prince Georges Country police, allowing him to connect once again on a personal level, creating
even more rage. There were times when I Imagined myself, like Prince, tracked through many
jurisdictions by a man in a criminals costume. And I was horrified, because I knew what I would
have done with such a man confronting me (81, Between the world and Me). Coates
acknowledges the pain it would have cause his wife and newborn son if that was he instead, also
contributing to the rage he felt (76, Between the World and Me).
Feeling disconnected, Coates sat at the funeral comparing his feelings to everyone else
13. Coates says, I did not believe in forgiveness (79, Between the World and Me). Coates does
not feel the need to forgive because the dominant emotion he was feeling at the time was rage.
Coates rage would only increase as he discovered more details of the case. Coates understands
that Prince Jones murder could have been prevented, and he recognizes that black lives are
valueless, and he realizes that Prince Jones could have been him 4. Therefore, Coates feels the
corresponding emotion: rage 10.

Works Cited

Hewitt, Bill, Rochelle Jones, and J. Todd Foster. "An Echo of Gunfire." People 14 May
2001: n. pag. EBSCOhost. Howard Univeristy Libraies, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
Almcor Scott, Rion. "The Etiquette of Police Brutality." EBSCOhost. Howard University
Libraries, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
Coates, Tanehisi. "Black and Blue." Washington Monthly. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the World and Me. N.p.: Spiegel & Grau, 2015. Print.
Castaneda, Ruben. "Officer Liable in Student's Killing." Washington Post. The
Washington Post, 20 Jan. 2006. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.
Shin, Annys. "Shots in the Dark." Washington City Paper. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.