Tariq was the only one who always stood up for him and motivated him. Tyrell says, “Tariq made it so I could keep my head down and just do my thing” (Magoon 54). Tyrell was the person who was most devastated by Tariq’s death as they were best friends. His death affected everyone in the community, especially those close to him. The outcome of the misunderstanding lead to Tariq’s death. I believe that the negative appearance of Tariq made Jack Franklin and other people think the snickers bar was a gun. I have no idea how you would confuse a gun for a snickers bar. Tariq was holding a snickers bar that was mistaken for a gun. The cops profiled him as an average gang member that was robbing a convenience store which is a reason they let Jack Franklin walk free. The police were just waiting for the store owner to come around and say Tariq robbed him.

They want to say Tariq robbed me” (Magoon 47). Edwin “Rocky” Fry says, “The cops keep coming around. When the police asked the store owner, Edwin “Rocky” Fry, questions about Tariq they seemed to act like they already knew what had happened. Brian Trellis believed Tariq Johnson was robbing a convenience store due to his appearance “a dark face in a black hoodie” combined with the store owner yelling at him to come back (Magoon 11).

Tariq Johnson was a victim of racial profiling. This novel shows us that racial profiling is a serious issue that has severe consequences. People from the community give their perspectives on the shooting and Tariq. Everyone from the community is affected by the shooting either directly or indirectly. Jack Franklin pleads self-defense but has no evidence to back up his claim that Tariq posed a threat. A white bystander, Jack Franklin, shoots and kills an African American teen named Tariq Johnson. The novel, How It Went Down, by Kekla Magoon is about a controversial shooting that occurs in the Underhill neighborhood.

Tariq johnson how it went down