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The story opens with a 16 year old  girl named Starr Carter at a party in her neighborhood, Garden Heights. She was pressured to go to the party by Kenya. She goes to a school called Williamson Prep and its a paid private school. Most of the rich white kids go there. At the party she runs into her childhood best friend Khalil. Suddenly, a fight breaks out at the party and the two friends run. They get in Khalil's car and drive away from the scene. The two reminisce about their childhood. They used to be best friends with another girl named Natasha, who has since passed away. As they are driving, a cop pulls them over.

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Khalil doesn't do what the cops says and has to get out of the car. The cop pats him down and tells him not to move as he goes back to his patrol car. Khalil opens the driver's door to ask Starr if she's okay, and the police officer shoots him three times in the back. Starr starts to scream and cry because of the tragedy. Then the cop points the gun at her.Starr then deals with the trauma of seeing her best friend get shot and killed right in front of her. She refers to the cop that killed Khalil as "115." Starr deals with the struggle that she doesn't belong in her neighborhood, but she also doesn't belong at her school. In other words, she's kinda torn between the two.

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Nobody but her parents and uncle know that she was with Khalil that night. To keep Starr busy, her father takes her to the small grocery store that he owns. Starr helps her father sell groceries to the regulars like Mr. Lewis. Kenya enters the store and Starr's father gives the girls money to buy lunch at Reuben's, a deli across the street. Starr doesn't tell Kenya about what happened with Khalil. After eating, the two girls walk outside as King pulls up in a BMW. Starr knows that King is involved in gang business and dislikes him very much. She doesn't consider him family like he does to her. King and Starr's father have a talk and King drives away angrily.

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Starr wakes up from a nightmare about Khalil and Natasha. She then overhears her uncle, Carlos, arguing with her parents about Khalil. Carlos is a police officer, and he tells Starr that she needs to come down to the station and make a statement. Carlos helped raise Starr because her father was in prison for three years when she was a girl. The Carters visit Khalil's grandmother, Rosalie, and her aunt, Tammy. They talk about Khalil's mother, who they can't find. Rosalie says that Khalil was selling drugs, but he wanted to stop so he went to Maverick. Maverick and Lisa give money to Khalil's family for the funeral.

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Starr says that she is one Starr at home and another at school. This is shown a little bit at the beginning of the book, but after the shooting the attention is brought to it. She is supposed to go to the police station after school to give her statement. She continues to go to school hanging out with her  family and friends. One thing she is struggling with is her boyfriend, Chris, who is white and goes to the same school as her. As Chris grabs her hands to apologize, she  then realizes that Chris is white just like 115. She is starting to question if she is betraying the black men in her family by dating a white man.

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Lisa and Starr spend the night at Carlos's to avoid the riots, but protests continue to fill the streets when they drive home the next morning. Starr is terrified when they have to pass throughout a police checkpoint. Back at their house, Maverick asks Starr to hang out with him that day, promising her ice cream and the chance to  watch Harry Potter. Maverick talks to Starr about racial injustice. He tells her that African Americans are provided less opportunities from the start due to things like poverty and poor education. He says this is how they got involved with drugs and gangs. This is related back to Khalil's conversation about Tupac's THUG quote. He says it is important to speak out about inequality. After listening to her father’s words, Starr realizes that the protests and anger in her community are much bigger than Khalil. She decides that she cannot be silent if she wants the system of oppression to change. At the store, DeVante shows up and he is hiding from King, who wants him to kill the Garden Disciples who killed his brother. Maverick wants to help DeVante get out of the gang life, so he offered him a place to stay and a job. Maverick explains he went to prison to protect King from weapon charge, which is how he got out of the gang. Later Starr overhears her parents fighting, Lisa is angry with Maverick for bringing DeVante home and for insisting they continue to live in Garden Heights. She says she has made her choice and will do what she needs to do for her children.

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Lisa and Starr arrive at the police station for Starr's interview with the detectives Gomez and Wilkes. Carlos comes by and tells Starr that she must talk to the detectives today if she wants the case to be handled properly. Lisa and Starr then go to the interview room. Knowing she is not alone, Starr feels ready to take on the interview. In her head she immediately feels her voice changing to ensure she doesn't sound "ghetto." After the few first questions, Starr grows increasingly nervous. She recalls her fathers advice to not let them put words in her mouth. The detectives continue to present Khalil as resistant to arrest in their questioning, and also ask Starr whether he was drinking, sold drugs, or was in a gang. Lisa asks why it seems like they are putting Starr and Khalil on trial instead of 115. They leave the interview with the shared knowledge that the situation is going to be very difficult.

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The chapter starts off with Khalil's funeral. Starr feels nauseous as her family gets in line to approach Khalil’s open casket. When she gets there, the Khalil inside looks completely different than what she thought. Starr flashes back to seeing Natasha in her casket years before. Friends of Khalil’s who Starr has never met go to the front of the church to tell stories about him that Starr has never heard. She then feels unworthy of her seat. A women gets up and introduces herself as April Ofrah with Just Us for Justice, an organization calling for police accountability. She tells the church that the police have no intention of arresting 115, and that Khalil was unarmed at the time of his death. King, Iesha, and a group of King Lords suddenly enter and they walk to the front of the church, where one of the King Lords lay a gray bandana across Khalil’s chest. Mrs. Rosalie snatches the bandanna and throws it back at King, yelling them to leave. Starr then gets confused because only King Lords are given the gray bandanna once they die. After the funeral, April Ofrah approaches the Carters and offers to help Starr with legal representation. She asserts that the case is about to get national media attention, and she wants to help protect Starr’s privacy.

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Protests and riots start breaking out in Garden Heights. Maverick has to stay at the store over night to make sure it's not being looted. Lisa instructs the children to move to the den, where there are no windows. The news starts to talk about Khalil  and that he had a gun in the car. The next morning Seven bangs on her bedroom door, reminding her that it’s the day of their monthly basketball game. Starr then yells out to her parents that they’re leaving, and the two head to Rose Park. Starr used to play with Khalil and Natasha at that park. As Starr and Seven play basketball, Garden Disciples approach them and demand them to give them their things. DeVante, a King Lord, walks up to them and brings out a gun saying its King Territory. The Garden Disciples then leave. Starr thinks DeVante is cute until he calls her a nickname. Maverick pulls up to the basketball court and take Starr and Seven home. On the way home, he yells at them for going out without telling anyone. They get home and Lisa is mad too, she takes their phones and say they are going to Carlos's house. They arrive at Carlos’s house, which is in a gated community close to where Chris lives. Starr notices how peaceful and safe everything is there. Chris shows up at the front door unannounced and Starr yells out that he simply cannot understand what is going on with her because he is white. Starr still didn't tell Chris that she is the witness to Khalil's case.

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Khalil’s name finally appears on the news, along with the title “Suspected Drug Dealer.” The news does not mention that he was unarmed, and says the police spoke to an “unnamed witness.”Starr sits between Hailey and Maya and scoffs at a girls vs. boys basketball game in which the girls mostly flirt instead of playing. The three girls go to the court and show the other girls how it's done. As they play Hailey makes a comment about Starr liking fried chicken and Starr takes it as a racist remark, but Hailey declines the idea. Hailey and Maya ask if the Khalil they heard about on the news was the same Khalil who attended Starr's birthday parties as a child, and if that is why she is behaving weirdly. Hailey refers to Khalil as “the drug dealer” and Starr realizes that is all the world will ever see him as. Starr denies knowing Khalil and feels guilty about it. She starts to cry and fakes illness. Then she calls Uncle Carlos to pick her up. He takes her out for frozen yogurt from school and they talk about Khalil and the police officer that shot him. Starr tells Carlos that the officer also pointed his gun at her, and he is visibly shaken. Starr tells Carlos that she is worried about Khalil's upcoming funeral.

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The next day at Williamson, Hailey reveals that her brother, Remy, is starting a protest for Khalil simply to get out of class. Hailey says it is messed up that they’re protesting a “drug dealer’s death. Starr tells Hailey to leave her alone and that she wants nothing to do with the protest. She then decides to stop following Hailey. Int he middle of class kids walk out and start to protest. Starr and Chris are the only ones who stay in the classroom. Starr is happy to know that her friend, Jess, from the basketball team is not in the protest. After school,  Starr sees Mr. Lewis standing outside Maverick's store and preparing to give an on-camera interview. Maverick says it is in response to some cops getting jumped around the corner. Starr mentally begs the news crew not to put Mr. Lewis on live TV, but the interview begins. Mr. Lewis bluntly tells the interviewer that thugs have been terrorizing Garden Heights for years. Mr. Lewis then mentions that one of those people is King. Maverick calls Mr. Lewis crazy after the interview for snitching on television.

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The Carters arrive back at the store. The King Lords beat up Mr. Lewis, but they were really looking for DeVante, who was hiding. DeVante admits he stole $5,000 from King to get his family safely out of town. The Carters take DeVante to Uncle Carlos' house to stay. Uncle Carlos is on leave from work and Chris comes by looking for Starr. Starr then admits to her father that he is her boyfriend and Maverick gets mad, not only because Chris is white, but because he was the last one to know. Lisa drags Maverick out to the patio, but Starr can still hear everything they say as they argue about Chris being white. Lisa then grows angry that Maverick got DeVante out of Garden Heights, yet insists his own family continue to live there. They finish arguing and Maverick drives away angrily. Chris leaves and DeVante teases Starr about dating a white boy. As they talk, Starr then realizes that she has closed herself off from the rest of the world. DeVante then mentions Khalil and that Khalil used to talk about Starr a lot. DeVante tells Starr that Khalil wasn't selling drugs for King, but only pay a debt that his mother owed the gang. Khalil was not in a gang. King tried to get him to become a King Lord, but Khalil refused to the idea. The reasons people join gangs or sell drugs are complicated, and are still human beings whose lives matter and who deserve to be understood. Gangs and drug dealing often result from a lack of opportunity and security.

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The following morning Lisa takes Starr to IHOP and Lisa expresses her anger about the previous night’s interview. Much of the world appears to reject the media’s treatment of Starr and Khalil, granting hope that justice may be possible after all. Starr talks about the tension with Hailey, but leaving out the specific details. Lisa says she never liked the way Starr always let Hailey have her way when they were children. Later that day Starr meets the DA, a white woman named Karen Monroe who apologizes for taking so long to meet. The meeting is relatively quick. Maverick and Starr head back to the store together. There, Maverick asks Starr what she sees in Chris. Starr wants to know if Maverick has a problem with white people. He admits that he worries about a good example for his daughter about black men. Starr responds that he does set a good example of what a "man" should be.
King pulls up to the store in his gray BMW and asks where DeVante is. Maverick denies knowing where he is. King then says he knows Starr is the witness the news is talking about and then threatens Starr if she says anything incriminating. Lisa’s new job would be a ticket out of the neighborhood, and a chance for the entire family to start over away from the dangerous day-to-day life of Garden Heights. Lisa says she has a job interview. Lisa's new job would be a ticket out of the neighborhood, and a chance for the entire family to start over away from the dangerous life of Garden Heights. After having dinner, Seven tells Sekani he'll be staying at a community college to be near his "other" family.

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Tanks rumble through Garden Heights. A curfew has been implemented, and Maverick is home with the family.  Maverick tends to his roses, which he fears are dying. He and Lisa have made up, and Maverick watches his wife as she works on the computer. Maverick asks Starr to get her old laptop to give to DeVante for school. Maverick’s roses once again represent the Carter family, as they struggle to survive the  dangerous environment of Garden Heights. Maverick is still helping DeVante by telling him the importance of his education in helping him with his current situation. Back in Starr's bedroom, she checks on the new Tumblr blog she has started called The Khalil I Know. It includes photographs and stories about Khalil that contradict and complicate the image the media is painting of him.  Soon, hundreds of people have liked her photos and post their own memories of Khalil. Starr brings her old laptop to Seven's room, where he and DeVante are playing video games. Seven tells Starr that King moved back in with Iesha and officially kicked him out of the house. Starr hears Lisa speaking on the phone. She is speaking to the District Attorney about Starr coming in to talk. Maverick doesn't like the idea, but Starr thinks it will help Khalil. The next morning Kenya finally texts Starr back about the Tumblr and she said it was alright and Starr was happy. Lisa take Starr to the Just Us for Justice office. Ms. Ofrah's colleagues are out leading protests on the street where Khalil was murdered. Ms. Ofrah then explains that if the District Attorney wants to talk with Starr, it means they are preparing to take Khalil’s case to a grand jury, where Starr will have to testify. Starr fears she will not be able to answer certain questions. Ms. Ofrah tells Starr that 115's father will be giving a television interview on his son’s behalf. Realizing the whole world will get to hear 115’s side of the story. Starr then tells Ms. Ofrah about Natasha and that she wants the world to know that Natasha mattered, just like Khalil. Maverick then gets a phone call from DeVante and the chapter ends.

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Starr goes over to Maya's house and Hailey is there as well. Maya is excited to see Starr, but Hailey isn't. After playing video games, Hailey cuts the tension in the room and asks Starr why she is mad at them. Starr asks why Hailey attended the fake protest for Khalil, and Hailey defends herself by saying everyone else did it too. Maya apologizes for attending it, but Hailey isn't. They see the interview with 115's father on television. The report scattered with images of Garden Heights. 115's father claims his son was feared for is life. As he tells the story of the shooting, 115's father paints a picture of Khalil’s death that is nothing like what Starr experienced. After the interview Hailey expresses sympathy for 115. Starr angrily points out that white lives always seem to matter “more.” Then Starr mentions that Hailey unfollowed her on Tumblr because she posted about Emmet Till. Hailey refuses and walks out angrily. Maya tells Starr that it's true, Hailey did unfollow her for posting "black stuff." Maya tells Starr that after Thanksgiving of freshman year, Hailey asked if Maya if her family ate cat. Starr says they can't let Hailey get away with her prejudice. Maya smiles and suggests the two of them form a “minority alliance.” Starr walks back to Carlos’s house, where she finds her uncle having a beer outside. He tells Starr that he is on leave for punching 115. She laughs that her uncle did something like that, but is afraid that he's going to loose his job. He then tells her that family is more important and that he was only an officer because of her. Carlos then says that Khalil shoudn't have been killed and he admits that the interview of 115's father made him think of KIhalil be nothing, but a drug dealer.

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Five weeks have passed since the shooting. Starr is finally seen by her neighborhood. The family still must engage in code switching as they head to the interview, so they will be taken seriously by white society. Starr’s work at Just Us for Justice shows that she is fighting for racial justice. The Carters arrive at the studio, and the producers film some clips of Starr walking and talking with Diane Carey. Starr has been given an opportunity to use her voice to help Khalil. Starr wants to everyone to know why Khalil sold drugs, so that people can understand the value of his life. She dry snitches on King despite knowing the danger she has put herself in. She believes Khalil’s life and the truth is more important than her own safety.

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Maverick and Lisa take Starr and her brother's on a trip, which they thought was Carlos's house. They stop at a brick house and they look  inside. As Starr, Seven, and Sekani look around, Lisa says she got the job and that the house is their new home. Maverick agreed that he wanted his family to be safe, so he considered moving. Seven tells Lisa and Maverick about going to a Community College called Central Community, which is like another Garden Heights. That night, before Starr testifies in front of the grand jury, everyone watched a basketball game back at the house in Garden Heights. Everybody is having fun till they hear gunshots and a window is broken. Maverick makes them drive away and Lisa calls Carlos to tel him what happened. Starr refuses to testify anymore. King Lords led by Goon arrive at their doorstep. Maverick then tells everyone that they are providing security, but Carlos doesn't like the idea of them being in the house. Maverick and Carlos get into a fight and start yelling at each other till Carlos says he doesn't care about the children and Maverick stops talking.

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It has been two weeks since Starr talked to the grand jury and eight weeks since Khalil’s death. Seven drives Starr to school and has grown more protective of Starr. At schools, Starr goes up to Maya and Hailey and Hailey calls her a liar. Maya takes Starr's side and tells Hailey that she has been racist before by  saying she ate cat. Hailey then talks bad about Khalil and Starr punches her. A fight breaks out, even Remy and Seven come in to protect their sisters. The fight was seperated and all four got suspended. Starr lets all her anger out about how Khalil shouldn't have died and her mom tries to make her feel better. Later, the Carter house is full with Garden Disciples and King Lords. When the conversation was over, they all agree to not cause any chaos in the neighborhood.

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The next morning Starr wakes up to the smell of bacon. Lisa and Pam cook for the King Lords and they eat everything they are served. Starr brings food for Maverick and Carlos outside, she realizes that they're getting along. The King Lords drive the family to the courthouse. Starr flashes back to the day where she had to say goodbye to Maverick before going to prison. In the present, news reporters surround the courthouse. Starr must go in the court room alone. Starr takes an oath and her testimony begins. Starr is scared, but knows that she is supported by her family and that she is doing this for Khalil.

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The interview proves to be the most watched in network's history and there's much support for Starr online. Kenya tells Starr that King is angry that she effectively snitched on him. Prom comes and Starr is with Chris. She notices that Chris is acting weird and he seems uncomfortable. Maya finds Starr and she says she asked Hailey about the cat comment. Hailey refused too apologize and stopped talking to both of them. Starr is thankful to have Maya in her life. Starr runs out of the ball room area and Chris chases after her. Chris then tells Starr that he recognized her voice and that he knows she is the witness. He is heartbroken she kept it from him. Starr then explains she doesn't want to share that part of her because people use it against her. They sit in the car and Starr tells Chris everything. She talks about Natasha's death and Khalil's. She taks about Garden Heights and her family struggles. Seven and Layal tap on the car door and they go back to the party all together. Starr thinks of it as "one of the best nights ever."

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Ten weeks have passed since Khalil's death. Carlos hosts a barbecue at his house for Seven's eighteenth birthday and graduation. Kenya flirts with DeVante and he talks about staying with Carlos for his senior year for high school. When Maya and Chris arrive to the part, Starr worries about her two different lives combining. She doesn't know when to act black and when to act white. The two groups interact and everything goes well. Maya even tells Kenya about the first between Starr and Hailey after Kenya asked where Hailey was. Maya then says  "minorities have to stick together." Then. Iesha shows up to the gate of the neighborhood. Starr, her parents, and Kenya follow Seven to the gate where his mother is. Iesha gets mad about Seven not inviting her and that Kenya kept it a secret. Seven gets angry and yells at Iesha about not showing up to things. He hasn't even told his school friends about Iesha being his real mother because he's too ashamed of her. Iesha then tells them that King has been wanting to get at them ever since Starr snitched.

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The group tries to get out the back door, but it’s locked, and Goon still has Starr’s keys. Smoke fills the store and they can barely breathe. Mr. Lewis calls for help. Tim comes running and opens the front door, but flames blocked him from the kids. Maverick shows up and rushes to unlock the back door. Everyone comes out of the store. People with water try to put out the flames, which have spread to Mr. Lewis’s store. King pulls up in his gray BMW. He and other King Lords laugh and point at the fire. Maverick screams at King for starting the fire, but King keeps laughing. Mr. Lewis shouts that King burned down Maverick’s store and a crowd appears. The police and a firetruck arrive. Mr. Lewis tells them that King started the fire. King calls him a liar, but Maverick speaks up to say Mr. Lewis is correct. Starr is shocked that her father has told on him. Other people start to say that King did start it. The firefighters put out the flames, but the store is in flames. Starr feels like she is losing another family member. Maverick and Lisa ask where they’ve all been all night. Maverick admits that Chris must be brave to have stayed with Starr all night. He tells him to meet him at the boxing ring to get to know him. The police take King and his boys away in their patrol cars. Carlos tells DeVante that he will be grounded for life and that they love him. Carlos Tells everyone thank you for all the witnesses. DeVante tells Carlos that he knows where all the drugs are. Carlos lets him know that it would be better if he went to jail. DeVante remembers what April Ofrah said about  his voice being the strongest weapon and DeVante agrees to turn witness on King.

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Many streets are blocked off by the police and Seven's car runs out of gas on an unfamiliar street. The group gets out to walk to a gas station. As they walk, points out to Chris her old apartment building. The group again hears police telling people to get off the streets, and realize that they have reached the street where Khalil was shot. April Ofrah’s voice on a bullhorn catches Starr's attention. Ms. Ofrah steps down and approaches Starr, who begs her not to tell Lisa she was at the riots. Starr says she joined because she wanted to do something. Ms. Ofrah reminds Starr that her voice is a powerful weapon. Ms. Ofrah leads Starr through the crowd towards a police car and hands her a bullhorn. Starr gets on the patrol car, and the crowd cheers for her to “speak.” Starr says she is the one who saw what happened to Khalil, and that she wants the world to know that his life mattered. Starr finds Seven, Chris, and DeVante. They spot a gray pickup truck barreling toward them and realize it is Goon. He stops and everyone gets in the truck. Many businesses have been ransacked, except those with “black owned” spray-painted across the front. They arrive at Maverick's store, and Starr gives Goon the keys. Goon starts grabbing jugs of mil from the fridge. Everyone pours it on their faces to ease the pain. He gets back in the truck and leaves. Just as Starr and her friends are getting up to leave the store, someone throws a glass bottle with a flaming cloth through the door. The store goes up in flames.

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The car is silent as Seven drives to his grandmother’s house. Starr then says she wants to protest and riot. Chris tells her that won’t solve anything, but Starr snaps back that talking didn’t either. Seven drops Kenya and lyric at their grandmother’s house as riots start in Garden Heights. Seven asks if Chris wants him to drive him home, but Chris says he wants to stay with Starr. The group asks DeVante why he walked off, and he tells them he wanted to visit his brother in the cemetery. They're at Magnolia Avenue, where people shout from the hoods of cars. Fires are started in the distance. They park at the Just Us for Justice office. People start smashing the windows of a nearby McDonalds, the same one Starr remembers eating at with her parents. Starr thinks of Maverick’s store and all the memories it holds for her family. The group then lightens the mood until Chris asks about black peoples names, but Chris explains to him. Gunshots go off and everyone gets scared.

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Thirteen weeks have passed since Khalil’s death and the Carters have moved into their new house. Starr says she's going for a walk, but instead she texts Chris and he picks her up. They head to his house and go to his room. Chris comforts Starr until Seven calls saying DeVante is gone. Seven picks them up and look for DeVante. They go to Iesha's house and find DeVante bleeding on the floor, he was beat up by King. As they help him up Iesha blocks the door and tells them to leave before King catches them. They leave without getting caught because Iesha distracts King. Seven wants to turn back to help Iesha, but Kenya tells him not to, so he doesn't. As the group drives away, a Tupac song comes on the radio and when the song ends, an announcement comes on the radio stating the grand jury has decided not to indict 115.