Imagine being beaten every time you make a mistake. Imagine not being beaten and later being killed for making one of these mistakes. Imagine loving this individual. Now imagine being the one who beats that person for their protection. This is the complex situation for many members of the African American community. Consisting of using physical discipline as a method of protection and discipline. Many parents of children of color often go to great lengths to ensure that their child is well disciplined. Discipline is the practice of training a person to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience. The method of discipline chosen by many in colored societies is physical discipline. However, some African American parents hoped to prevent an incident in which their child would be disciplined by America. In this attempt, parents would ensure that their child is disciplined beforehand. The method used was physical discipline, a lesser harm than American discipline. While remembering the first time his father physically disciplined him, Coates recalls, “Maybe that saved him. Maybe not” (16). As a child, one cannot fully understand the severity and pain of a parent beating their child. It wasn't until Coates became a parent himself that he understood the complexities of being a parent of a child of color. Coates explains: "Now I personally understand my father and the old mantra: 'Either I can beat you or the police.' I got it all… Black people love their children with a kind of obsession. You are all we have and you come to us in danger” (82). Coates, now an adult, understood both his father's love and fear as he beat him. Additionally, Coates, from his childhood experiences, understood that growing up as an African American man in America is dangerous and unforgiving. Police brutality is the strong arm America uses to discipline young African American teenagers who do not comply with their demands. Cooper takes note of America's use of brutality when she discusses the death of Michael Brown at the hands of police officer Darren Wilson. Cooper