I taught Jamiel for over three months as a Long Term Sub while finishing my Doctorate at USC...I found him well spoken and polite to all. He was not a Gang member nor did he try to be like one. like most children in certain areas of Los Angeles, he grew up around them. He did speak and sometimes converse as a friend who knew and grew up with them. I grew up in LosAngeles and attended Crenshaw High school. I had several people on my block that were members of a Gang; my best friend who I had known since kindergarten joined a gang when we were 9th graders . I still spoke to him, waved everytime I saw him and would often go to family functions when invited. I never went to gang meetings or partied with him because i knew it was a dangerous act. As Jamiel, i knew how to seperate a friendly gesture from gang association. Jamiel was recieving offers from schools like Stanford, Berkley, ASU and several bigten schools who were impressed by his Academics as well as his Athletic talents. Jamiel was a big kid with a good heart...A gangmember with a spiderman backpack...come on people. Jamiel had a strong family behind him; a strong role model in his father and a mother who was serving in Iraq....Rest In Peace Jamiel and you will be missed.