Michael Alexander Allen, baby cousin of an extended family, was first arrested
at fifteen for an attempted carjacking. Tried as an adult and sentenced to
thirteen years, Michael served eleven. Three years after his release, he was
shot and killed. Why? Why did this gifted young man, who dreamed of being a
firefighter and a writer, end up dead? Why did he languish in prison? And why at
fifteen was he in an alley in South Central LA, holding a gun while trying to
steal someone's car? Cuz means both cousin and because. Danielle Allen grew up
with Michael and, in 2006 when Michael got out