The news these days is often depressing at worst and frustrating at best. It’s easy to get caught up in the spin cycle and let it get us down. Never fear… The News Blender has you covered. Once a week we feature Something Good and, in return, all you have to do is tell us something good that has happened to you this week, something you are thankful for, a joke, a cute animal story, an inspiring tale of heroics, a Random Act of Kindness… SOMETHING good.
Our Something Good for this week is a story of hope, redemption, and an unlikely friendship.
When he was 17, Rameil Pitamber was an honor student struggling with the death of his father. Rameil made some bad decisions and ended up robbing a Little Caesars at gun point. “I was lost. I had a lot to prove. And I felt like to prove it, I had to be tough. I was a follower, and one poor decision led to the next,” Rameil told CBS News.
He was arrested by Officer Brian Nugent, deputy police chief in Avon, Indiana and was sentenced to 11 years in jail. Rameil’s mother, Daphne Harris, stayed in touch with Nugent while Rameil served his time, wanting him to understand that her son wasn’t just another kid in trouble. “I needed him to know that, you know, he has a home, he has a family, he has a support system. This is who my son is,” Harris said.
Rameil was released early on good behavior and had a goal of staying out of jail so he could be successful, but says he wasn’t “100% sure how to do that”. He was working at Goodwill one day when Brian Nugent dropped off a donation. Rameil recognized the officer, struck up a conversation, and asked the man who arrested him to be his mentor.
Nugent said he was happy to do so, with the condition of staying in regular contact, having conversations, and being able to keep Rameil accountable.
Today, more than six years after his arrest, Rameil is working in heating and air, going to school and renovating his own home. Rameil says the mentorship changed his view on cops. “He treated me with compassion and understanding, and he never treated me less than, not once. To this day, he still builds my worth and self esteem. With him in my corner, I can do anything.”
Officer Nugent told CBS about the reward watching Rameil change has given him. “I think the change that I see the most in him is his confidence. There’s no better reward in this job than helping somebody succeed and achieve those goals in their life.”
Rameil’s mother says, “I hope that people can see, with everything that is going on, is all it takes is respect on both sides. It’s more good kids out there than bad. It’s more good police out there than bad.”
A friendship, a mentor, and a new chance at life – these are definitely Something Good. Now it’s your turn… Tell me Something Good!
