Edith Honorato is a senior at Roosevelt High School. This op-ed was originally published in her school newspaper.

Am I a criminal for being late?

On March 10, 2009, I committed my first "crime." That morning I woke up late, therefore ended up going to school late. I was walking down Mathew and 4th to school (right next to the pool, by the main entrance), when I was stopped by a cop.

I couldn't believe the fact that it was only 8:30, and I was going to school! At that moment, everything hit me. I cried like a kid. I couldn't face it all by myself. My mom was in Mexico, due to my grandfather almost dying. I was handling so many responsibilities, which include taking care of my 5-year-old sister. I thought getting a ticket was very unfair; I was speechless and afraid for some reason.

It seemed to me that the cop was inexperienced, seeing that he took a while filling out the ticket. He stopped me exactly at 8:30, and lied when filling out the ticket. He wrote down 8:40. I thought to my self, how unethical! (And he's a cop.) Since he stopped me he didn't even bother to explain to me what was going on.

I felt humiliated; people that were passing by inside their car, as well as walking were looking at me like if I was a criminal. I heard a parent passing by saying "Mira los policias, son bien encanjosos!" which means, "Look at those cops they are take advantage of people."

He took me back into school and walk me to the deans office and said, "Don't worry it's not that big of a stitch." He made it seem like it's nothing big to give out tickets to students that are late to school. Doesn't he realize how much a ticket is affecting not just the student but as well as the family?

As he left, I was curious to know his name. I glanced at his name tag and as I read it, it said "Morales." I got even more furious than I was. He was a Latino screwing over another Latina.

I kill to have good grades and make my parents proud everyday. Due to this incident, I'm going to have to miss one entire day of school, and my dad is going to have to miss one entire day at his job, because he has accompanied me to court.

I realize I made a mistake by waking up late, but I got to school exactly at 8:30 and I was walking to school not walking down Cesar Chavez St., browsing at the stores and shopping! Couldn't they just let it slide, considering the fact it was my first time ever being that late to school. Is it really needed to bring in the law to students that are late?