Kevin P. Hempstead grew up on the west side of Cleveland, Ohio, in a large family of 11 children. He served four years in the U.S. Air Force before moving to the Denver, Colorado, area, where he currently resides. As a young man, Kevin experienced what too many Black men have experienced—a nervous police officer’s gun pointed directly at him. What started as a routine traffic stop quickly escalated into an experience that Kevin never forgot. That experience and the numerous police shootings of unarmed Black men in recent years, as well as Kevin’s own unarmed nephew being shot by a cop, inspired him to write this book. Kevin hopes Black and Blue will help prevent the tragedy of future victims—including his own son. (Half of all money made from book sales goes to charity)