Chester City's west side, or "death side," ain't nothing nice, and nothing comes easy to anyone who dwells there. The streets don't respect anything except for money and violence. When the city reaches excessive amounts of tragedy and murder, a state of emergency is enacted and backfires, doing nothing to calm the already-fueled tension of living in poverty at the height of summer heat. Philly El, who is just released from prison, does everything in his power to not only keep his head above water and stay afloat but to simply stay alive in the danger zone of Lamokin Street in the city of no love. Christopher D. Pearson was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1983. Without a solid upbringing, he was self-educated and taught himself to read and write. He earned his high school diploma in the penitentiary after being shot six times and spending fourteen days on life support. He wrote State of Emergency in 2012 as a way to shed light on an otherwise dark section of the city that many seem to overlook.