I'm Still Standing

I'M STILL STANDING is the story of a man whose idea of duty put him in conflict with the powers that be, and how he endured the injustice of false charges and wrongful incarceration, turning bad providence into spiritual growth. Raymond Hicks writes candidly about the humiliation that he suffered as an upstanding young black officer who was wrongly accused by his coworkers–the anguish and financial ruin that he and his family experienced as he single-handedly attempted to fight corruption within the sheriff's department, as well as within the justice system which failed him. Hicks, a modern-day Serpico, reveals his story in hopes that no other dedicated individual will ever have to suffer through a "justice system gone mad."

The purpose of this book is not just to restore justice, to "right the wrongs" visited upon Mr. Hicks, but to make everyone aware of the dangers we all face in a country riddled with corruption to such a degree that "honesty" is all but eliminated.

Raymond Hicks was born June 28, 1965 and grew up in Vero Beach, Florida the son of migrant workers. A motivated youth, Hicks excelled as an athlete and student, and because of a family situation, decided that law enforcement would be his life's work. He received a full four-year scholarship to attend college and was nominated for Rookie of the Year his freshman year; his sophomore year he broke several rushing yards; he was All-American as a junior; later he came close to turning pro in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins in 1990. In 1991 he was signed by the Orlando Predators in the Arena football league. Raymond graduated from American InterContinental University, making the Dean's List in Criminal Justice/Forensic Science. While a deputy with the Broward County Sheriff's Department, Mr. Hicks received numerous awards, including Deputy of the Month in April, 1997, and again in July, 1999, and the Gold Cross Award (one of the highest Sheriff's Office honors) in November, 1999. In 2000, he won a Lifesaving Award while serving time as an inmate. In 2004 he won the prestigious African American Achievers' Award and in 2009, he was honored with a Lifesaving Award for coming to the aid of a detainee who was trying to kill himself. To this day his accolades continue (he received another Lifesaving Award in 2013 when a young Caucasian male overdosed on heroin and Raymond was able to perform CPR until fire rescue arrived). A dedicated and decorated sheriff's deputy, false accusations derailed Mr. Hicks, his career and his family, but what happened next formed the foundation for his book, I'M STILL STANDING. He was denied that all-important tenet upon which America is based: justice. He'd receive no apology, no compensation and no restoration from a department committed to the "CYA" culture now permeating our country.

Raymond Hicks's family and his church sustained him through dark times that followed his false incarceration. One of his staunchest supporters, his friend Coreen Anderson, penned a letter in 2013 that reveals Hicks's true character, the strength of his faith and his ability to forgive. In her letter, Ms. Anderson expresses confidence that he will succeed in whatever his future endeavors may be and that he will "move into the blessings" as he "relinquishes the pains of the past." Serpico lives in the 21st Century, this time in the person of Raymond Hicks!