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ee TheFireonthe^57 Bus DASHKASLATER DashkaSlaterisanAmericanjournalistandnovelist.Arecipientofafellowshipfromthe NationalEndowmentfortheArts,
she haswritten^ fourcriticallyacclaimed
picturebooksforchildren andonenovelfor^ adults.Her
award-winningarticleshaveap- pearedinpublicationssuchas
Newsweek,Salon,and^ TheNew YorkTimesMagazine.In“The
Fireonthe 57Bus,”published
in theNewYorkTimesMagazine
on^ January29,2015,Slaterrelates thedetailsofanassault^ thattook
placeinOakland,California,a diversecitywherewealthyareas
contrast^ sharply^ with^ poverty- andcrime-riddenones.^ —^
THE^ FIRE^ ON^ THE^57 BUS^541 Itwasclose^ to^5 o’clockonthe
afternoon^ of^ Nov.4,2013,^ and Sasha^ Fleischmanwasriding
the^57 bus^ homefromschool.
An 18-year-old^ seniorat^ asmall^ privatehighschool,Sasha^ wore
a T-shirt,^ ablackfleece^ jacket,
agraynewsboycapandagauzy whiteskirt.Formuchof^ the
long^ busridethrough^ Oakland, Calif.,Sasha—whoidentifies
asagender,^ neithermale^
nor female—hadbeenreadingapaperback
copyofAnnaKarenina, buteventually^ theteenagerdrifted
intosleep,^ skirtdrapedover theedgeofthebusseat.AsSashaslept,threeteenage
boys^ laughedandjokednearby. Thenonesurreptitiously^ flicked
alighter.Theskirtwentupin a ballof^ flame.Sashaleaptup,^
“I’monfire!”Twootherscreaming, passengersthrewSashatotheground
andextinguishedthe^ flames, wereleftcharredbutSasha’slegs andpeeling.Taken^ byambu- toaSanFranciscoburnlance unit,Sashawouldspendthenext threeanda^ halfweeksundergoing
multipleoperationstotreatthe second-andthird-degreeburns
thatranfromthightocalf.RichardThomas,the 16-year-oldboywholittheskirt
on fire,wasarrested^ thefollowing
day.Citingtheseverity^ of^ the crime,theAlameda^ County districtattorney,NancyO’Malley, chargedThomasasanadult,stripping
himof^ theprotections— includinganonymity—customarily
affordedtojuveniles. Chargedwithtwofelonies,each
withahate-crimeclausethat increasedthetimehewould
serveifconvicted,Thomasfaced thepossibilityoflifeimprisonment.^ Oaklandisacityofmorethan
400,000people,butitcanof- tenfeellikeasmalltown.The
attackhappenedinmyneighbor- hood,onabusmyownteenager
sometimestakeshomefrom school.SashaFleischmansfamily
andmyfamilyhaveclose friendsincommon.Richard
Thomasonceattendedmyson's highschool.But^ evenwhen
oneventsunfoldpractically your doorstep,itisn’talwayseasyto
senseofthem.make
542 DASHKA^ SLATER^ Crime waseasyenoughto
understand—in^ 2013,^ Oakland hadthe^ nation’s^ highest^ robbery
rate.Butthiswas^ something different.Anact^ ofsavagebrutality
hadtaken^ placein^ apublic setting^ in^ themiddleof^ the^ afternoon.Oaklandisoneof^ America’s
most^ diverse^ cities.Wepride^ our- is, selvesonourtolerance;this afterall,theBayArea.Yetforall
its inclusiveness,^ Oakland laid-back isalso^ a^ cityofgrimcontrasts. wealthierhillsneighborhoodsThe
havegoodschools,lowcrime andviewsofthebay.Thehistoric
buildingsdowntownarefill- ingwithtech^ start-ups,^ boutiques
peddlinghandmadejeansand nightspotswithseven-ingredient
cocktails.Butlittleofthisgood fortunehasspilledoverintoEast
Oakland,whereRichardlived, aregion^ ofgrinding^ povertyand
chronicviolence.Richardand Sashalived^ inthe samecity,^
buttheirpathsmightnever have crossediftheydidn’tbothride
the^57 bus. SashaFleischman’sridetoand
fromschooltook^ anhour^ and involvedtwotransfers,^ but^ Sasha
usedthetimetonapordo homework.^ MaybeckHighSchool,
Sasha’sschoolin Berkeley, caterstobright,quirkykids
interestedintaking,itswebsite intellectualsays,“personaland risks.”Thatdescriptioncertain- lyappliedtoSasha,askinny,^ intenselyanalyticalkidwithwavy, chin-lengthbrownhair,thick
eyebrowsandaradiantsmile, whostartedinventinglanguages
attheageof^7 or8. Afterreadingawebcomic
calledPolyinPictures,which polyamory,gender,explores sexualityandorientation,Sasha, thena16-year-oldboynamed
Luke,begananepistemological investigationofgenderidentity,
askingfriendsandfamilyhow whattheirgendertheyknew was. “AtfirstIjustassumedthatIwasthisheterosexualman, becauseIdidn’thave^ anyreason
toassumeotherwise,”Sashasaid oneafternoonlastyear,sitting
ontheFleischmans’^ redsofaby
a
THE^ FIREON^ THE^57 BUS^543 windowfestooned^ withachain
ofpapercranes.^ “ButIstarted thinking,^ well,amIaguy?”Most
peopletoldSashathattheyjust knewwhat^ gender^ they were,^
but^ Sashadidn’tfeelthat^ way.asgenderqueer,”^ Sashasaid.“AndsoIstarted identifying “Forme,atleast,genderqueer
includesanaspect^ ofquestion- part^ ing.Andthatwasabig ofitforme.^ ThefactthatI was gender^ meant questioningmy thatIwasgenderqueer.” KarlFleischman^ and^ DebbieCrandall,work Sashasparents, ineducation,andtheirrelationship
withtheironlychildhas anaffable^ ease.^ Karl, acollege-radio
D.J.turnedpublic-school kindergartenteacher,isthe shyerof^ thetwo,^ withadry
wit andaquickgrin.Debbie,abookkeeper
ataprivate^ school,is moreemotionalandeffusive.
But^ while^ theyembracedSashas newname(chosenforitsgender
neutrality)andmostlyremem- beredtousethe^ preferredplural
pronoun,“they,”^ to^ referto their^ child,theystillfoundSasha’s
rejection^ of^ genderabitper- plexing.(Telling^ Sasha'sstory
alsoposesa^ linguisticchallenge, becauseEnglishdoesn’toffer
aready-madewayto talkabout peoplewhoidentifyasneither
male^ norfemale.Sashaprefers “they,”“it”or^ theinventedgender-neutral
“xe.”Thepronoun YorkTimesdoesnotusethese New termstorefer^ toindividuals.) “Pmtryingtogetmyheadaround
it,”^ Debbieadmitted,two yearsinto^ thechange.“Iunderstand
comingoutasgayoreven trans.Butthisisharderforme
tounderstand.^1 support^ them,” shesaid,referringtoherchild,
“butIjustdon’tunderstand whatitmeans.”^ Becausegenderqueeroragender
aboxtopeopledon’thave checkonmostquestionnaires,
muchdataabouthowthereisn’t manypeopleidentifythisway,
ofthemmeanorevenwhat most by theterm.The^2011 NationalTransgender
DiscriminationSurvey foundthat^13 percentoftransgender
orgender-nonconforming as^ “arespondentsidentified gendernotlistedhere.”These
546 DASHKA^ SLATER^ Afood-serviceworkerat a^ residential^ carefacility,Jasmine sent^ RichardtoOakland^ High
because^ she^ thoughtitoffered
a betteracademic^ andsocialenvironment
thanthehigh^ school inherownneighborhood.Like
DebbieCrandall,^ she^ worried aboutwhattheworld^ could
dotoherchild.She^ hadRichard whenshewasonly15,^ splitting
upwithhisfather,RichardSr., shortly^ afterward.Whileshe was^ proudofalways^ havinga
job, shedidn’tearnmuchmoney. She
wantedhersontoattendcol- legeandtohaveacareer.These^ werebig^ dreamsin herpart^ oftown.Aninvestigation bytheSanFrancisco^ Chronicle
foundthatofsome^600 black malestudentswhostartat
Oaklandhigh^ schoolsas^ fresh- meneachyear,only^ about^300
endupgraduatingandfewer than^100 graduate^ withthe
requirementsneededtoattend
a Californiastatecollegeoruniversity.
Theoddsoflandinginthe backofapolicecruiser,on
theotherhand,aremuchbetter. AfricanAmericanboysmake
uplessthan^30 percentofOak- land’sunder-age^ population^ but
accountfornearly^75 percent ofalljuvenilearrests.Andeach
year,dozensofblackmenand boysaremurderedwithinthe
citylimits.Fromayoungage,Richardlostfamilyandfriendstovio- lence.^ Inadditiontohisaunt
Savannah,killedinaspray
of bulletswhilesittinginacar
inSanFrancisco,hisauntTish was^ murderedbyher^ boyfriend
in2008.^ Threeofhis^ child- hoodfriendsweremurdered
aswell,mostrecentlyhisbest friend,TyrontaMickens.^ People
usedtosayRichardandTy- rontaweretwins,becausethey
were^ both^ handsome,^ light- skinned^ boyswithagoofy
senseofhumorandapenchant forpracticaljokes.WhenRichard
was14,thetwo^ weresent toagrouphomeinRedding,
aftertheywereinvolvedin
a fightwithsomeskateboarders.
(Because^ Richardwasajuve- nile,thedetailsof^ thecase
wasreleasedare sealed.)Tyronta
THE^ FIREON^ THE^57 BUS^547 before^ Richard,^ but^ shortly^ after
that,onJan.7,2013, he^ was shot^ multiple^ times^ whilesitting
inacar^ inanEastOakland parkinglot.^ WhenRichard^ foundout abouthisfriend’sdeath,hecalled hismother^ fromthegroup^ home
toaskifitwastrue.“Hejust startedcryingandcrying,”^ Jasmine
recalled.Instead^ ofhanging up,^ Richardjustputthephone
downand^ walkedaway. RichardcamebacktoOaklandthatsummer,headinginto hisjunioryear.Hesignedupfor
asummer-jobtrainingprogram conducted^ bytheUnityCouncil,
an^ Oaklandnonprofit,which ledtoaninternship.His^ supervisors
notedhowmuchefforthe putin,sometimesredoingthe
sloppyworkofothers.Butwhen schoolstarted,^ Richardstruggled.
Hefellbehindacademically and^ begancutting^ school.^ Early
inSeptember,OaklandHigh’s attendancecomplianceofficer,
Kaprice^ Wilson,foundRichard outsideschoolinthemiddle
of^ theday,abouttogetona
bus withagirlwhohadjustbeen
suspended.WhenWilsontold himthatshehadtoescorthim
backtoclass,Richardcamealong cheerfully,pepperingherwith
questions.Wilsonexplainedthat she^ rananinterventionprogram
forstudentswhowerechron- icallyabsentfromschool.“CanIbeinyour^ program?”
Richardasked. Wilsonwastakenaback.Students
didn’tusuallyvolunteer forher^ program;theywereassigned
toit.^ Shewasn’texactlytry- ingtofillslotseither—shealready
hadacaseloadofsome^800 chronically^ truant^ students,
andherprogram^ was^ meant
for freshmenand^ sophomores,who
areeasiertogetbackontrack thanjuniorsandseniors.But whenshelookedupRichard’file, shesawthat^ hisgradeswerepoor
andhisattendancespotty. “Iwant^ youtohelpmelikeyou
help^ them,”Wilsonremem- beredhimsaying.^ “BecauseI’ve
beentolotof^ schools,andI’ve beenin^ trouble,butPmreally
notabadkid.”
25
548 DASHKA^ SLATERwhofavored^ Apetitewoman
dangly^ earringsandliked^ to her shoes^ while^ working,kickoff Wilson^ wasakindof^ surro- ofOaklandgatemothertomany High^ School’troubledkids. ofthemevencalledher Some Mom,^ bringinghertheirgrades, andartworkto photographs hang^ onherwallsandwriting her^ apologieswhenthey^ ran
into^ trouble.Hertinyoffice was papered^ withthese^ missives:“Maria
daughterever,”isyourbest read^ one.^ “I’m^ sorrymom,
hecka^ mad,”shemademe read another—written,^ Wilsontold
whohadjustbeenme, byakid suspended.RichardadoptedWilson'soffice
akindofsafezone,aplace as tohangoutbetweenclasses.He
confideinherabouthiswould life.Whenother^ kidswerethere,
oftendraw^ themhewould out,^ listeningtotheirproblems.
likedtogiveandreceiveHe hugs^ and wasknownfor^ his
childlikesenseofhumor,silly, hiswillingnesstolookfoolish
ifitwouldgetalaugh.Hegave Wilsonhismother’sphonenumber,
suggestingthattheymight hismotherto talk.Hewanted knowthathewasdoingevery- thinghecouldtogetontheright
path.^ “I’mgoingtograduate,” “AndI’mgoing hetoldWilson. tomakeherhappy.” wasapprehensive.YetRichard Hewashavingtroubleunder- standinghisschoolworkand
tobetestedforlearning wanted disabilities.Hewasworried^ about
graduating.Andtheviolence aroundhimwaspressingin.
anotherfriend,thisThatfall, one fromOaklandHigh,wasshot.
endofOctober,^ whileAtthe walkingtothestoreinanunfamiliar
neighborhoodwithhis cousinGerald,Richardwasrobbed
atgunpointbytwoteenage boyswhotookhismoney,his
phone,hiscoatandhisshoes. Inthemoment,hetoldWilson,
hehadonlyonethingonhis Butlater,he mind:surviving. kept^ thinkingaboutoneofthe Richardknewrobbers,whom and^ hadthoughtofasafriend. Hefeltbetrayed.
30
THE^ FIREON^ THE^57 BUS^549 Richard^ skipped^ schoolfor^ afew^ daysafter^ that.Onthe afternoon^ of^ Nov.4,Richard’s^
18-year-old^ cousin,^ Lloyd^ Rhodes, showedupatOakland^ HighSchool
and^ triedtopersuadehimto leaveearly.Thecampus^ security
officer,Carlitta^ Collins,wouldn't allow^ Lloydon^ campus,^ because
hewasn’tastudent,^ sohehung aroundoutside^ the^ gates^ until
Richardgot^ outof^ school.^ Before leavingforthebusstop,Richard
gaveCollinsahug.“Tmtellingyou,” shesaid,“Ididn’tfeelnothing^ butlove whenhehuggedme.” EveryAlameda^ Countytransit
busisequippedwith^ cameras thatcontinuously^ recordsound
andvideofrommultiple^ van- tagepoints.Ifirstwatchedthe
videooftheattackintheoffice
of WilliamDuBois,Richard’s^ lawyer,
onalaptopinaconference room.Beforemewasagrid^ of
12 viewsthatcould^ bewatched simultaneouslyoroneatatime.
Thevideoitself,grainyandim- personal,conveysthe^ ordinariness
oftheafternoon.Passengers lookattheirphonesorpeerthrough
thescratchedwindowsat thedarkeningstreetsoutside.^ Onthe^ video,Richardand
Lloyd^ boardthebusatthe front.Richard,wearing^ anorange-brimmed
NewYork^ Knicks hat,isquietandsmiling.The
heavysetLloydisloudand rambunctious—bouncing,shouting,
tryingtogetthe attention ofagirlatthefront.Afterusing
hisbuspass,Lloydcatches sightofatallboyinawhite
hoodiesittingneartheback
and headshisway.Accordingtothe
statement^ Richard^ madetothe police,itwasthisboy,whom
RichardidentifiedonlyasJamal, whopointedout^ Sashasleeping
across^ theaislefromthem, whispering,“Lookatthisdude.”Onthevideo,youcan’thear
whatJamalsaysashepassesthe lighter^ toRichard.Richardlater
told^ hislawyerandhismother thatthewholethingwas^ meant
tobeaprank.Hethoughtthe
35
552 DASHKA^ SLATER^ After^ asking^ Richardtogo
through^ the^ eventsonthebus
a couple^ of^ times,^ the^ police^ reveal
thatthey^ havevideoof^ theinci- dent.Theyknowhe^ didit.They
justwant^ himtotell^ themwhy.“Beingstupid,”Richardsays, hisvoicelow.“What wouldeven remotelymake^ youthinkaboutsetting something^ onfirelikethat—someone’s
clothing?”Anderson asks.“Wasitbecausethedude
waswearingadress?Did^ you haveaproblemwith^ him?”“Idontknow.”“Peopledothingsfor^ areason,”
theofficer^ says.“We'veall madedecisionsinlifethatmay
not^ have^ beenthe^ bestchoice tomakeatagiventime.What
we'retryingto^ figureoutiswhy thishappened.”“Pmhomophobic,”Richard
saysatlast.“Idontlikegay people.”“Didyougetangrybecausehe’s
agaydudeinaskirt,notjust being^ gay^ but‘doing toomuch?’”
Jonesasks. “Actually,Ididn’tknowthat^
hisskirtwasgoingtodothat, thatitwasgoingtocatchlike
that,”Richardsays.“Itwaslike
a littleflame.Ithoughtitwasjust
goingtogoout.” Butitwastoolatetobackpedal.
TwodaysafterRichard’s arrest,theAlameda^ County
districtattorneyannounced
the charges:aggravatedmayhem
andassaultwithintenttocause greatbodilyinjury,bothfelonies,
each^ withahate-crimeclause thatwouldaddanadditional
onetothreeyearsinstateprison tohissentence.Ifconvicted,
Thomasfacedamaximumsen- tenceoflifeinprison—apunishment
hewouldnever^ have facedhadhebeenchargedas a
juvenile.Jamal,theboywho handedRichardthelighter,was
neverinterviewed,arrestedor charged.OnNov.8,fourdaysafterlighting
Sasha’sskirtonfire,Richard wrotetheteenageraletter.
(^5560)
THE^ FIREON^ THE^57 BUS^553 “Dear^ Victum,”itbegan.“Iapoligize
formyactions,^ for^ the painthatIbroughttoyou^ and
yourfamily.|was^ wrongforwhat Idid.Iwas^ wrong.Ihad^ no
reasontodothat^ toyouIdon't knowwhat^ wasgoing^ through
myheadatthat^ time.Imnot
a monster,Ihaveabig^ heartInever
eventhoughtofhurting^ any- oneliketheway^1 hurt you.I
justwanted youtoknowthat
im deeplysorryformyactions.I
think^ aboutwhat^ happenedevery second,|praythatyouheal^ correctly
andthatyourecoverand liveahappylife.Please^ forgive
methatsallIwant.Itakere- sponsibilityforallmyactions,
Plltakealltheconsiquences,”
he wrote.“Pmnotjustsayingthis
becauseimincarceratedIhon- estlymeanevery^ word.”Hesigned
it,“Love,RichardThomas.” Afewdayslater,he^ wrotea^ second
letter,thisoneaddressed to“Mr.Fleischman.”Itwasnearly
threepageslong,writtenin neatcursive.^ “Ihadanightmarelastnight
and^1 woke^ upsweatingand apoligizing,”hewrote.“Ireally
hope^ yougetbacktotheway youwere.Iwenttocourt^ yesterday
andtherestillmakingme seemlike^ amonster,butim
not.Pmagoodkidifyouget
to knowme.Pmsureyouwould
havebeenanicepersonto,”
he continued.“Iwashopingthat
Icanmeet^ youfacetofaceso
canapoligizetoyou.”^ Hewentontodetailthecharges
againsthim,explainingthat hewaswillingtoacceptthe
assaultchargesbutthathereject- edthe‘hate-crimeenhancements.
“Idon’thaveaproblemwith homosexuals,”^ heexplained.
“Ihavefriendsthatshomosexuals andweneverhadproblems
soIdon’tlookatyouwrong
be- causeofyoursexualitie.Honestly
Icouldcarelessifyoulike menyouweren'ttryingto talk
tomein thatway.” Asforhimself,hesaid:“Iamnotathug,gangster,hoodlum, normonster.ImayoungAfrican
Americanmalewho'smade aterriblemistake.”^ Perhaps,
hesuggested,heandFleischman
65
554 DASHKA^ SLATER“I’ve hadthings^ incommon.
alot^ fornoreason,alsobeen hurt butIvebeennotlikeIhurtyou
andmetally^ sohurt physically thepainIknowhowitfeels,
meI'vefeltandconfusionofwhy itbefore^ plenty^ of^ times.”WilliamDuBoisputthe^ letters
theyin his briefcase.Because admissionsofguilt,contained hefelthecouldn’tsendthem
to untilafterthe^ casewasresolved.Sasha
Itwouldbe^14 months Sashareadthem.before WhenSashaarrivedhome
onNov.27,fromthe hospital wasaftertheattack,it 23 days withre-to a streetcrowded There portersandphotographers. alongthehad beenamarch withsupporters routeof the 57 bus, rainbow-coloredrib-tying telephone bonstostreetsignsand the^ way.^ Cards,polesalong pouredlettersandpackages from^ Canada.in,includingsome fundraised Anonlinemedical donations.^ Several$31,000in highschoolshadsponsored
so^ dida^ skirt-wearingdays; local High, bookstore.AtOakland thevarsity Richardsschool, bas- jerseys ketballteam woreblue nameonthem^ andwithSasha’s thewords^ “NoH8.”to^ Sasha^ gaveaninterview
station,wearingalocalnews a “Iwasover bandagedlegs. skirt thatan^ agenderreallyexcited Sashapersonwasinthenews,” later.“But explainedtome
I
the wasn'tthatexcitedabout obviously.Thosecircumstances, isreally weremyfeelings:This doesithavetogreat—but me?”befeelingSashaacknowledged
Whiletheangry sometimes. prognosiswasexcellent,long-term
wasmorediffi-everything atthemoment—walking,cult
getting^ dressed.takingashower, pain^ madeithardtosleep. ThehomedaysafterSashagot Ten
the^ familyfromthehospital, oftheDanGale,one invited putoutthefire,twomen who to (thehouseforbrunch their neveridentified).othermanwas 70
THEFIREON^ THE^57 BUS^555 Towardtheendof^ the^ meal,^ the
conversation^ turnedtoRichard Thomas.^ Debbie^ andKarlhad
told^ reporters^ thattheywanted toseeRichardtried^ as^ a^ juvenile,
notasanadult,andthey hadconsistentlycautionedagainst
leapingtoconclusions^ about Richard’s^ motivation.^ Gale,agravel-voiced
constructionworker withawalrus^ mustache,^ remarked
par-thathe thoughtSasha's entsshowed^ moreforbearance
Heturned than hewouldhave. toSasha.^ “Howdo^ youfeelonthat?
kid^ hurt^ you.”Imean,this“Iknowhehurt^ me,”Sashasaid. Sasha consideredthis. really “Hedid somethingthat’s dangerousandstupid.But^ then again,he’sa16-year-oldkid,
and16-year-old kidsarekind
of dumb.It’sreallyhardtoknow
whatIwantforhim.” JasmineJackson,Richard'sdeeply
religiousmother,triedtobe- lievethateverythingthathappened
waspart^ ofalargerplan. “Godisgood,”^ she^ repeated
inthecourthouseelevator.“God isgood.Godissogood.”When
Richardwasescortedintothe courtroomforthemanyprocedural
hishearingsthatfollowed arrest,Jasminewouldcatch
shapehiseyeandmakeaheart with^ herfingers,pressingitto
herchest.surethatRichardhadlearnedsomething^ fromwhatShewas hedid.“We'reallgoingtolearn
something^ fromthis,”shesaid frequently.Butonce,aftersaying
head.“Iwishit,sheshookher ithadn’tgonethisfarandhe
adifferent couldhavelearned way,”shesaid.“Iwishthatthe
courtswouldgivehimasuitable punishmentsothathecanlearn
beingfromthis,insteadofjust institutionalized.”Thiswasher
“Iwanthimtohavebiggestfear. enoughtimetodo^ something
shesaid.withhislife,”madeapointEveryone|interviewedwhoknewRichard oftellingmethathewasnot
hadahomophobic.Richard gay friend,theypointedout,and hismother’scousinistransgender.
15
558 DASHKA^ SLATER if^ I^ could^ arrange^ a^ meeting with^ Sashas^ family,^ but^ when
I
broached^ the^ subject^ with^ Debbie,
she^ recoiled^ and^ said^ she wasn't^ ready.^ Now,^ in^ the^ vestibule
outside^ the^ courtroom, Jasmine,^ a^ strikingly^ pretty^ woman
with^ almond-shaped^ eyes and^ a^ high^ round^ forehead,^ came
forward. “My^ sons^ not^ like^ that,”^ she^
said,^ the^ words^ tumbling^ out in^ a^ rush.^ “I^ don’t^ know^ what
made^ him^ do^ that,^ and^ I’m^ sorry. We're^ not^ hateful^ people.”^ Then^ she^ hugged^ each^ member
of^ the^ family:^ Debbie,^ Karl, Sasha.^ One^ by^ one,^ each^ of^ Richards
relatives^ —aunts,^ uncles, cousins—came^ forward^ and^
did^ the^ same.^ When^ it^ was^ over, both^ mothers^ were^ crying.^ Afterward,^ Jasmine^ kept^ talking
about^ Sasha.^ “He^ just^ looked so innocent,”^ she^ said^ to^ me.
He^ has^ such “Hes just so cute. a nice^ family.^ He^ didn’t^ deserve
that.^ No^ kid^ does.^ It’s^ just^
not something^ I^ can^ get^ used^ to.”^
There^ was^ so^ much^ more^ that
she had^ wanted^ to^ say^ to^ them,^ but
she^ couldn't^ find^ the^ words.^
“I
don’t^ know^ what^ to^ say^ but^ sorry,”
she^ told^ me. Seven^ months^ later,^ on^ the^ morning
sat of Oct. 16, Richard with^ his^ left^ leg^ shackled^ to^
the^ courtrooma wooden chair in of^ Judge^ Paul^ Delucchi.^ He^ wore
county-issue^ sweatshirt a gray and^ khakis,^ and^ while^ he^ had
lost^ the^ terrified^ look^ of^ his^ early court^ appearances,^ his^ eyes^ were
wary.^ There^ was^ a^ faint^ peach- fuzz^ mustache^ on^ his^ upper^ lip.^ Delucchis^ courtroom^ was^
crowded^ and^ chaotic,frequently with^ prisoners^ stacked^ up^ in^
waitingthe jury box listlessly for their^ turn^ to^ appear.^ But^ each
court, time Richard came to
I
watched^ his^ eyes^ rove^ the^ room,
in.^ His^ law- taking everything yer^ had^ told^ me^ he^ was^ doing
well^ in^ Alameda^ County^ Juvenile Hall,^ getting^ good^ grades^ and staying^ out^ of^ trouble.^ He^ was
on track^ to^ graduate^ from^ high^ school
in^ February.^ Jasmine^ visited him^ every^ Sunday.
85
ON^ THE^57 BUS^559 THEFIRE returning Jasmine had stopped tellingmein^ Julymycalls, oftalking^ thatshewastired case,^ tired^ ofthinkingaboutthe work12,aboutit,justtired.“I hoursa^ day,andsometimes 14 wantIcome home,Ijustwhen shesaid.Ontogoto sleep,” behindmorning,shesatjustthat newlonghair me, wearing witha^ greenishtint.extensions DebbieCrandallsatnext
onRichard.tome,her eyesfixed (^) wasgoingtotakeaplea He chargebargain.Themayhem and thehate-crimeenhancements
andRichard wouldbe dropped, sentence wouldreceiveafive-year charge.Withontheassault and^ good credit fortime served the^ dealwouldhavebehavior, 17,releasedbeforeRichard,now
it21stbirthday,makinghis thathe^ couldserve morelikely histimeinjuvenilefacili-all hadurged^ Richardties.DuBois itas^ “the^ bestchoicetoaccept availablealternatives.”amongthe DebbieandKarlalsowanted deal,sothat himtotake the
M.LT.,nowafreshmanatSasha, toflybackfor^ wouldn't have atrial.hopedforabetteroutcome,wasn'tsosure.ShehadJasmine betweenand communication andDuBoishad^ grownher in- pooroverthesummercreasingly
Richardandfall.Nowsheand offer.decidedto acceptthehadmorning,thedeputyButthat districtattorney,Richard abruptlychangedtheMoore,
years. sentencetosevenfive-year wasgiveninNoexplanation
trial,court.Takeitorgoto Du Boissaidhewastold.From
1 watchedmyseat inthegallery, pullachairinfrontDuBois
himthenews.ofRichardtotell see^ themoment^ whenIcould
what^ hadRichardunderstood headHeturnedhishappened. TheystaredtolookatJasmine. heartbreakingotherforalong,ateach seemingtomoment, Whenwithout words.converse backtofaceRichard turned headBois,hecurledhisDu Hewouldinto hisshoulder. take thedeal.
90
560 DASHKA^ SLATER^ DuBois,^ a40-year^ courthouse
veteran,wasusuallycalm^ and even-tempered.^ ButwhenIwent
to talk^ tohimafterthe^ hearing, he^ wasfurious.Undertheterms
of^ thedeal,^ Richard’ssentence may^ still^ bereducedtofiveyears
ifhe^ meetscertainbenchmarks betweennowand^ July—full
participation^ in^ availableeduca- tionalandrehabilitationprograms,
acleandiscipline^ record.But notallof^ thatisin^ Richard’s^ control:
Another^ inmate^ could^ pick a^ fightwith^ him;astaffmember
mightwritehim^ upfor ami- noroffense.Andbecauseminors
canbetransferredtoanadult prisonassoonastheyturn18,
alonger^ sentencemakesitmore likelythatRichardwillserve thebulkofhistimeinanadult prisonratherthaninjuvenile
facilities.“He’snowthrownto
the wolves,”DuBoistoldme.^ Weeks
later,hewasstillfumingabout Richardssentence.“It’spunitive,”
hesaid.“Andforwhat?Pro- tectingthecommunityby^ making
thiskidintoarealgangster?” O’Malleytoldmeoverthephone
thenewinNovemberthat meanttohelp arrangementwas him,bygivinghim^ moretime toreceivetreatment.Shecould
not,however,^ namethetype
of programsshehadintreatment mindforRichardorexplainhow sendinghimtoadultprisonwould
serve^ therehabilitationgoals shehaddescribed.Richard^ returnedtocourtamonth
laterforsentencing.Debbie hadbeenaskedtogiveavictim-impact
statement.Shereadaloud alettertoRichard,hervoice^ quavering.
attackedourchildas“You theysleptonabus,”she^ began.
thoughtit^ wasweird“Maybe you thatSashawaswearingaskirt.”
herfaceRichard’sgaze stayedon asshe^ describedSasha’sordeal—the
skin,the^ painfulskincharred grafts,thehoursofdailybandaging.
filledwithtears. Hiseyes “Wedonotunderstand^ your
actions,”Debbiewenton.“But wealsothinkthathatredonly
tomorehatredandanger.leads outWedon’twant youtocome ofprisonfullofhate.”
95
57 BUS^561 THE FIREON THE Karlwalked^ out Debbie and of^ thecourthouseinto^ the sunshine^ andstoppedNovember forcoffeeat^ anearby^ sidewalk fromcafe.They were exhausted talkingtoreporters,unsure or^ distraught.whethertoberelieved “Iwishithadturned^ out forRichard,”Debbiedifferently said.“WegotSasha^ back.^ But poorJasmine.Shelostherson
for^ years.”Theyhadn’texpected tobesomovedbyseeingRichard’s
face^ again. “Tjusthadthiswaveofemotion
athowyounghelooked, Karlsaid.“Hejustlookslike^ a^ kid.”
» NAVIGATING^ THE^ WATERS: ReadingClosely 1.HowisSasha^ Fleischman^ described
throughout^ thefirst 20 paragraphs?2.HowisRichardThomasdescribed
hismother,andbyhimself, the^ courts?ongender3.Explain^ Sasha'sviews
andidentity^ asdiscussedin thetextparagraphs10-19.Cite tosupportorillustrateyour remarks.4.WhatdidRichardwritetoSasha
lettershe^ wroteinthetwo andhowdidSasha^ respond?and 5.Whatdidthedistrictattorneyfinally
decide? THEDEPTHS:Rhetorical EXPLORING StrategiesandStructures theauthortrying^ to 1.Whatis accomplishby^ beginningtoSasha^ onwithanobjectivenarrativeofwhathappenedexplanation.November4,2013?Cite thetext tosupport^ your challengesdoes^ Dashka2.What
facewhenSlater,theauthor, writingaboutidentityandgender,
whensheorespecially refersspecificallyanyoneelse
doesSlatertoSasha?How
