-
Debbie (Sasha's mother) was sent home from school for her skirt
It wasn't too short; rather, it was too long. -
Karl (Sasha's father) was attacked
His attackers assumed he was gay. -
Richard was arrested & sent to a group home despite little being found against him
They were in a fight and the other group of kids accused Richard & his friends of stealing. Nothing was found on Richard, but he was charged and sentenced, then sent to a group home and his friends faced probation or group home placements. -
Sasha begins wearing skirts
-
Skeet (Richard's friend) was murdered at 17 yrs old
Skeet was one of 4 people killed during an "outbreak of violence". He had run away from the group home he head been sentenced to a few months prior. -
Sasha makes it known they are agender (not a boy/man)
-
Richard signed up for a job-training program
He liked having a paycheque and being able to help his mother pay bills. -
Richard was robbed at gunpoint
-
Richard set Sasha's skirt on fire while riding the bus, route 57
Richard is a young Black man, 16 years old.
Sasha is an agender individual who is a Senior at their high school. It takes 45 mins for the ambulance to arrive. Sasha's legs had 3rd degree burns. -
Richard is arrested at school
-
Richard (at 16) is charged as an adult
Charged with 2 felonies "aggravated mayhem" and "assault with intention to cause great bodily harm", both with hate-crime clauses that increase his sentence if convicted. He faces life in prison because he is charged as an adult, not a juvenile. You later learn, he did not do it because he hates the 2SLGBTQIA+ community (meaning, it was likely not a hate crime). -
Richard sends 2 letters to Sasha apologizing, saying this isn't who he really is.
Sasha doesn't receive them until January 2015, nearly 14 months later. -
Sasha is released from the hospital after 3 surgeries
-
The judge denies a petition against trying Richard as an adult
Though Richard is currently being held in Juvienile Hall -
Richard is sentenced to 7 years in state prison with leniency for good behaviour
If he maintains good behaviour, his sentence can be reduced to 5 years and he can stay in the juvenile system (instead of going to state prison). -
Sasha receives Richard's letters
Their family agrees, it would have made a difference in their view of Richard, their concern for his own future, and would have changed their victim impact speech.