1. Do you agree with Richard? Why or why not?
Answers
Answer:
No..... I don't agree with Richard
Answer:
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Richard
Character Analysis
The antagonist of The 57 Bus and Jasmine’s son. As a prank, Richard lights Sasha’s skirt on fire aboard the 57 bus and is subsequently arrested and charged with two hate-crimes, but his fate is sealed long before this senseless and discriminatory act. Richard comes from the “flatlands of East Oakland,” and his black skin means that he is vulnerable to the systemic and institutionalized racism that plagues Oakland’s society. By the age of sixteen, Richard has already served time in a group home, and several of his friends have been sent to prison, or worse, have been killed in the violence that is commonplace in Oakland. Still, Richard is committed to making something of himself. He wants to graduate and make his mother proud, and he never intends to hurt Sasha when they become the object of his foolish prank that day on the bus. As an African American, Richard is more likely to be charged as an adult for crimes committed as a juvenile, and he is more likely to serve time for those crimes than his white counterparts, and this indeed proves true after he is arrested for Sasha’s attack. Society is already convinced that Richard is a “criminal,” and the justice system is likewise convinced that prison is the best environment for him. Richard, however, is deeply remorseful for his actions, and he doesn’t even know why he targeted Sasha in the first place. Sasha and their family are accepting of his apologies. They believe that Richard never wanted to hurt Sasha, and they are able to find closure and positive healing despite the ongoing debacle that is Richard’s legal experience. Richard represents what is possible within juvenile criminal justice if alternative forms of justice are considered. Richard isn’t an inherently bad person, and he doesn’t truly belong in prison, Slater argues. His meaningful rehabilitation and redemption independent of his prison stay suggest that “punitiveness for its own sake” is not necessary for criminal justice to be achieved, especially in juvenile cases.