Sasha
Sasha is one of the main subjects of the text. Hailing from the "middle-class foothills" (7) of Oakland, they are described as an incessantly curious person, intelligent, passionate, and source of strength and validation to their closest friends. They are a genderqueer teen who was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome at the age of seven. At the time of their diagnosis, their parents were told that they wouldn't lead a "normal" life and that they would be lucky to find a steady job in data entry. But as the years went by, Sasha's Asperger's fell into the background as their attention turned to questions of gender identity. On Monday, November 4, 2013, Sasha was attacked while sleeping on the 57 bus, on the way home from school. Their skirt was set on fire by another main subject of the text, a young man named Richard. After healing, Sasha and her family respond with compassion to Richard, asking that he be charged as a juvenile. Sasha goes on to attend MIT and major in Urban Planning and Development.
Debbie
Debbie is Sasha's mother. Although supportive of her child's genderqueer status, she has a hard time understanding what it means. She is confused; she knows what it means to be gay and what it means to be transgender. She is not entirely sure what it means to be genderqueer. However, if it matters to Sasha then it matters to Debbie too, and so she is an unquestioning supporter of her child.
Debbie sometimes struggles with remembering to use the right vocabulary when it comes to Sasha, frequently using the pronoun "he" instead of "they." She is forgiving of Richard in that she does not want him to be charged as an adult, or necessarily sent to jail, but she is less forgiving than either Karl or Sasha. She is not sure that she wants to express a wish for him not to go to trial because she doesn't feel comfortable being the judge of him. Eventually, Richard's remorse enables Debbie to transition quickly from a place of pain and anger to a place of forgiveness.
Karl
Kindergarten teacher Karl, Sasha's father, is exceptionally accepting of people and is completely non-judgmental. He has deep respect for Sasha for exploring their gender identity and rarely slips up when using the pronoun "they" to address his child. He also gently corrects others when they use "he" instead. Karl wants to help others understand what gender neutrality is and sends letters to his students' families explaining it after the attack on Sasha.
Karl is determined from the beginning that he does not want Richard to be tried as an adult and favors restorative justice because he can see that it would be of far greater benefit to both his own family and to Richard, and ultimately to society as a whole. He hopes that learning from the attack would enable Richard to be a supporter and a friend of the LGBTQ community.
Jasmine
Jasmine is Richard's mother; she was a young mom, giving birth to him at the age of fifteen, but she was also very attentive and loving from the beginning. She has another son, Derriyon, fathered by her husband Derick, and is the legal guardian of her two nieces whose care she took over after her sister Savannah was killed in a drive-by shooting. Jasmine works hard in two jobs so that she can provide for her kids and also show them the importance of working hard. She is devastated after Richard's attack on Sasha. She wants to apologize to Sasha's parents "parent to parent" but she is also very supportive of her son, hiring a lawyer and taking time from work to be at the courthouse to support him every day of the trial.
Andrew
Born as a girl (Samantha), Sasha's close friend Andrew was never comfortable as a female. Andrew is transgender and Sasha helps him to validate this identity both to himself and to others. With Sasha's encouragement, Andrew identifies as a gay man but keeps his trans status quiet for fear of discrimination. Andrew begins to wonder if he is genderqueer as well, particularly after Sasha's attack, but decides not to explore this further. Despite his own trepidation, he nonetheless fits into society's "gay man" box and therefore is able to gain acceptance that he feels would not be the case were he to come out as genderqueer.
Kaprice Wilson
It's not every day that your truancy officer is actually someone you can identify with; however, Kaprice is from the streets of East Oakland, and her first love was a gang member killed in a shooting. It was this that precipitated an epiphany for Kaprice; she turned her life around and pursued an education. Now, as the Oakland High School truancy officer, she wants to impress the importance of education on her students. Her program is a place of safety for Richard. She helps him bring his grades up, and thanks to Kaprice, hopes of graduating are actually realistic for Richard. She uses restorative justice to help the school's students heal after Richard's attack on Sasha.
Bill Du Bois
Richard's defense lawyer, Du Bois has over forty years of experience defending juvenile offenders.
Nemo
Nemo is Sasha's platonic soulmate and is also gender fluid. Nemo values their friendship with Sasha because it provides a deep and meaningful connection without the need for sex.
Jamal
Richard's acquaintance Jamal is also on the bus the day that Richard sets fire to Sasha's skirt. He is the one who gives Richard the cigarette lighter and is also the one who encourages him to set the fire. He laughs as Sasha is burned. Despite his seemingly far more hate-filled attitude, and the fact he was the obvious instigator, Jamal is never even questioned by the police after the attack.
Richard
Richard is the other main subject of the text. Richard was born and raised in East Oakland. He attends many schools, shuffled around due to behavioral issues, but known by most of the authority figures with whom he comes into contant as an overall pretty good kid with a lot of energy and heart. By his friends, Richard is known as "hyphy," Oakland slang for hyperactive or high energy. Richard is also described by the kids who know him as a follower, too often pulled into the orbit of trouble and fighting that he doesn't instigate, but in which he participates and suffers consequences. Richard spends a year in a group home in Redding, California for street fighting before returning to Oakland his junior year of high school. It was during his junior year that Richard set fire to Sasha's skirt on the 57 bus.
Cherie
Cherie is a long-time friend of Richard's from school. She is a part of the "play gang" with Richard and his friends called "The Heartbreak Kidz." She is with The Heartbreak Kidz when they skip school and socialize on the streets of Oakland. One day, while they do what they normally do, riding public transit and going to the beach, they get into a fight with some kids from another school. Police catch up with Cherie and her friends, and the boys, including Richard, are sent to group homes while the girls are sentenced to house arrest.
Lil' Jerry
Kaprice's first love. Lil' Jerry has been involved with the 69vill gang since he was a little boy. As a man, he becomes a major player for the gang. He encourages Kaprice to go to college and use her education to distance herself from gang life. Li'l Jerry was killed in a gang shooting at the age of 24.
Lloyd
Richard's older cousin, described as very goofy and outgoing, who is present on the bus the day Richard lights Sasha's skirt on fire. Though he takes part in instigating the attack, he is never interviewed by police.
Skeet
A close friend of Richard's and a member of "The Heartbreak Kidz." Skeet runs away from his group home and is shot and killed in a gang related attack at the age of 17.
