Timeline of the events in The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater

By K Dawn

  • 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.