Why does Starr call herself a thug?
Starr witnesses the struggles of her friends and family, who may be involved in gang culture or drug dealing, and in using the term ‘thug,’ she aligns herself with their harsh realities, showing solidarity and understanding of their lived experiences. After discarding her bloody clothes and sleeping, Starr thinks about another childhood friend, Natasha, who was killed at age 10 in a drive-by shooting.Starr, Khalil, and Natasha were childhood best friends “Tighter than the inside of Voldemort’s nose”, and Natasha was shot and killed during a drive by when they were ten. Then Khalil gets killed when a police officer pulls them over and mistakes a hair brush for a gun.Starr’s childhood best friend, Khalil is a teenager from Garden Heights who is shot and killed by One-Fifteen, a white police officer, during a traffic stop.One of Starr’s closest childhood friends, Natasha was just 10 years old when she was murdered in a drive-by shooting. A victim of senseless gang violence, she demonstrates the insidiousness and widespread damage that is born out of gang culture and drug dealing.
Who witnessed Khalil’s death?
Starr witnessed the death of her childhood friend Khalil, the cop that killed him says he was armed, the truth, Khalil was unarmed. The only witness is Starr. Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressure from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what’s right.The novel’s protagonist, Starr is a sixteen-year-old black teenager who witnesses the shooting of her unarmed friend, Khalil. Starr lives in the primarily black, lower-class neighborhood of Garden Heights but attends Williamson Prep, a wealthy, predominantly white school in another town.Maverick tells his daughter that he witnessed people being shot and killed in front of him as well, and that he named her Starr because she was his “light in the darkness. He tells her to hold her own when speaking to the detectives, and to remember that she did nothing wrong.Starr mentions that Khalil talked about Thug Life the night he died. Maverick asks Starr what she thinks it means. She repeats Khalil’s explanation, but adds that it’s about black people and other minorities. Society fears minorities though they are the most oppressed.
Who is Starr’s racist friend?
Hailey’s racism then becomes increasingly apparent throughout the story. She dismisses Khalil as a drug dealer and thug who the world is better off without, leading to a physical altercation with Starr. Though Hailey tries to make up with Starr, she fails to admit to or apologize for her racism. Starr becomes entangled in a national news story after she witnesses a white police officer shoot and kill her childhood friend, Khalil. She speaks up about the shooting in increasingly public ways, and social tensions culminate in a riot after a grand jury decides not to indict the police officer for the shooting.The officer tells Khalil, who is black, exit the car; while outside the car, Khalil re-opens the driver-side door to check in on Starr. The officer fires three shots into Khalil, killing him. Khalil’s death becomes a major national news story.Starr’s unwillingness to talk about Khalil with Chris demonstrates how her new understanding of white supremacy threatens the fantasy of normalcy Chris has come to represent for her. Before Khalil’s death the biggest issue in their relationship revolved around sex, common for teenage relationships.One-Fifteen shot Khalil because he believed that Khalil being black made him dangerous. Therefore, racism against black people put Starr in danger during Khalil’s murder, not Garden Heights or the type of blackness associated with Garden Heights.
Did Starr have a crush on Khalil?
Starr reveals what DeVante said about Khalil. She feels guilty for doubting Khalil. Lisa reminds Starr she didn’t know about Khalil’s plight. She adds she knows Starr had a crush on Khalil. She also took in Lisa when she got pregnant in high school with Starr. She is going through chemotherapy and had recently lost her job at the time of Khalil’s death. Brenda is Khalil’s mother. Her struggles with addiction make her a frequent disappointment to and source of sadness for her son.
Was Khalil shot in Garden Heights?
Starr’s childhood best friend, Khalil is a teenager from Garden Heights who is shot and killed by One-Fifteen, a white police officer, during a traffic stop. Even after learning his real name is Brian Cruise, Starr thinks of the police officer who shot Khalil as One-Fifteen. By referring to him only by badge number, Starr reduces One-Fifteen to a symbol of racism in the system of law enforcement.One-Fifteen instructs Khalil, who is black, to exit the car; while outside the car, Khalil leans into the driver-side window to check in on Starr. One-Fifteen assumes he is grabbing a gun and shoots Khalil three times, killing him.In testifying to the grand jury and speaking out at the protest, she sheds light on the truth about Khalil and breaks through the layers of falsehoods that the media has created. By exposing King’s involvement in Khalil’s death, Starr inspires her neighbors and DeVante to have the courage to speak out against King.Khalil to step out of the vehicle as he runs his license. Khalil looks into his car to see if Starr is okay, but she keeps telling him to do what the officer says. Then for some reason, Khalil reaches into his car to take out a hairbrush, and 115, mistaking it for a weapon, opens fire on Khalil.Starr feels guilty because she didn’t tell the detectives that Khalil got out of the car with his hands up and that the officer also held a gun on her while she was unarmed and crying over her friend’s body.
Why did 115 shoot Khalil?
His immediate suspicion of Khalil and Starr is evidence of One-Fifteen’s internalized racism—so pervasive that Khalil opening the car door was grounds for shooting him, not once but three times. Khalil’s Hairbrush The hairbrush represents both the blinding power and senselessness of racism. One-Fifteen alleges that he shot Khalil because he mistook his hairbrush for a gun.
What does Starr say killed Khalil?
Starr goes on to detail the night of Khalil’s death, asserting that there was no gun in the car, that she and Khalil posed no threat to One-Fifteen, and that the officer pointed his gun at her after killing Khalil. She says she does not hate cops, but is tired of them assuming black people are dangerous. Starr’s boyfriend, Chris, a wealthy white boy from Williamson, insists that Starr should feel free to be her whole self around him. Nevertheless, Starr avoids telling Chris about her connection to Khalil for most of the novel.When Chris asked why and called her “Fresh Princess,” Starr decided she could be herself with him. However, she has not told Chris about Natasha’s death because she does not want him to see her as fragile.Part 2, Chapter 17 After the interview airs, Starr gains both supporters and detractors. She attends prom with Chris, who gives her the cold shoulder most of the night. When she confronts him about his behavior, he admits he could tell that Starr gave the interview, and he is hurt she did not confide in him.Starr hasn’t told Maverick about her boyfriend, Chris, because she knows Maverick wouldn’t approve of her dating a white boy.