Richard’s lawyer after his attack on Sasha. Du Bois is an experienced attorney of forty years. He is knowledgeable and competent, and he seems to have Richard’s best interests at heart, but he isn’t willing to entertain restorative justice as a reasonable alternative to Richard’s punishment. Like the district attorney’s office, Du Bois is convinced that prison is the right place for Richard, at least for a while. He also makes the mistake of holding on to Richard’s apology letters to Sasha until after the case has come to a close, believing that they contain a dangerous “admission of guilt”; Karl and Debbie wish they had been able to read the heartfelt letters earlier, as the letters gave them a deeper insight into Richard’s character and may have changed what kind of outcome they wanted for Richard.
Bill Du Bois Quotes in The 57 Bus
The The 57 Bus quotes below are all either spoken by Bill Du Bois or refer to Bill Du Bois. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 3: The Second Letter
Quotes
“I am not a thug, gangster, hoodlum, nor monster. Im a young African American male who’s made a terrible mistake. Not only did I hurt you but I hurt your family & friends and also my family & friends for I have brought shame to them and our country and I shall be punished which is going to be hard for me because I’m not made to be incarcerated.”
Related Characters:
Richard (speaker), Sasha, Bill Du Bois
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The 57 Bus LitChart as a printable PDF.
Bill Du Bois Character Timeline in The 57 Bus
The timeline below shows where the character Bill Du Bois appears in The 57 Bus. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 3: Into the Briefcase
...after his arrest, Richard’s family “scrapes the money together” for a lawyer, and they hire Bill Du Bois , a defense lawyer with forty years of experience. Richard gives him the letter for...
(full context)
Part 3: Homophobic
Richard’s court appearance is uneventful and Du Bois files an appeal to contest Richard’s being charged as an adult, but the reporters are...
(full context)
Part 4: Cruel and Unusual?
...think “he doesn’t have compassion for Sasha.” Others may think his smile is a “smirk.” Du Bois files a petition with the judge that argues trying Richard as an adult is “cruel...
(full context)
Part 4: Always Okay
...did it.” The district attorney never speaks to Richard, however, and Richard’s letters stay in Du Bois ’s briefcase.
(full context)
Part 4: The People vs. Richard
Bill Du Bois thinks restorative justice “is a distraction.” He “loves their program,” but in Richard’s case the...
(full context)
Part 4: Bargaining
...accepts five years for assault, they will drop the mayhem charge and the hate-crime clauses. Du Bois thinks Richard should take it. Du Bois communicates very little with Jasmine, who still doesn’t...
(full context)
Part 4: The Deal
...been polite!” The district attorney offers Richard seven years in state prison instead and tells Du Bois to “take the deal or go to trial.” Richard is led, handcuffed and shackled, into...
(full context)
Part 4: The Fine Print
...stay in the juvenile system. Still, any number of things could count against his conduct, Du Bois warns, then Richard will go to prison. “And for what?” Du Bois asks. “Protecting the...
(full context)
