Dear bro, you didn’t deserve to die, if only I knew then what I know now. If only this drug war wasn’t a war on people, if only they cared in the slightest bit about saving lives. It’s too late for you but I promise you I’m doing my best to help others and assure your death was not in vain. Systems of oppression that devalue drug users lives will come tumbling down! I love you always, Dinah

The biggest sweet potato-lover there ever was! Who else would pull a potato out of their purse? Only you. Kind and incredibly funny, your brightness is missed by all. Grateful to have shared everything we did while you were still here. I know you’re at peace, sweet cousin.

Every time I see an old man on a bike, I think about you. How every day, I would come to work just in time to catch you on your way out to enjoy your day, riding around the city and participating in your community. Seeing your bike leaning against the wall in your apartment, the day we found you, brought on an emotion inside of me that was deeper than sad--it was a complicated feeling of regret, loss, empathy and melancholy. You were no fan of other humans, but that bike brought you the thing you loved the most: freedom.