Listen to Star’s Story
Star, surrounded by Unite the Right car attack survivors and other community members moments after the Jury read the guilty verdict for James Fields.
“This is what our community looks like!”
December 11, 2018 at 1:48 PM
“Make no mistake, justice was not done. The trial did not bring Heather back. No justice can come from a system that disproportionately incarcerates black and brown people.”
- Star Peterson
Interview Transcript
Star Peterson
This recording is not intended for children. My name is Star Petersen. This picture was taken immediately after the verdict against James Fields was announced. I was just so f**king tired, so glad that it was over, and that the jury made the right decision. I had been running on anger and spite and fear for so long. The trial was excruciating. It was its own form of hell. Sitting in the same room as the monster who tried to kill me drained everything out of me. I swear he does not have a soul. The government mistreated us the entire way. The cops in the courtroom kept their eyes on the survivors and on our supporters, rather than on the actual murderer sitting up front. The city put up water-filled barriers outside the courthouse so that no one would use a car to attack us during the trial. Those same water-filled barriers had been recommended for Fourth Street on August 12th, but instead we got a saw horse that James Fields just drove around. Way too little, way too late. I had been running on nothing for so g*ddamn long. My community supported me every excruciating centimeter of the way. I was just so glad that it was over. I don't have the words to express how grateful I am for the people who carried me through that hell. Make no mistake, justice was not done. The trial did not bring Heather back. No justice can come from a system that disproportionately incarcerates Black and brown people. This monster had two lawyers who gave their full attention to his case. Where are the lawyers for poor people who haven't hurt anyone? Poor people who have done something that shouldn't even be illegal, such as selling cannabis, get assigned an overworked public defender. Why did this monster get to public attorneys? Why is his case, his life, more important than that of the hundreds of thousands of people arrested every year for cannabis? F*ck James Fields and f*ck the injustice system. Rest in power, Heather.
Music credit: Brendon Moeller / Dub Caravan / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com