The Hate U Give

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains descriptions of racism and gang-related violence.

Starr goes to the police station with her mother to give her statement to the detectives. She is nervous and frightened when she walks in and sees so many officers with guns. They meet Uncle Carlos, and Lisa insists on going with Starr when she talks to the detectives on the case.

Carlos takes them to a room with a table and chairs. Two cops, Detective Gomez and Detective Wilkes, greet them. Detective Gomez, a Latina woman, asks most of the questions. She asks Starr how long she knew Khalil and asks for the story of “the incident.” Starr explains what happened, being careful not to say anything that would make it seem like the shooting was Khalil’s fault.

Several times, Gomez tries to imply that Khalil resisted the officer or acted suspiciously, which Starr denies. Starr is clear that the officer harassed Khalil and that when he moved, he intended to ask her if she was all right.

Gomez then asks if Khalil sold narcotics, a question that confuses Starr, given that it has nothing to do with the shooting. She honestly tells Gomez that while Khalil never told her about his involvement in the drug trade, she heard about it from others.