Amy, thank you for sharing Cindy’s story with the world. Reading it was viscerally discomfiting, as cases of violence against women are. While I shouldn’t be remotely surprised, at this point, that she was treated / referred to in the horrific way that she was during her trial, I remain shocked. There are no words in my vocabulary strong enough to express my dismay, anger, and sadness.

I struggled with addiction in my twenties, and continue to work on it every day of my life. That’s okay though, because as a middle class white woman, I’m strong and I have worked hard to “overcome the odds.” Except all the cards were stacked in my favor. My recovery has been facilitated in every way by my race and class. If I had been killed by a client during a sex work transaction, it would be viewed as a Tragic End to a life with such Potential.* Or some such epic bullshit — in reality, I was almost predestined to be rescued, not just by family but by the very fabric of society.

I tell my story because Cindy survived so much more. Because she was a mother, because she was a human being who deserves respect and dignity in life and death. Insidious systems which have been cemented around us failed her, fail so many women. Again, I just want to thank you for shining light on the situation and her story. A human being who should be remembered, a human being who deserved better. I won’t forget her. I won’t forget so many other women with similar stories, who are put on trial in their waking lives and after death — for the crime of failing to be white.

*Cindy was not in active addiction during the time of her murder, if I understand correctly.