An Impassioned Letter to a Killer

Cherie Curtis, aunt of F. Donte Smith, wanted to contribute to our recent video featuring the 2020-2021 exhibition of portraits, of which Donte’s is one, but found it daunting. She instead decided to write down her feelings in the form a letter to her nephew’s killer. She so powerfully describes the pervasive effects of the violence on a family; water perniciously flowing into imperceptible cracks. She displays a strength of character shared by many of the families we work with who choose to take action in their grief rather than be defeated. These strong survivors work hard to change the systems that create an environment for the violence. 

Here is her letter, signed by Cherie using Donte’s nickname for her. (He teased her for cleaning too much!)

Dear Murderer,

You are a weak, empty, dark, and malicious individual still somehow walking the streets of Philadelphia. You are repulsive and expressed clear desperation firing 30 bullets inside a vehicle, killing two men, one of them being the pillar of strength in our family, Donte Smith and I want you to know we see you.

Murderer, there are a few things I would like you to know and understand.  When you selfishly pulled the trigger, the bullets that you fired took more than the life of an amazing man.  Each of those bullets you fired pierced to the deepest areas of his family's souls.  Not only did his lungs stop breathing, but our family's ability to breathe came to a screeching halt - for a year now we have been waiting to exhale with no respite. Not only did Donte's heart stop beating, but our hearts shattered into a million pieces. The innocence of the children in our family was replaced with fear and loss and a yearning for shoes that can never be filled. You, for a year, turned our family into statistics  - the type of statistics that are ignored on the evening news and have been accepted by society as normal.

Today, after a year of immense suffering, pain and heartbreak, I am here to tell you that you may have taken the physical form of Donte from us, but you did not come close to removing him from our world. 

I pity you for trying to gain some type of credibility (or whatever someone like you does) through being a wanna-be baller who ran from the crime scene like an elk being chased by a lion.  You are a coward.

Murderer, please know, a herd of lions are lying in wait to take you and anyone like you off of the streets. Eventually, a lion will pounce; I pray that the lion is a man in blue. You feel you are invincible especially now that you may have some bs street cred. Soon enough, the same streets are going to turn on you and eat you alive. 

At some point your family will hurt and feel the pain from your actions. Your children will be fatherless. And, eventually, you will face a higher power, and I pray, Donte will be standing there with his beautiful smile, as you are damned to eternal darkness.

It's time for a new fight to begin through every political activist organization that is willing to come together to prevent any family from having to experience the pain you caused.

Please know, you no longer have the power to control our thoughts, our pain, or our perseverance.  You were nothing before you murdered Donte and you are nothing now. 

We only wait now for the lion to pounce. . .you murderer are now the prey. I look forward to the day you are taken off the streets.

Sincerely,

Ms. Bleach

(Cherie Curtis)

Place I Belong Portrait of F. Donte Smith by Laura Orfanelli acrylic on stretched canvas 30 x 24 inches