Deborah Hardin Character Analysis

Deborah was Chino Hardin’s troubled, drug-addicted mother. Deborah’s mother was also an addict, and she abandoned Deborah during her childhood. Instead, Deborah was raised by a more distant relative, Lucille Hardin. After she was kidnapped and raped as a child, Deborah began smoking crack and stealing to support her habit. Lucille struggled to put up with her addiction and eventually kicked her out of the house. One day, a police officer raped Deborah while arresting her. She ended up getting pregnant with Chino. Deborah was highly unstable and mostly absent during Chino’s childhood. They often fought and attacked one another. Early in Chino’s adolescence, a police officer beat Deborah to death while arresting her. Deborah’s life shows how the war on drugs creates a cycle of violence, crime, trauma, and addiction that can be extremely difficult to break.