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A teenager from Garden Heights, DeVante’s brother is shot and killed at Big D’s party at the opening of the novel. Having previously sold drugs with Khalil, DeVante is desperate to earn money for his family. He works for King as a means to move his mother and sister out of Garden Heights. Growing more and more fearful of his involvement with King, DeVante steals money from King, successfully relocating his family but putting himself in incredible danger. This positions him directly in King’s line of fire. DeVante looks to Maverick for guidance on how to exit gang life. Maverick decides to take him in, determined to give him the best possible chance at a future, eventually placing him with Starr’s Uncle Carlos and his wife, Pam.
The inclusion of DeVante’s character in the novel illustrates the reality that for some, the decision to get involved with gang life and sell drugs is a complex one. Both DeVante and Khalil’s situations are evidence of the fact that gang affiliation might be the only option for survival. DeVante’s story helps the reader recognize that there is no justification for Khalil’s murder, even if he had been in the King Lords. DeVante clarifies to Starr that Khalil was never actually in the gang and was only selling drugs so he could earn money to help his mother. DeVante is given the chance that Khalil never had: to live, and to have a chance at more. After King beats him nearly to death at the end of the novel, DeVante agrees to testify against King to help the Garden Heights community. DeVante’s story ultimately encapsulates the way stereotypes dehumanize people and mask the complexity of the lives underneath.
