Check out ?uestlove (from the Roots) on Donte Johnson and Sabina Rose O'Donnell over at CP's blog:

i am out for justice in her senseless murder.

BUT. i cannot look into this boy’s eyes http://twitpic.com/1xageo
and be all dismissive like “this fucking monster” as im sure most of us (specially those of us who knew sabina and were regulars at PYT) will react. and i understand the passion behind it. make no mistake, i understand the passion behind it.

this is NOT me being irresponsible nor an apologist in the matter.

but you HAVE to understand it from my shoes:

i too at one point was an 18 year old black man from philadelphia. the 2 west philly neighborhoods i grew up in (to my knowledge) — with the exception of my next door neighbor and my best bud down the street — all the lives have been claimed in my age range. like seriously. if there were a reunion of all the kids in my age range from born from 1971-1976 that i grew up playing ball with and summer day camp and breakdancing and trading pac-man game patterns with, out of the combined 24 of us? (3 cousins included) only 3 are STILL LIVING or NOT in jail for a long time.

im like — “wait you mean to tell me if you stood us ALL in a line with the hand of death lurking behind us and told us ‘im only going to spare 3 of you’….” then im to believe that me? ahmir thompson is one of them?

swear to god i think about that everyday of my “how did i get here?!” life.

im sorry. you can take the hard road if you want. but you HAVE to admit it: 18 is a baby!

There is a LOT more. Check the whole thing out here.