Court
Michelle on Feb 09 2007 at 3:02 am | Filed under: The Personal
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Last weekend we moved, and on Wednesday we finally got to go to court. It was a surreal experience. There was a group of men shackled and dressed in orange off in a corner. None of their state-appointed lawyers had shown up, so the judge asked them if they wanted the public defender presently in court with another client to represent them. Three of the men did, so after about two minutes consulting with the lawyer, a plea bargain was made. I watched as each man admitted he had violated his probation, and they were sentenced. One man received a six-month jail sentence, while another received a five-year sentence in the pen. His face seemed as though it were carved out of wood. Throughout the entire process, including the sentencing, he showed not boredom, nor disgust, nor anger, nor fear. Just…nothing. I have never quite seen a face like that.
In front of us was a family of nine, including three children who should have been in elementary school at that time. Instead, they bickered and fought amongst themselves while the adults ignored them. I found it astounding that six, seven and eight-year olds were getting such a casual look at our justice system. When one boy began hitting his brother, I tapped him firmly on the shoulder, shook my head, and gave him the Teacher Look. All three boys looked at me in trepedation and moved to the other end of the row to take shelter on their relatives’ laps.
Sky’s lawyer discovered that the state had made an error and that Sky’s charge was a misdemeanor, not a felony. Nevertheless, he got six month’s probation, eight hours of community service each month, must attend a “Boy’s Group” once per week; must attend the drug education group, aka the meeting place for drug sales, once per week; pay court and probation fees; attend the GED program from eight o’clock to twelve o’clock everyday and visit his probation officer every other week.
In addition, his “Conditions of Release” state, among other things, that his hair must be “mainstream” and cut above the ears, he may not associate with individuals who use drugs (So why the drug education group with the deals going down?), he must be home by 7:30 each weeknight–8:30 on weekends. She took a picture of him in case he absconds. She also asked me to leave the room so that she could talk to him alone. Actually, she demanded that I leave the room. At this point, I realized that I, as the parent, had lost some rights to the state. Who else can force me to leave my child alone in a room with someone??
While they were in the room alone, they had a most interesting conversation in which she told him that he could quit whining about the drug group (we had proposed individual counseling which was denied, probably because of warm bodies needed for the group’s funding) because just because he was from the city, and thought country people were stupid, he could stop thinking he was so intelligent and get with the program. I thought it was quite unprofessional that she would presume to know what he is thinking. One picture on her wall shows a man who is probably her father, who looks like a true Bubba. Perhaps she is a tad defensive. And a bit anti-intellectual.
I have definitely been pushed over the line into Libertarianism.
I am in a hateful mood. I am overwhelmed by the stacks of boxes in the house and my own exhaustion. I have been stuffing my face like sizes, pounds, cholestrol and calories don’t exist. The only place where I feel like a nice person is at work, probably because it is a distraction. I hate it that I am angry at the system all over again. I had calmed down. Now I need to start that process all over again.
In more mundane news, the move went well except that the Mexican workers who I paid $20 dollars an hour each, $13 above the going rate in an effort to be fair–stole money from me, broke my dryer, and dropped two expensive pieces of furniture, chipping them. While I was driving the U-Haul, they changed the radio to a Spanish station and cranked it up. I let them, because they were working hard, but at the same time, I knew there was no way in hell they would have done that in a man’s truck. I paid them fairly, and I was disrespected and ripped off.
Work is the same, which means that it is going well. Thank goodness!
Sage likes to skate down the hills in the parking lot and on the sidewalks. The apartments are lovely, and everyone likes them.
I am trying not to be all psycho and mad.
First of all, CONGRATS on the move. The unpacking will get done… all in its own time! I think there is something so fundamental about being disrespected; it goes to the core of our being. In my case, I know it’s not fair and I don’t deserve it, but that little un self-confident part of me believes that I somehow brought it on myself, or could have made it better. It is NOT good for self-esteem, which always makes me very angry at my own impotence.
I must say that bit about the drug education group really has shocked me. Are the people who run the program blind. I can scarcely believe this. Or does it show how naive I really am?
Yay! I’m glad that you’re moved and almost settled! Please do me a favour: put your feet up and look out the window. What’s the view like? (Is there snow?)
“Who else can force me to leave my child alone in a room with someone??”
Anarchist-sympathiser though I may be, this is one right I think the state needs. There was a high profile case in the UK just recently where a girl was horrifically abused by her parents, after being returned to them from foster care. The official inquiry criticised the care workers responsible for being too focused on the parents and willing to accept what they said. In this case, the safe majority of guardians need to make a sacrifice for the dangerous minority.
Which is not to say that this woman didn’t seem to be abusing her power a bit, I’m just talking in the general case. o_O
M, well, just six more months of govt intrusion, right? I’m sorry that the system is so f’d up and that you have to deal with this. The reality is the govt is so reactionary. Like preventing bad things happening to kids (child abuse, etc.)… the govt doesn’t react until it’s too late, often times.
I’m glad work is going okay with you. One of our students is about to be sent to the county panel and expelled. He’s reluctant to change his own behavior, been chuckling the whole way, and eating up the attention. I can’t say I’m sorry he’s going.
Sorry it’s been such a hard road. Anger is justified, my dear. I hope Sky gets through this and comes out stronger and with a resolve and understanding to keep himself safe and healthy. Much peace, love and good thoughts for each of you. JP
I can understand why you would be leaning towards Libertarianism. With the dealings you’ve had with the judicial system I’m surprised you aren’t in the Anarchy camp. Never underestimate the stupidity of groups of people in bureaucracies.
Hey, thanks for your comment on my blog, Death By Children. I had a talk with my niece a few years back when she was labelling people (rep/dem scatalogical ranting) and I told her it’s not that the world is divided into party lines like that, it’s divided between people who love and people who hate, or, it’s divided up between the rampaging mindless asswipes and pretty much everyone else. I told her that she was free to do anythying she wanted, and that laws were certainly a convention of the times she lived in. But they were a convention that must be respected regardless of how stupid they might seem. There’s something about the industry of laws that attracts ferocious, first-souled jackasses like no other–but there are seriously great people in those industries as well. My wife and her sister, for instance, and some of the cops I know through scouts and such–they’re good people. I hope Sky gets the opportunity to meet some people like that in his dealings with the law over the next several months. Tell him to look out for them–they are unbelievably grateful when recognized.