Having read not so long ago the embarrassing or attempted embarrassing piece about our beloved Judge Roland Hayes, we thought we would go and observe the proceedings in some other courtrooms. Needless to say, what we found was not only depressing, but disgusting as well.
Instead of some would-be self-appointed critic trying to make a joke out of the exemplary work that Judge Hayes has been doing for three decades, he should have been criticizing some real issues in our courts today.
Case in point: the courtroom we visited for three-quarters of the day was packed; standing room only. Ninety-five percent of the defendants were young African Americans and Latinos. There may have been two defendant Caucasians. In addition to that 98 percent of the defense lawyers were white, all the court clerks were white, all of the prosecutors were white, the police officers were white and the judge was white.
Perhaps that shouldn’t matter but it does. Indigent minority defendants are treated like cattle being driven to the slaughter house. If some so-called critic wants to criticize something let them criticize that. Let them point those inequities out and offer some solutions that will give those defendants a shot at getting some compassion and understanding of their plight.
The prosecutors and the judge didn’t care that a minority defendant couldn’t make restitution because he was caring for four little girls and couldn’t work even if he could find a job, which he couldn’t. Bringing defendants to court in handcuffs and leg irons is a depressing sight. How can anyone be innocent looking like that? Yet, our would-be critic chooses to make fun at one of the few African American judges who shows some empathy and compassion to people coming into his court. Disgusting!
Judges are so important in our society and we are hoping and praying that the organization that supported our president will stay organized and get more minorities elected locally, particularly judges. We should also demand to have more minority court clerks and police officers too.
Sometimes it appears to us that people think the fight is over. Trust us folks…it ain’t!
