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August 31, 2006
Impressions from the Hall of Justice
A young black man swaggers down a hallway, one arm draped over his young woman. She's trying to share his good mood, but her manner betrays ambivalence. As he passes a cluster of dispirited juror candidates, he boasts:
"I beat it. I beat that case, y'all. I beat that shit."
In the elevator, an Asian man in his fifties leans against the wall, head slightly bowed. His rimless glasses are spotty, but his forehead is unlined. Something about his peaceful manner and twinkling eyes reminds me of the Dalai Lama.
After a moment, I realize I'm standing next to the crime reporter for our local Fox affiliate.
A gigantic young Latino smoking outside on the courthouse steps during lunch is holding court. His posse sits on a retaining wall drinking Mountain Dews, looking up while he gesticulates wildly. At one point, el jefe literally pounds his chest.
The front of his 5X T-shirt is completely covered by an airbrushed portrait of Al Capone chomping a cigar.
As we file out after voir dire, a white male public defender with a puffy white ponytail escorts his client, a skinny black man, into the courtroom. The lawyer walks three paces ahead of his client, whom I recognize as a homeless man from my old neighborhood.
The client stops every few paces, looking around with fear and exhaustion. The lawyer keeps walking, whispering hushed advice to the man he believes is keeping pace:
"It's gonna be okay, just do exactly what I tell you," he stage-whispers to no one in particular.
Posted by Your Protagonist at August 31, 2006 12:12 PM