i took the day off from work as a result of my long awaited date with traffic court. The best way for me to describe the way I looked entering the building is a fish out of water. I was quickly approached by an officer for assistance. He gave me instructions on what to do and when he saw that my courtoom had not yet entered and I was uncomfortably standing in the midst of a see of men of color, he called out and told me to stand next to him. He prepped me for what I'd say in trial and I smiled back at him, feeling a little guilty for dumbing down my intelligence momentarily. (this nice gentleman even came to my courtroom for my trial!)
I entered my courtroom and the ONLY white people were the officers, the judge, attendants and lawyers. Every person at trial was either black, hispanic, an immigrant asian, and predominantly male. When I went to make my statement the judge asked me what happened. When I told him I was driving home from work he asked me why I was in that area and I told him I was a teacher in North Philly and he looked at me like he didn't believe me (until I gave him the address of where I worked). He asked a couple more questions and then just said, I'm going to discharge you. All of a sudden two tickets were dropped and I left without any points on my license. While thrilled with this verdict, I felt ashamed walking out the back doors knowing that every person tried before me, even if the points on their license were dropped, left with a fine and signed up for a payment plan.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't completely aware that my race, gender, and socio-economic status did not work in my favor today.
0 comments:
Post a Comment