If you are white and you are about to read this post, stop! Do not read anymore. This post is for black folks only.......
Okay, I am not serious, this post is not actually going to be for only black folks, but I am trying to make a point here.
A judge in Atlanta recently threw everyone out of his courtroom (everyone meaning the mostly white lawyers), because he wanted to lecture the black defendants who made up 99% of the defendants who were in his room that day. Now his Honor is catching a lot of heat from folks in some quarters, and they are crying reverse racism. "How would he like it if a white Judge kicked every black person out of his court room because he wanted to lecture all of the white defendant." Personally, I wouldn't feel bad at all. Especially if all the white defendants in the court room were a bunch of juvenile delinquents who I was sick of seeing in my court room, and all the lawyers who were charged to defend them were a bunch of black guys.
I honestly understand where the good Judge was coming from. I can't tell you how many days I sat in a courtroom and had to see black defendant after black defendant being brought in to face the wrath of a white Judge, while being defended by a white lawyer. And for the record, I have seen black Judges lecture black defendants in ways that white Judges could not. And you know what, I don't have a problem with that. In many cases that will be the first time that any of them will have had to listen to a stern word or form of admonishment from a black male. So good for the Judge.
"But field how would you feel if you were a White person and the Judge kicked you out." Well, I would hope that I would be like the white folks who come to this blog. I really wouldn't care at all. Because I would understand that the Judge was frustrated and that there were certain sensitivities that only he could speak to. Now from a strictly legal point, I would probably have some issues. I would certainly want to make sure that my case was not being prejudiced in any way. But hey, that's what motions and appeals are for. Besides, the Judge told CNN that he was probably wrong to handle the situation the way he did. But sometimes we get frustrated and you know what, I can relate.
"In retrospect, it was a mistake, "Because my sheriff said to me, 'Judge, that message should be given to everybody' -- 'Don't violate the law, make something out of yourself, go to school, find a role model, somebody that will help you advance your life.'"
No it wasn't Judge, desperate times call for desperate measures. Unfortunately certain people in this country will always pin nefarious motives to situations such as this where race is involved. "Yeah you gotta watch this blacks, they stick together. He might be telling all those defendants not to worry, that he is going to give them all light sentences. See, that's why we shouldn't give them any power, they always abuse it". Give me a break!
Good for you Judge. I hope you gave everyone of those knuckle heads a good talking to. And if they even acted like they didn't want to listen, I hope you literally threw the book at them.
