As a green card holder for many years, I knew that if I committed a felony, I could face deportation. It never occurred to me that I wouldn't be tried in court for that offense, and never did I think that I could be carted off the street for a crime, real or imagined.
I served on a jury many years ago, and it was truly an amazing experience. It was a fight between two men in the Port Authority bus terminal, and one of the men was being tried for attempted murder. The jury was truly a cross section of Manhattan. There was a bus driver from Harlem. A masseuse from the Village. A young man from Washington Heights. A finance bro. A psychologist from the Upper West Side. A widow from the Lower East Side. Our foreman (whom we all loved and treated as our wise elder) was a retired Filipino diplomat. Everyone on that jury took their task extremely seriously. They listened carefully to the testimony in the court room and to each other in the jury room. Everyone used critical thinking, judgment, and empathy. I was so impressed.
I am saddened by the statement "I don't believe in the system." It's something I hear all the time. I blame the demise of middle school civics. And the outrageous examples of the two-tiered justice system in this country that soured so many on the process. I am worried whether there is a road back.
The two tiered system of justice is a huge problem — which I didn’t even get into. There is a road back. But it will take a generation to make that happen. We have to try white collar workers with the same fierceness as the impoverished. People need to witness justice.
Great observations about our ambivalence regarding jury duty and who actually serves -- those who can afford to take time off work, pay for parking and lunch.
As a green card holder for many years, I knew that if I committed a felony, I could face deportation. It never occurred to me that I wouldn't be tried in court for that offense, and never did I think that I could be carted off the street for a crime, real or imagined.
I served on a jury many years ago, and it was truly an amazing experience. It was a fight between two men in the Port Authority bus terminal, and one of the men was being tried for attempted murder. The jury was truly a cross section of Manhattan. There was a bus driver from Harlem. A masseuse from the Village. A young man from Washington Heights. A finance bro. A psychologist from the Upper West Side. A widow from the Lower East Side. Our foreman (whom we all loved and treated as our wise elder) was a retired Filipino diplomat. Everyone on that jury took their task extremely seriously. They listened carefully to the testimony in the court room and to each other in the jury room. Everyone used critical thinking, judgment, and empathy. I was so impressed.
I am saddened by the statement "I don't believe in the system." It's something I hear all the time. I blame the demise of middle school civics. And the outrageous examples of the two-tiered justice system in this country that soured so many on the process. I am worried whether there is a road back.
The two tiered system of justice is a huge problem — which I didn’t even get into. There is a road back. But it will take a generation to make that happen. We have to try white collar workers with the same fierceness as the impoverished. People need to witness justice.
Great observations about our ambivalence regarding jury duty and who actually serves -- those who can afford to take time off work, pay for parking and lunch.
Thanks
Diane for another great read!!
🥰
You’re absolutely brilliant. Thank you yet again for your talent