Thanks for the kind words. The public defender was not really a bad man. The system did not give him much of a choice because of the prejudice of the community that would have lynched my grandson just a generation ago. And to his credit, the lawyer recognized that this boy is a really good young man (the goodness of "conaturality") and honest, even when it goes against him to tell the truth. The boy and the lawyer both understood the irony: it was telling the truth that got Aaron in trouble, and it took telling a lie in a shameful plea-bargain that saved him from prison. I could see that this was not easy for the lawyer. Yet, they manipulated the situation so successfully that fear of the alternative made his mother and his attorney counsel the boy to tell the lie, while tying my hands so I could say nothing--while all within me was screaming, "Make them go to trial!"
I've promised Aaron I'd write his story. --- Marek Reavis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Angela, you and your grandson have my sincere > sympathy. It's been my > experience that anyone who has had to interact with > the criminal > justice system, regardless of how they're involved > or on which side > of the "V." they fall, find it very much a maddening > arrangement. > > There is very strong pressure from the Courts, law > enforcement and > the system as a whole to "move things alongs" > expeditiously and make > it easier for the system to put people away. Public > Defenders > frequently have to deal with being labeled "dump > trucks" for the > common perception, which unfortunately is sometimes > true, that they > don't care about their clients and are merely part > of the system that > is prosecuting criminal defendants. I tell my > clients that, as a > Public Defender, my role, if nothing else, is to be > sand in the > vaseline of the system; to make it difficult and > costly for the > system to deprive my clients of their liberty; to > make the > prosecution prove their case and not just roll over > because it means > less work for me or the prosecution. Fortunately I > work in an office > and in a jursidiction where most of the public > defenders as well as > most of the criminal defense bar operates within the > same ethos. > > That's what the Constitution mandates, and what was > ratified in the > landmark 1963 case, Gideon v. Wainwright, that was > the basis for the > development of all the different Public Defender > systems throughout > the USA. ( > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gideon_v._Wainwright ) > > It's unfortunate that your grandson's appointed > attorney apparently > didn't do as good or as zealous a job as the > Constitution requires, > but it can be a hard job and a draining one, too, > and the temptation > to just go along can be difficult to resist. I feel > lucky that I > didn't get into this line of work until I was nearly > 50 and I still > had all my idealism intact. Maybe if I had started > in my mid-20s I'd > have become jaded and cynical by now. > > Your grandson is very lucky to have you in his life. > > Marek > > ** > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Angela > Mailander > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > Marek, God bless your hands. > > My black grandson was in the hands of Fairfield's > > criminal justice system when I returned from > China. > > If I hadn't been there, they would have knowingly > sent > > an innocent sixteen-year old boy to an adult > prison. > > I was able to reign them in because I made them > > understand that I was capable of watching their > every > > move and making very loud and intelligent noise > about > > them. Had I had your advice, I might have been > able > > to keep them from making lie in a plea-bargain > > arrangement which cost him probation and > registering > > as a sex offender till he's almost thirty. Tell > me, > > just for example, what kind of court-appointed > defense > > lawyer refuses to depose the alleged victim? And > when > > I made enough noise about it, deposes him, but > asks > > not one pertinent question? > > > > > > > > --- Marek Reavis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > Angela, one of the great satisfactions in my > life is > > > to meet with a > > > client in jail (and for the very first time), > and > > > have her/him say > > > that they were really happy that I'm their > attorney > > > because they've > > > heard about me from other inmates and they know > that > > > they are in good > > > hands. > > > > > > ** > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Angela > > > Mailander > > > <mailander111@> wrote: > > > > > > > > Such a person would be awesome in the > courtroom, > > > > Marek. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- Duveyoung <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > > > > > > > "Marek Reavis" wrote: "A truly good person > is > > > in > > > > > the flow of life, > > > > > the Tao. In that flow ownership of action > > > doesn't > > > > > exist because > > > > > everything is flowing with their intentions, > > > like > > > > > having the wind at > > > > > your back." > > > > > > > > > > Marek, > > > > > > > > > > Thanks for using that popular metaphor -- it > > > > > suddenly hit me from a > > > > > new angle. (So keep using those old saws > out > > > there > > > > > people!) > > > > > > > > > > To have the wind at one's back, it turns > out, is > > > > > merely one side of > > > > > the concept. > > > > > > > > > > There's the other side too. > > > > > > > > > > Case in point: To be literal, a "lesson" > that > > > all > > > > > trikke newbies have > > > > > happen to them is that they start out > trikking > > > with > > > > > the wind at their > > > > > backs, but it is such a slight breeze that > they > > > > > never notice it; then, > > > > > when they decide to return home, the same > > > pathway > > > > > now has this > > > > > "hurricane" blowing them to a standstill. > Oh, > > > > > there's another "wind" > > > > > too: a Trikke is lovingly called a > "invisible > > > slope > > > > > detection device" > > > > > by trikkers, because if you're just learning > how > > > to > > > > > carve, you find > > > > > out that virtually no surface is level and > that > > > in > > > > > one direction you > > > > > can trikke pretty good as a newbie, but in > the > > > other > > > > > you cannot go > > > > > even a single foot forwards -- until you > truly > > > learn > > > > > how to work the > > > > > beast. Can't call yourself a trikker until > you > > > can > > > > > go up a steep hill! > === message truncated === Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
