Story #11. Jury Duty...a Procedure

Here it is- summon for a jury duty- the first jury duty in my life since I became a citizen. It’s a rule, I thought, well I’ll do my best.

My concern was a minor surgery I was scheduled for the next day- how could I know about summon when scheduled the appointment? So, next day I was on my way to Downtown to excuse myself for this day…it would be not only easy, but also fast if the officers in a department were working appropriately, not gossiping at the middle of the corridor not paying any attention to the people around them. Four ladies with the fantastically colored, cut, and braided or partly shaved heads – were talking loudly about very important nothing: clothes, shoes and prices; few people were looking at them impatiently and waiting to ask for postpone the duty by their own important reasons. It would be fun to observe this approach to a work if I wasn’t expecting delay for the surgery – it’s my craziness: I like to observe ridiculous situations, analyze them and try to understand the reasons under a surface of a situation. But…I should proceed- as my friend Bob is saying- to make myself go to a clinic on time, which means at nine a.m.- I had one hour to take my excuse paper, run to a car parked not that close, drive to Hollywood from Downtown, and check in for the procedure. So, I said loudly to an enjoying itself company: If I bleed here to death you will be responsible for it!” They turned to me, opened their eyes and mouths as they were trained to do it – they looked such alike! Excluded the more arrogant officer – skinny almost young lady with Pinocchio hair dress with no his hat, but with the artificial lashes went above her eyebrows,. With her eye wide opened but contained an empty look to somewhere behind my head she pronounced abruptly: “Did you filled out the form?! Are you ready to enter the office?!”

“Yes,- I told,- I was ready for fifteen minutes already staying there and watching your sweet company. Now I know where my taxes are going…”  I was really pissed.

“Please,- she interrupted me,- follow me!”

Another lady, with a shaved head, blue eyelids, and heavy metallic earrings hanged  to her shoulders, patiently explained to me what should I do tomorrow when come to a court, gave me a paper which described nothing but her involving in a process of printing by pressing a button. Good. I had to run, and I did. So, I   wasn’t late…the procedure was made…I didn’t bleed to death, thank God and a free clinic great Doctor Pattie.

A second day of my court presence came. A big room was full with the summoned people waiting for the duty. Some of them will be used for the purpose, some will only stay there to the end of the court day- four pm- it named “pool” or having an eventuality to choose from all present “pool” a jury for the cases that happen today- the officer call names by amplifier. So, my name was called also together with about thirty other names for the same case and I was wondering why we were more than twelve as I knew from the movies. The courtroom was big, people were Californians by meaning: different appearances- skin colors, eyes shapes and colors, and very different personalities, but all of us were having the similar concerns about  the trial duration we were talking about in a ”pool” room- many of us actually were unemployed with no benefits; which meant that every day of a trial would make us closer to a personal financial bankrupt- how can you find even a part time job if whole day passed in a “pool” room. A usual continuance was a week, but some cases were long lasting. A “jury pool” stood up, an officer made us swear with a raised hands that we will tell only the truth and only truth, the judge entered the room- the selection started. As I saw, the chairs were fourteen- twelve for the main jury body and two for just in case if some of the jurors is absent for some reason. I was called on the chair number one- the jurors were having the numbers. Than a judge- middle aged intelligent man – asked all of us to answer the questions, written  with the big letters on the billboard on his right hand: the name, a marital status, if you have children, what your spouse’s profession, and he also asked a few additional questions about the past. 

The next participant in a process was one of the lawyers in a case- the plaintiff’s side and the next was a defendant’s lawyer. What I understood from two long speeches was that a case will be very unpleasant- both sides were liars actually. I hate the idea  to take a side for  any of  them. A long story –short: plaintiff was driving by a freeway drunk, was stopped by a police and was taken to a jail, where  was discovered that he was an undocumented Mexican guy.  The bail was twenty five thousand dollars that he didn’t have. So, his girlfriend begged to a defendant to lend her this money and he did. Plaintiff was freed from the jail due to his appearance in a court. Then it started been interesting: defendant never see money from a plaintiff’s girlfriend- he was coming to their house- no answer to the ringing bell, no respond to the phone calls.  He asked neighbors if this guy had been living there and the answer was- yes. Finally, his frustration reached his limit and , using a gun, defendant  brought plaintiff’s brother as a hostage in his home for a few days, when plaintiff called a police. This was a story as I understood it. Of course, the lawyers  offered the public something else. What bothered me so much was their attitude: arrogant approach to a jury as to the people with no their own brain- look in the juror’s eyes with a sight of a bad acting  players who were actually in a process to choose a jury cast who will follow their paths. I start feel sick…

The next step was judge’s- the actual action in choosing the jury.  A judge asked if somebody feel uncomfortable with the case and why. One of the jurors asked for a private explanation for her reason- she shared before that the bladder’s surgery drives her crazy because she constantly need to use a restroom. The next was I- I told a judge that I don’t have any clue how the bail does work and the polite answer was: “Do not worry, if you have any questions- I will answer them and you’ll became an expert in bails at the trial’s end that the case will last at least three weeks…is that’s your only concern?” And I told him: ”No, it’s not. I also truly would be happy to get out of the court house because my problem is that  I do not trust any lawyers and I already have an opinion in a case.”

Judge’s face got amazed: ”How could it be! We never started pleading! “

I. “But I have got the idea of whatever happen and I have an opinion what happen then …”

J. “No, it’s impossible. You’ll listen to the lawyers and make careful conclusion!”

I. “I can’t because I don’t trust any lawyers…just imagine for a while that they switched their places….both of them…what will we see? With the same courage they will protect the side that just a while ago they attacked, right?”

J. “It’s their profession- to defend their clients, it’s their job!”

I. “Well, what kind of job is it that doesn’t allowed you to be an honest person. There are no two truths  in a case, right? One of the sides is wrong and knows this. Thus, he defends a wrong side. Switching the clients, they actually prove an inconsistency of their positions.”

J. “Please, sit and listen now.”

I shut my mouth, but start feel dizzy as I usually feel when go to the court- it’s like go to the hell to me.

The plaintiff’s  lawyer went ahead of a jurors.

L. “Have any of you ever been unfairly blamed by somebody? Have you ever feel unprotected in a court?”

And, because of my hurt in long years court presents soul, I said

I.“I  had been.”

L. “How it’s happen and how it influence your family?”

I. “ I was in a seven years divorce process, I was blamed in many things that never happen and I was fighting with whole my strength all these years. But if my son wouldn’t offer his help in a very important moment of this case – I am not sure how it would finish…”

L. “And how did you feel then? “

I was looking into his eyes and whole my anger toward lawyer’s profession was certainly expressed on my face.. I couldn’t breathe…

I. “How do you think I felt?...”

A lawyer stood there silent and a public, the “pool” was laughing quietly…

A judge inserted his phrase: “Why don’t you separate your feeling to the lawyers from the present court?”

I. “I certainly can’t, your honor, because my ex is a lawyer.”

He was obviously surprised.

And dismissed me from his case.

I hope that I was dismissed forever. Courts make me sick. It’s the most dishonored organization in the world, never mind which country it operates, together with the controversial laws used for a "justice"...I would be happy to not participate a process for applying them to the people.

Mother killed her  two years old daughter  and was freed…

Celebrity stated on TV  that he use drugs and nobody arrested him, but if a common teenager  was caught with marihuana cigarette – he goes to jail, paroles, regular blood checks, a professional license will be taken away,  almost ruined life is  …

A man kidnapped a girl from the street and fathered two children with her at his dirty backyard; this continues for almost twenty years. He will be punished with a few years in jail…What about girl’s life? What about her parent’s ruined twenty years? What about their life ahead?...

Too many questions with no answers…

I do not wish nobody go to the court to look for justice… it’s sad to say- but true.