Livin’ on the Edge

We like to, perhaps we even need to, distance ourselves from others sometimes.  When we see someone in a situation in which we do not want to find ourselves, our initial reaction is to find out how they got there.  What did they do?  More importantly, what did they do that we would never do?  As long as they did something that is different from what we do, we’re safe.  Or so we think.  But it’s a fallacy and a dangerous one.  We are all closer than we think to things we don’t want to think about.

Every second Tuesday, Marin County has a special court proceeding called Community Court.  There are lawyers and there’s a judge, a court commissioner in her black robes with her clerk and her bailiff.  There’s an American flag standing next to the table where the judge presides.  There’s lawyers and clients, too.  But, it doesn’t take place in a court room; it takes place in the dining hall at St. Vincent dePaul’s.  The clients aren’t given a court date here by a police officer issuing a ticket.  They’re referred and must complete a process with Legal Aid of Marin before being allowed to use this special court.

This court is for people for whom a single citation can get them sucked into the system, trapped in a web of ever-growing fines they will never be able to pay.  A spiral that often leads to lost drivers’ licenses and then lost jobs because they can not get to work followed by lost housing because they have no job.  Eventually, it involves rotations in and out of jail as serving time is the only way to handle the tickets they cannot pay. 

“Life-style infractions,” they’re called, tickets for sleeping in the park, for having an open alcohol container on the street, for sleeping in your car, for sitting on the sidewalk, for being homeless and not being allowed to be anywhere.  The court also handles minor traffic violations for people who cannot afford the tickets.  Often, violations involving a vehicle that is also the person’s only shelter.

Community Court provides a way out, a way to stop the downward spiral before it begins.  Social workers talk to the clients about options for obtaining shelter and work, attorneys meet with clients and propose alternative sentences to the judge.  And the judge talks to the attorneys and the clients and the social workers and she makes agreements with the people, not fines, not punishments, agreements.  Agreements to help better their lives.  Community service, housing logs, job search logs, one step at a time, get the car insured then come back, etc., and always “no new tickets.” 

People come back month after month having completed their side of the agreements and the judge takes care of the tickets.  Another chance, the ability to move on, with housing, with a job.

Seeing them, reading this, it’s easy to think of the Community Court clients as “other,” but they’re more us, more you and more me, than we’d like to think.  Sure, there are people who come in who just like living in their cars.  There are high school drop outs with old drug addictions.  But there are also engineers, consultants who used to travel monthly to Asia, people with college degrees and masters degrees.  People who were getting by until a divorce, or a car accident or a loss in the family.  People who had a “normal” life on that edge we all forget we’re on.

Community Court’s a great program.  I hope we all have such opportunities when we need them.

Spring Break Day 5: Take Your Lady to Work Day

Or so it was designated sometime around the middle of the day.

Today I was Atty Trizzle's shadow at work.  It was awesome!  I met a bunch of his coworkers and got to see some court action.   No trials today, but wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

So, we went to the court room.  It was not what I was expecting.  The judge came in and the bailiff said "stay seated."  What?!  It was a scheduling thing I guess, but it looked like a zoo (and made me want to watch Night Court.)  Everyone talking at once, people in green and yellow jumpsuits coming in and out, attorneys up and down and in and out.  Yet, the judge was exceedingly efficient and got everything done in a fairly orderly fashion.  If someone wasn't there or wasn't ready, she moved on and came back to it later.

The Judge sent Atty Trizzle down the hall to his favorite judge's chambers to take care of a couple plea deals.  That was really neat because it was just him, the public defender, the defendant and regular court room ppl (reporter, bailiff, judge, etc.).  Then it was back to the zoo room for more scheduling.

Atty Trizzle was on trials, which means he had about four cases, any of which could be sent to trial today.  He wasn't expecting any of them to go, but the judge sent one: a DUI, .15bac w/ resisting arrest.  So we hopped back down to the courtroom with his favorite judge.  The judge didn't want the case to go to trial because it wasn't really worth it, so she encouraged Atty Trizzle and the public defender to work something out.  Atty Trizzle had to keep going back to his boss and the public defender had to keep talking to his client, so it took quite awhile for them to sort things out.

During one of the public defender's conferences with his client, Atty Trizzle and I took a break to visit the jury people waiting downstairs in case the trial went through.  Why?  Because Atty Trizzle's mom was in the jury pool today!  Pretty sure she would've been struck if the case had gone to trial. ;)  We said "hi," chatted for a bit and headed back upstairs to take care of finishing up the plea deal.

Many of his coworkers were like, "is this the lady?!" and his fav judge said, "You're the Valentine!"    Not sure what he's been telling them about me, but didn't seem bad (he must be lying).  One lady asked if I was the one that sent the tree.

That was the morning.  We had lunch out, despite my having packed sandwiches, cuz neither of really wanted sandwiches (it was cold inside!!) and we had to go to the Post Office.  Atty Trizzle got Chinese food and Taco Truck for me - except Atty Trizzle had to order cuz I don't know enough Spanish.

After lunch, Atty Trizzle worked on filing and I worked on my paper (in between my naps).  He actually left early today, before 5:30 even!  And it was sunny when we left :)  A nice dinner at a local, and amazingly good, Vietnamese restaurant (the one we tried to go to first on Sunday) and then time to relax.  It was a good day.

 

This is Atty Trizzle in his office with his G and a copy of the check from the case he won Monday.  His coworkers hung the check up in his office.  When I saw the G hanging on his door, I thought it was cuz he's a G.  But no, it's a G for Guilty because he won the most recent case and the defendant was found guilty.  It was a check fraud case.  From the picture, you'd think he was the one found guilty.  (I had to beg just to get this grumpy shot.)