On America's "racial terrorism"

[pnwmom]

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/americas-racial-terrorism-silence-condemned-us/

BRYAN STEVENSON, Founder, Equal Justice Initiative: I was doing a hearing in the Midwest. I had my suit and tie on. I was there early. It was the first time I had been in that courtroom.

And I sat down at defense counsel’s table, as I always do. And the judge walked in. And the judge said: “Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, you get back out there and you wait out there in the hallway until your lawyer gets here. I don’t want any defendant sitting in my courtroom without their lawyer.”

And I stood up and I said: “I’m sorry, Your Honor. I didn’t introduce myself. My name is Bryan Stevenson. I am the lawyer. And the judge started laughing, and the prosecutor started laughing, and I made myself laugh, because I didn’t want to disadvantage my client.

But, afterwards, I was thinking, what is it that, when this judge saw a middle-aged black man, it didn’t even occur to him that that man sitting at defense counsel’s table was the lawyer?

I worry about that judge. I worry that he’s sentencing defendants of color more harshly. I worry that he doesn’t value and accept the testimony of black and brown witnesses the way he does other people. I worry that a narrative of racial difference compromises his ability to provide fair and just treatment of all people.

SNIP