http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/04/02/judge.whites.out/index.html Judge admits mistake in kicking whites out of court * Story Highlights * Judge Marvin Arrington regrets decision to remove white lawyers from court * Arrington says he wanted to talk to black defendants, urging them to get lives together * Arrington plans to open court to everyone Thursday, deliver same speech (CNN) -- An Atlanta, Georgia, judge who ordered white lawyers out of his courtroom so he could lecture African-American defendants called that decision a "mistake" Tuesday night. "In retrospect, it was a mistake," Judge Marvin Arrington told CNN. "Because my sheriff said to me, 'Judge, that message should be given to everybody' -- 'Don't violate the law, make something out of yourself, go to school, find a role model, somebody that will help you advance your life.'" Arrington, who is African-American, is a judge in Fulton County, Georgia, which includes the city of Atlanta. He said he got fed up seeing a parade of young black defendants shuffle into his courtroom and decided to address them one day last week -- out of the earshot of white lawyers. "I came out and saw the defendants, and it was about 99.9 percent Afro-Americans," Arrington told CNN affiliate WSB-TV of Atlanta, "and at some point in time, I excused some lawyers -- most of them white -- and said to the young people in here, 'What in the world are you doing with your lives?'" The judge thought his message would make a greater impact if he delivered it to a black-only audience, he said. VideoWatch judge talk about decision to lecture black defendants » "I didn't want them to think I was talking down to them; trying to embarrass them or insult them; be derogatory toward them, and I was just saying, 'Please get yourself together,'" Arrington said. In his Tuesday night appearance on CNN, Arrington told Anderson Cooper that that seeing the same faces walk in and out of his courtroom year after year takes its toll. "I ask them all the the time, 'What progress are we making with you?' And sometime they cannot answer," he said. He said he would open his court doors to everyone on Thursday and "I am going to give the same identical speech: 'You've got to do better.'"
He made a mistake in judgment. He was well-intentioned. He admitted his mistake. Story over for those of us who aren't drama freaks. (His lecture was a good one, by the way)
There was a similiar story on a family court judge but he would take the kids and parents in chambers without lawyers in violation of procedure. The people loved him, He made a difference in lives, he eventually had to end that process to no ones benefit except the law had to be followed. I believe he was fed up. Should be a wake up call to the system, not another courtroom crisis.
Good grief. Imagine if a white judge had thrown blacks out to talk to white criminals in an atmosphere free of blacks because he thought they might be more comfortable as a result!! Holy shit, there'd be cries of racism from Rev. Al, Jesse Jackson, et al, and immediate calls to have him stripped of his judgeship.
blacks have problems unique to themselves ... everyone knows this ... and racism has NOTHING to do with it ... just another example of coddling stupidity... if the judge really gave a damn, he would have flogged each one of these thoughtless criminals in a public square, and then fined their parents and made a special attempt to embarrase and humiliate anyone and everyone accountable for the state of their stupidity. me and my white brethren are completely off the hook on this one ... we gave it a go, spent trillions on the "war on poverty", and still less than half graduate high-school.... it's cultural, thank god they are minorities.... although the majroity will soon be blacks/hispanic ... what do you do then?....
"spent trillions on the "war on poverty", and still less than half graduate high-school...." No doubt about that. Repeating the same tired programs that don't work in city after city, year after year. Did you see the news in Detroit, about a 24% hs graduation rate. A philanthopist offered 200 m to build 15 to 20 charter schools, the teachers union protested, no deal. I've read books dealing with the problems and subsequent solutions dating from the 1960's. People know what to do and what works. it isn't done and won't be done.
Looks like yall need some help going to sleep... <img src=http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/detail/373963b.jpg>