LITTLE HITLERA

I served on a Travis County Grand Jury in 2010.

Mostly everyone knows that Grand Jurors as well as the proceedings are generally sworn to secrecy and I will of course not talk specifically about any case.  Specific cases are not what I believe need light shined on.  I think the PEOPLE, the dynamics of the interaction of the grand jurors and their deliberations make the biggest difference in the outcomes more than anything else. Our socio-economic makeups are paramount in this dynamic and in the instance I served, it was often duly noted and realized by everyone involved.  That's what really bothered me as we deliberated in justice.

We had a judge who decided WHO the foreperson would be that chose this person based on her speaking diction as well as the position she held with her employment.  This was a mistake because simply put, and I believe I speak for the majority of the group, the lady had some bolts missing.  In the beginning we all gave her the benefit of a doubt that first day but after the first session we all knew we had a dud.  There was mutiny hovering in the air from day one. 

 We had:

1. a WHITE female attorney 30 something
2. a WHITE male mortician 60 something
3. a WHITE male attorney 60 something
4. a WHITE insurance guy (50ish) who was replaced at the end by a rich guy (70-ish)
5. a BROWN retired Army guy & mortician 70 something
6. a BLACK female city of Austin employee 50 something
7. a BROWN female volunteer unemployed 60 something
8. a BEIGE male business executivea & retired cop 57
9. a WHITE female professional photographer 60 something
10. a BLACK male retired postman 60 something
11. a BLACK male trying to get married and trying to start a new business 20 something
12. a BROWN male lobbyist 20 something

I joke that I am BEIGE but seriously WWHAAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE and even if it does matter, should it?  I don't muster the will to argue about color so let's laugh instead. 

I am also so very much tempted to quip that there were some more "women" because of the WAY some of the men voted but that would not be nice so I won't say it (even though I just did).  Deep down I believe in my heart that the only reason our group allowed this woman to run amuck so long is because of the timidity of those "men" I just referred.  It was sad.  Another thing was none of the Whites wanted to confront her and end her power thirstyness because they did not want to be deemed as racially insensitive... That's right, the foreperson was a Black Female and woe was upon mostly all of us because we wanted to deliberate justice and not injustice. Those two "women" I just referred, a Black and a Brown who kissed her butt and even though they were often late, absent, left early, you name it there was never any admonishment for their actions or inactions by the foreperson. 

I really didn't care if they were present or not because the way they voted was always from a perspective of INEXPERIENCE with life in general, especially a life that they represented being both minorities.  One of them (the Brown) claimed he grew up in a ghetto but seriously, if you ever did live in true poverty you are not going to vote the way these jokers voted and you certainly wouldn't be joking about the plights of poor people (like themselvees) caught in felony jail situations or who were fleeing deathly situations in Mexico seeking safety. They were too apathetic to care.

So many stupid things transpired in that jury room that were a direct result of the power hungry nature of this bereaucrat that was appointed over us.  She wanted us to ask for permission to pee.  Do you realize that most of the group had some kind of health issue?  One guy just had a heart transplant, I just stopped being BLIND and started driving after THREE years, I have diabetes and glaucoma and God knows what else, several others had stuff too and here you have little Hitler's female counterpart asking you to raise your hand to go pee?  F that.