DanLin O.
Even though I passed by the Manhattan Criminal Court countless of times before, I never went inside the building nor have I ever sat in a courtroom. However, I was able to witness formal court proceedings for the first time ever on Monday during the class trip to the Criminal Court. Initially, I thought that it would be very serious in the courtroom–and it was for the second courtroom we visited–but this was not the case for the first courtroom we sat in. Everyone in the courtroom seemed to be very lax and carefree. I observed a lawyer who was logged onto Facebook on the computer, a police officer who was eating Animal Crackers, another lawyer was reading the newspaper, and in general, everyone–including the judge–was laughing and chatting with each other. However, when we moved upstairs to the second courtroom, the atmosphere became tense and somber. It was quiet, and everyone was focused on the case that was presented. Compared to the second courtroom, the first courtroom had too much happening all at once. Attorneys were bustling about, police officers were escorting people in and out the courtroom, and authorized personnel was entering and leaving the courtroom at will. I could tell that the second courtroom we visited dealt with cases of bigger importance and required more severity.
It is interesting to note that most of the people who were charged with a crime were African Americans. There were also people who appeared Hispanic. I did not see any Caucasians or Asians who needed to have a hearing at the court. This observation only reinforces the claims that police officers tend to racially profile non-Caucasians for crimes made by many of the authors we have discussed in class. Another observation I made that I think is noteworthy is that the judge and many of the police officers in the first court were colored, but in the second court, the judge and some of the police officers were white. I noticed this difference immediately I entered the second courtroom. I’m not sure if this is true for all courts, but it makes you wonder whether everyone is really equal or Caucasians still have priority over minorities.
Even though the law says that “all men are created equal,” I did not get the same feeling during my visit to the Manhattan Criminal Court. However, it was still interesting to observe court proceedings since this was my first time in a courtroom. I kind of wish that the person who was testifying in the second court would have pointed to someone in my class as the offender. The person looked kind of dazed, and it would have provided some humor. That is until we realize how serious the situation would be. Of course, this is all just wishful thinking.
