Justice In Our Courts

For those of you who may not know this story, here.

Ok, so that was my car that was hit in a high speed police chase, involving a car stolen and being driven by some 17 year old boys.

Yesterday was the court trial. I was subpoenaed to come since I was involved in the incident. They thought my car was just hit, but I actually orchestrated the whole thing, it's just coincidence that my car got hit. And of course that was all fake. ACTING!!!

I won't go into all the personal stuff, since that's not what this blog is about so much; however, I went into the whole thing expecting to be disgusted with the court system. This may not surprise you, because I'm always trying to stick it to the man, and I'm kind of against the establishment. The court systems: "Just another thing for Steve to be against."

While in the waiting room I met my neighbors, whose wall was hit by my car, and the lady whose car was stolen. The neighbors came mainly because they were subpoenaed, and just wanted some money for the wall, if that. But the lady whose car was stolen came with receipts and documentation for everything. New car, rental car, stolen items, butt plugs, etc. I think it all totaled out to over 28 thousand dollars.

This woman amazed me. Not the good kind of amazing, but the kind of amazing between "I just want to suffocate you with a pillow over your face, so the world can be better" and "After watching you I've lost too much hope in mankind to even muster up the will to suffocate you with a pillow over your face." I understand that it seemed unfair what happened to her. I understand it cost her a lot of money to replace what she had. What I don't understand is the sorrow and hate that arose from her losing... stuff. I also couldn't understand her irritation with how long the waiting process took. She constantly said she wasn't going to wait, but legally she couldn't leave.

I saw the ugliness of the court system. Maybe I haven't painted a deserving picture of what this woman brought forth, but she and her father cared nothing for anyone else. They cared about themselves. This was a world where if someone threatens to impede on your territory, you fight them off and/or destroy them. This woman was there not seeking justice for all, but justice for her. She didn't see those young boys as humans like her, but demons. I don't believe she saw herself as a human, but more of an angel, who was blameless in the whole situation.

The ugliness of court and of life comes when we make ourselves to be beautiful, deserving angels, and we make "them" to be worthless demons who deserve nothing good and are without hope.

The truth is, this woman was a proponent of injustice, as I am all too often, it just finally caught up with her. Let me explain.

Justice is the way of bringing together the notions of how to make things better, complete, fulfilled. Injustice then, would be how things become screwed up, unbalanced, and wanting. Anything I do, whether huge or minuscule, will add to justice or injustice. Let me add something to that... anything I do or do not do, whether huge or minuscule, will add to justice or injustice.

I steal a car. I have just added to injustice. The world is now more full of car theft than it was before i stole that car. I have made things worse. In a world where car theft is more prevalent, it is naturally more normalized and thus more available as an option for others. Me stealing a car will ultimately lead to more automobile theft.

I need to get some things for around the house. Toothpaste, snacks, toilet paper, and maybe a few other things. I can go to the locally owned drug store with many local products, or I can go to Wal-Mart. Things are cheaper at Wal-Mart, so it would seem more just for me to go there, since it allows me to get the same products and retain more money. When I go to Wal-Mart I support mass-produced commercial items. My money goes to a huge juggernaut company, with millions and billions of dollars. My money is used to pay for products from big elite companies across the world who supply the products, to pay the massive electric bill for the 24 hour store, and to pay the minimum wage employees.
This seems just for me because I'm saving money (as I said). But if I went to the drug store that was local I am investing my money into local people, into local products (that don't drain the ecosystem by being shipped across the world), into the local people who make the local products, into the children of the people who make the local products, etc. You may be saying that stores like this hardly even exist. That may be an injustice in itself. But if I shop locally I am supporting small business. I am spreading the wealth. I am making sure families around me have enough, by stimulating local economy. I am reducing the chances that a poverty stricken "hooligan" will rob or deface my property. By bringing justice to my area I am bringing justice to myself.

Or what about something even as small as crude humor? If I am to tell a racially off-base joke I am adding to the injustice of the world, and ultimately even injustice that effects me. By telling that joke (it could be about another issue like gender or sex, but i chose race here) I am endorsing a set of ideas that are incorrect. Even if I do not believe the ideas of this joke, after all, it's just a joke, I'm still endorsing them. I tell that joke to someone who isn't as racially just in their thinking as I am. That person knows it's a joke, but believes there is truth to it. That truth is expounded upon in life and spread to others in a very different form, maybe racial complaints, stereotypes, segregation. This idea spreading in the area makes it harder for businesses to trust "those people" and thus makes it not only harder for them to find a good job, but also demoralizes who they are. This makes it more likely for them to do things that a confident individual, that is proud of who she is, would never do. Ultimately feeling mistreated and wanting to bring the injustice back to the ones who are being oppressive, which started with things like harmless jokes.

Have I taken this too far? Is this impossible and just fiction from my head? I don't think these are impossible at all. I think our culture has snowballed into what it is from the subtle nuances of culture.

I say all of this to say that the woman is not the angel she thought, and the "delinquent" is not the demon she thought. Neither is free of crime, neither is free of causing injustice, and neither is free of receiving injustice. But the legal system does not show us these things. It almost always neglects to show enemies each other's humanity. It only finds someone guilty or not guilty of a particular crime, without judging society.

I feel like this is why Jesus said it was better to resolve problems out of court. The court doesn't take the responsibility of restoring a bond between enemies, it only restores possessions and gives consequence. Settling outside of court allows for people to come to each other as people, not polarized adversaries. Relationship allows for apology and forgiveness, the court is more rigid and unforgiving.

I have found the court to be a much more just place than I anticipated. Those who believe they have been wronged (not believing they experienced the consequence for their actions or lack there of) are the main cause of injustice. But the court desires for individuals to be made right for the most part. I was amazed how parole officers actually seem to care about the children they are responsible for. They really don't want them to be locked up, they want them to get their education, they want them to be restored. It was beautiful, and in many ways selfless. Very contra to the woman who makes me tear up from her lack of respect toward another human, and ignorance toward how she is acting.

Can penalty, like paying restitutions or "hard" time, be effective in bringing justice? Most certainly. It shows the negative impact of doing wrong. I think this is what victims often want to see as justice. But they disregard love, compassion and hope as the other side of justice, and I'd argue the stronger side of justice. This shows not what the wrong way is, but rather what the right way is. Penalty without love and hope teaches almost nothing. Love and hope without penalty can, I think, lack nothing in justice.

I would love it if victims showed mercy by forgiving the debts of their "demon" debtors every now and then. Maybe the weight that is lifted from that small (or maybe large) expression of love will teach something greater than jail or forced community service ever could.

I do highly respect the way the courts are seeking true justice with these children though. Let's just work on fixing the world so kids don't need to go to court in the first place. Figure out ways that you can bring justice to the world. It may seems like personal injustice toward you now, but it's justice to everyone (including you) in the long run.