Thread by @ScottHech

In criminal court arraignments in Brooklyn. When public defenders meet people we represent, prosecution formally charges, judge determines bail & whether to issue orders of protection. Today, I’m going to focus on the pain the government inflicts everyday based on hearsay alone.

Its only 9:50am & already seen 6 people hauled, back cuffed, before a judge. Stopped, searched, arrested, cuffed, transported, fingerprinted, held in squalid conditions overnight, caged, retinas scanned, charged w/ crimes, facing 1 year on Rikers.

All entirely based on hearsay.

Prosecution has requested 6 orders of protection this morning. Btwn girlfriend & boyfriend, neighbors, parent & children. On one occasion, prosecutor had to ask defense the precise relationship. Orders mean: forced separation, eviction, homelessness.

All based on hearsay alone.

Just now: A young woman ordered to stay away from her apt building. Where shes lived all her life & now w/ young son. For at least 3 mos while this case winds its way thru the system. Where will she & her son live? Prosecution requested. Judge granted.

All based on hearsay alone

Directly behind the “In God We Trust” sign in courtroom are literal cages. Hidden from view. Just walked back. Filled with men & women. All except one Black & Latinx. Many have hospital wrist bands on. Some handcuffed to chairs. Others pacing.

All there based on hearsay alone.

Just now: A man stopped, frisked, cuffed, arrested, caged, fingerprinted, held overnight, charged with possession of a controlled substance (an A Misdemeanor punishable by a year in jail) for allegedly smoking K-2. Officer doesn’t test. Claims he can tell.

All based on hearsay.

Today prosecutor reflexively requesting orders of protection in every case. When defense attorneys ask for relief, point out hardships, request "incidental contact" bc they live in the same neighborhood or building or family, prosecutor reflexively opposes.

All based on hearsay

Right now: man in full hospital garb. Obviously in discomfort.

Nevertheless, NYPD has his hands tightly cuffed behind his back. He’s holding onto his hands to help stem the pain. Alleged fight w/ his sister. Charged w/ a crime. Order of protection issued.

All based on hearsay.

Often “RAP sheets” underscore the failure of the criminal legal system w/ stunning clarity.

Now: An old man.

102 convictions
1 felony from 1983. Teenager Imprisoned. Marginalized. Since:

48 drug possession
40 petit theft & subway fare
9 trespass

Today: Drugs again. A cycle.

Trump still in the White House while a young man I met just now is handcuffed to a chair outside the cells of criminal court just brought in from the hospital, charged with a crime for resisting arrest while his foot is in a massive cast, fractured by a police baton.

Trump & Graham complaining about whistleblower complaint based on “hearsay.”

This afternoon: I met 3 parents. 2 moms. 1 dad. Caged. Forcibly separated from their children, ordered to stay away from their homes, ACS called, lives upended. Arrested. Charged.

All based on hearsay.