Los Angeles Superior Kangaroo Court
by Clark Baxter
I sat in Division 64 and watched as Judge William C. Beverly thundered away about the sacredness of truth in the halls of justice. He warned all of those there about to be arraigned for their traffic violations that each of their infractions were serious business and that if they were caught lying in the sacred hall there could be severe consequences as they would be charged with perjury. He warned that failure to appear or to make restitution for their crimes would also be met with severe penalties. They were all lined up like cattle to make their plea. If they chose to fight their ticket they would commit to pay for all of the fines and penalties up-front. If they chose to plea "no-contest" or "guilty" they would be able to make payment arrangements.
Then one by one they came to the podium and received their sentence. It all sounded so innocuous, a $25 fine - or $35. But it was a sham! Where was truth when he was dispensing his "justice"? He masked the true nature of the fines which secretly included fees, penalties, and interest. One cripple homeless woman who hobbled to the podium seemed confused and dared ask a question. Judge William C. Beverly, who was certain to go home to the comfort of his warm home, thundered away at her. How dare she ask a question? She pulled herself out of (God only knows which) freeway pass to be there. She hobbled up the steps to the building and stood in line to care for her responsibility from a life long left behind where she had violated the law driving a car that was now only a memory to attempt to set things right. Her question was met with righteous indignation from the pulpit. Judge William C. Beverly sneered at her that, for asking a question, she could be subject to six months in jail if he only said the word. Where was the truth in that statement?
Is it any wonder that our jails are over crowded and that anyone sentenced to time for their traffic ticket will only serve 10% of the penalty? Had Judge William C. Beverly imposed a six-month sentence, this homeless woman would have only served 18 days for her crime. 18 days of three square meals a day and a place to receive shelter from the cold nights. I was angered by what I witnessed but my temperature was only just beginning to rise.
When I got to the line at the cashier's window I began to understand the true nature of the court. I could hear the wailing of people as they learned that the fines they heard inside of court, that seemed so nominal, did not include any penalties, fees, or interest imposed. Their simple $25 fine as had been announced in court, that had seemed so reasonable, was not given to them in any detail. Instead on a sheet of paper was listed the only the total amount lacking explanation or itemization. They walked to the cashier expecting to pay $25 but instead were given the bad news that they owed several hundred dollars. Some of the lawbreakers were there for multiple violations and one woman found out that she owed a total of $17,000 that she would never be able to afford to pay.
But the gavel had already been slammed down on the downtrodden. The order was already entered by his honor, William C. Beverly. They were never told the real total while they were in court. They were misled by the Kangaroo Court in the County of Los Angeles. The sacredness of truth was all a lie - a sham - flimflam - a con by those who should be the protectors of truth and the administrators of justice.
That night I was at the Coffee Bean sipping on coffee. There was a Hispanic man cleaning up around closing time. I got a chance to talk to him as he took his break. He showed me his prized possession - a late model luxury car. I asked him how he could afford it. He replied, "I used to drive a beat up Honda. From the tickets I got in that car, I was drowned in debt." He used his savings from his "no more tickets" to purchase this car. "I used to get pulled over all of the time when I drove that Honda but now I never get pulled over." That was a watershed moment for me. I finally understood what it was all about.
It hit me what all of the fuss is about in Ferguson, New York, Baltimore and right here in the County of Los Angeles. Law Enforcement is pressured to put revenue on the books. Nobody cares where it comes from or how collectible it is - that is always someone else's problem. They write tickets to the low-lying fruit - the downtrodden. They target the beat up Hondas of the world. Cops pile onto poverty's already disadvantaged plight. Why? Because the downtrodden have no ability to navigate our complicated system - they are easy marks. Those that drive the flashy BMWs or Mercedes Benzes are a bad bust because they are connected politically and they hire lawyers that file complaints. Cops don't want complaints in their jackets. They want promotions and salary increases. The media attempts to make this a Black/White thing but the truth is that COPS TARGET THE POOR. William C. Beverly is just the face of it but he is only a symptom of the real problem - a system that places an unfair burden on those with an inherent inability to pay. We are creating the homeless - many of those in court that day were speaking about hanging on by their fingernails. Which fine is the one that will push them onto the streets?
How long are we going to wait before we fix this? I heard the grumbling in line at the cashier's widow. We have all seen the images of the riots. Will we fix it before grumbling turns violent? When enough people have nothing to lose they can be dangerous. A great step might include all of those engaged in policing and administering justice taking the oath to "first do no harm."
I sat in Division 64 and watched as Judge William C. Beverly thundered away about the sacredness of truth in the halls of justice. He warned all of those there about to be arraigned for their traffic violations that each of their infractions were serious business and that if they were caught lying in the sacred hall there could be severe consequences as they would be charged with perjury. He warned that failure to appear or to make restitution for their crimes would also be met with severe penalties. They were all lined up like cattle to make their plea. If they chose to fight their ticket they would commit to pay for all of the fines and penalties up-front. If they chose to plea "no-contest" or "guilty" they would be able to make payment arrangements.
Then one by one they came to the podium and received their sentence. It all sounded so innocuous, a $25 fine - or $35. But it was a sham! Where was truth when he was dispensing his "justice"? He masked the true nature of the fines which secretly included fees, penalties, and interest. One cripple homeless woman who hobbled to the podium seemed confused and dared ask a question. Judge William C. Beverly, who was certain to go home to the comfort of his warm home, thundered away at her. How dare she ask a question? She pulled herself out of (God only knows which) freeway pass to be there. She hobbled up the steps to the building and stood in line to care for her responsibility from a life long left behind where she had violated the law driving a car that was now only a memory to attempt to set things right. Her question was met with righteous indignation from the pulpit. Judge William C. Beverly sneered at her that, for asking a question, she could be subject to six months in jail if he only said the word. Where was the truth in that statement?
Is it any wonder that our jails are over crowded and that anyone sentenced to time for their traffic ticket will only serve 10% of the penalty? Had Judge William C. Beverly imposed a six-month sentence, this homeless woman would have only served 18 days for her crime. 18 days of three square meals a day and a place to receive shelter from the cold nights. I was angered by what I witnessed but my temperature was only just beginning to rise.
When I got to the line at the cashier's window I began to understand the true nature of the court. I could hear the wailing of people as they learned that the fines they heard inside of court, that seemed so nominal, did not include any penalties, fees, or interest imposed. Their simple $25 fine as had been announced in court, that had seemed so reasonable, was not given to them in any detail. Instead on a sheet of paper was listed the only the total amount lacking explanation or itemization. They walked to the cashier expecting to pay $25 but instead were given the bad news that they owed several hundred dollars. Some of the lawbreakers were there for multiple violations and one woman found out that she owed a total of $17,000 that she would never be able to afford to pay.
But the gavel had already been slammed down on the downtrodden. The order was already entered by his honor, William C. Beverly. They were never told the real total while they were in court. They were misled by the Kangaroo Court in the County of Los Angeles. The sacredness of truth was all a lie - a sham - flimflam - a con by those who should be the protectors of truth and the administrators of justice.
That night I was at the Coffee Bean sipping on coffee. There was a Hispanic man cleaning up around closing time. I got a chance to talk to him as he took his break. He showed me his prized possession - a late model luxury car. I asked him how he could afford it. He replied, "I used to drive a beat up Honda. From the tickets I got in that car, I was drowned in debt." He used his savings from his "no more tickets" to purchase this car. "I used to get pulled over all of the time when I drove that Honda but now I never get pulled over." That was a watershed moment for me. I finally understood what it was all about.
It hit me what all of the fuss is about in Ferguson, New York, Baltimore and right here in the County of Los Angeles. Law Enforcement is pressured to put revenue on the books. Nobody cares where it comes from or how collectible it is - that is always someone else's problem. They write tickets to the low-lying fruit - the downtrodden. They target the beat up Hondas of the world. Cops pile onto poverty's already disadvantaged plight. Why? Because the downtrodden have no ability to navigate our complicated system - they are easy marks. Those that drive the flashy BMWs or Mercedes Benzes are a bad bust because they are connected politically and they hire lawyers that file complaints. Cops don't want complaints in their jackets. They want promotions and salary increases. The media attempts to make this a Black/White thing but the truth is that COPS TARGET THE POOR. William C. Beverly is just the face of it but he is only a symptom of the real problem - a system that places an unfair burden on those with an inherent inability to pay. We are creating the homeless - many of those in court that day were speaking about hanging on by their fingernails. Which fine is the one that will push them onto the streets?
How long are we going to wait before we fix this? I heard the grumbling in line at the cashier's widow. We have all seen the images of the riots. Will we fix it before grumbling turns violent? When enough people have nothing to lose they can be dangerous. A great step might include all of those engaged in policing and administering justice taking the oath to "first do no harm."
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