tumblr just recced your blog to me and i legit thought ur icon was a selfie of mine and was fucking terrified for like a full minute lmao. we look....... very similar.
Florida Judge Sentences 21-Year-Old to 10 Days in Jail for Oversleeping and Missing Jury Duty
Talk about getting an “n-word wake up call” —to quote legendary comic Paul Mooney. A young black man, who said he overslept and missed jury duty, got the book thrown at him.
Whether or not we are now considering missing jury duty a crime, a judge in Florida says it is—and it’s punishable by law. 21-year-old Deandre Somerville was sentenced to 10 days in jail plus one year of probation and 150 hours of community service after failing to show up for a trial in August.
According to NBC News, the West Palm Beach, Fla., native was chosen as a juror Aug. 20 for a civil trial in Florida’s 15th judicial circuit and was ordered to return the following day at 9:30 a.m. He reportedly woke up late and sought answers online regarding possible punishments for missing jury duty.
“I should have called,” he told the outlet. “But I was kind of nervous. I also went online to look up what could really happen, and I didn’t really see too much there. … [It looked like] nobody actually ever really went to jail for it.”
A rude awakening, literally, soon came upon him.
Somerville, who works for the West Palm Beach Parks and Recreation Department’s afterschool programs, was cited for criminal contempt of the court by Palm Beach County Circuit Judge John S. Kastrenakes on Sept. 23.
“When a juror is selected and sworn, the administration of justice in this courthouse depends on you following the orders of the court,” Kastrenakes said, according to court records, adding that the trial was delayed for almost an hour while the court waited for the young man.
In addition to an initial sentence of 10 days in jail, one year of probation and 150 hours of community service, Somerville was also required to write a letter of apology to the court and pay $223 to cover court costs.
At the hearing Friday, Somerville, who said the jail sentence—which he served—was “a little overdone” and read his letter of apology aloud to the court.
“This was an immature decision that I made and I paid for with my freedom,” the letter read, according to NBC News. “I am extremely sorry for my actions. I also sincerely apologize for delaying the trial by 45 minutes and not being considerate of other people’s time.”
“I know I may have to live with a record that follows me for the rest of my life,” the letter continued. “This was definitely a learning experience and a wake-up call for me. … I’m determined to not let this define who I am and what my future will be.”
During the hearing, his probation was reduced to three months and his community service requirement was reduced to 30 hours. Somerville, who plans to be a firefighter, told theAssociated Pressthat he prayed daily and wrote in a notebook.
“I feel like I didn’t need any rehabilitation… I just made a mistake,” he told NBC News.
Fucking ridiculous. Jail time, probation fees, a fine, community service and a record for life for oversleeping while Black… The judge singled him out because “he was the only African American.” 🙄
They be like, “But this has nothing to do with rac—”
Bullshit! It has everything to do with race, and about getting as many black men involved in the criminal justice system as possible. All that punishment and rehab just for oversleeping is ridiculous. Why? Because when you’re a black man and you make anyfucking mistake at all, then you need to have the hammer of justice brought down on you to teach you never to fuck up again.
All of these tweets and more can be found under this thread.
So my brother and I were best friends growing up. He was hilarious and we got into all kinds of trouble. I still can’t believe some of the shit we got away with. Anyway I guess he had a nervous breakdown one day and accidentally killed a guy. I saw what happened and it totally wasn’t his fault. But he ran away, ranting about how his entire life was a lie or something. Turns out, he was adopted and our parents never told us. I didn’t hear from him for a few years after that. Then he just shows up at this party I’m having. He’s totally grown out his beard like some kind of mountain man. But whatever, my brother is back! So I welcome him home and he pulls this snake out of nowhere. Like, an actual snake. So I try to play it cool. Knowing my brother, this has got to be some kind of practical joke. But my buddies flip out and next thing I know, they pull out some snakes too. I’m thinking, I have to get this under control before this turns into a goddamn reptile show. But before I can say anything, my brother’s snake eats their snakes, which, okay, I guess that improves the situation? So I take my brother aside and ask him what prank he’s trying to pull. That’s when he gets all serious. He reminds me that our dad did some pretty shady stuff, which wasn’t really that big of a deal to me but I guess it was to him. He tells me to check my privilege or some shit and that I should let his people go and anyway that’s how I lost my brother to social justice.
“Big Pharma” okay are we talking about how privatization and monetization has deeply corrupted the field of medicine or are you talking about how you think chemicals in the water are making the frogs gay
“GMOs”? Are we talking seeds that grow sterile plants and patenting genetic modifications then destroying any competition no matter how small they are? Or are we talking life saving rice with vitamin a to make sure kids don’t go blind in regions not suited for other high vit a veg? … or are we talking about your chidoodle?
Conversely, “alternative medicines”? Are we talking the traditional practices of non-Western societies which have an ancient history of being the cultural tools that allowed communities to take care of the health of their members and are nowadays rigorously studied within these communities to adapt them to the needs of the contemporary life, and can offer important prompts to modern medicine? Or are we talking about a white woman who traveled to India twice, followed a five-hour seminar and knows everything about inner energies now
