This time last week I wrote a pretty personal Diary asking for help. You can read it yourself if you want. I kind of don't want to revist it directly now cause it was painful to write. Then even more painful cause I am not sure how to express my gratute when what I asked for, help, was given to me at levels I didn't think possible. I am not good with stuff like that. I love to offer help or a shoulder to lean on .... not so sure how to accept that support in return.
No instead I am going to bitch and rant. I have bitched and ranted here before, but this one is going to somewhat personal. See I am a drunk. I got a DUI awhile back (totally guilty). The state of Illinois is making me take these classes.
I never have a problem, even in a room of strangers, saying exactly what I think. But in the first like 20 hours of these classes I've said almost nothing. Things were said by those running these classes that would blow your mind. Stupid shit.
Today one person, an African immigrant from Kenya, asked if the bar for him taking these classes was different. See on our smoke break he found out (1) The state of Illinois seemed to give him a harsher sentence and (2) This class cost him more than all the "white" people in the excact same class.
He then asked, openly, not mad just wondering, if there was a multiple-tier system.
What happens next is below the fold.
I sat quietly as this person running the class, an African American women said nope. Everybody is treated fairly. This is the United States. This immigrant was wrong.* This went on for a few minutes and I lost it.
I said this ....
Of course we have a two teir justice system in this country. When I went to court I had on a $3,000 suit, a lawyer. I was clearly white. I saw like 7 people before me go in-front of the judge. The charges were all read. Often the hammer came down. Harsh sentences.
My charges were read, it was a long, long list.
A guy I had been talking with, I heard him whisper, "this dude is fucked."
I walked out of the place, with a slap on the wrist. He was stunned ....
I went on to explain that if you look at the 2010 Census we live in a county that is 87% white. More than half of the people in this class are African American. Sit outside of the court room for these cases and about 85% of the people are miniotires. Numbers don't lie.
Do I think an African American have a chance to be more of a drunk then myself? Nope.
I then said, "wake up ..." and I stopped myself.
I hope none of you middle-to-upper-middle class get into the legal system like I have. But it is as FUBAR as you read here and then some.
*I was charged $125 for an assessment. $300 or $10 an hour for 30 hours. He was charged $220 for 6 hours and $100 for an assent.