What does 'Court' mean?
Find out what Court means. Court is explained by Ron Alexander - author of Don't Tell Me What To Do: A Spiritual Memoir
Court
At the sheriff’s office, I was booked, fingerprinted and questioned at warp speed. All I could hope for was that a judge would take my cooperation into consideration, that my age would have a positive bearing on the outcome. I didn’t have a criminal record. I had never been arrested as an adult. No matter what, I resolved, I would not beg for mercy.When the cell door slammed behind me, I felt the finality in my bones. I had been locked up before, but never like this. The cell was dark, smelly and claustrophobic. I was shut off from daylight, fresh air and everything familiar to me. The toilet and sink were filthy, turned yellow from days, months, maybe years of neglect. Graffiti was scribbled and carved into the four walls encasing me. There were no visible signs or sounds of life, except for my own erratic breathing, and the thud of me plopping down onto the metal bed. I was fulfilling Mama’s prophecy. If I didn't die in the streets, I
would die in prison.
The court showed me no mercy. I was sentenced to eighteen months to five years in prison, a tough, unusually long sentence according to the public defender. “I really thought that your record would help you out,” he said to me after sentencing. “With good behavior, you might be out in two years.” Small comfort. I had always wanted to disappear into thin air. Now I would be able to vanish without a trace of what I had become.
Search result for 'Court' in Don't Tell Me What To Do: A Spiritual Memoir
Chapter 3:
Back Where I Belonged - 1959-1965
62.
"... * *
“Will the parents of this boy please approach the bench.”
I scanned the Courtroom for my mother's face. The judge kept her eyes locked on me. “Is the mother of this child in the Courtroom?”
No one answered.
Judge Stout pursed her lips. ..."
64.
"... No one answered.
Judge Stout pursed her lips. “Is the father, John Duffy, in the Courtroom?” I twisted my neck both ways behind me to see who would stand. “Is this boy's father, John Duffy, in the Courtroom?” the judge repeated.
No one ..."
72.
"... I shouted out. “Did you hear me that time?”
The judge shuffled papers. She then planted her elbows on the bench, slightly raising herself up to meet my eyes. “John Duffy is the name in the Court records, sir.”
“—Who the hell is John Duffy!”
..."
"...My mother was helpless against my wrath and sought help again from Family Court, only this time before Judge Stout, I was designated, at fifteen years old, as “incorrigible.” I can't be fixed. Judge Stout, keeping with her threat, sentenced me to serve time in ..."
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Chapter 4:
Black Panther - 1966-1969
49.
"... this
on May 1, a few weeks from now. Demonstrations were being planned around the country on the steps of federal Courthouses. I had been asked me if I could organize a protest in New London. I gave my word, made a solemn promise that I would get the job done.
Cousin ..."
51.
"... on the planet I
could trust with my plans. We had always been close. When I revealed my plans for a demonstration in New London, she listened without interruption. I painted a picture of hundreds of students carousing on the steps of the Courthouse in New London.
“What you’re ..."
"...Court I stood at the window scanning the streets around my car to determine if I was being watched. If only I had a joint to smoke, something I had become accustomed to when I became nervous. ..."
"...Courtt was 8:25. The voices raged on within my head. Slowly and patiently I pulled out into the street. I was unable to think of a reason to go on with my plans for the rally. Yet, ..."
"...Court There was not a dashiki, a black beret, a leather jacket or a Black face on the Courthouse steps. The Courthouse steps were empty. I was the first demonstrator to arrive, which was what I didn’t want. ..."
"...Courtally—with reservations tying a knot in my gut--I parked my car around the corner from the Courthouse. I walked around my car to the trunk where I did something that I was unaccustomed to. I prayed. I asked God to protect me. I opened the trunk and lifted ..."
"...Courted. I barely managed to shut the trunk. I decided at that moment that I was going through with it. Voices cheered in my head. When I walked around the corner, on the side ..."
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Chapter 7:
Desecration - 1976-1980
"...Court The Court showed me no mercy. I was sentenced to eighteen months to five years in prison, a tough, unusually long sentence according to the public defender. “I really thought that your record would help you out,” he said to me after ..."
