I managed to get myself in trouble with the law quite a few times while I was in college and I managed to get out of all of it. I am white and I was a college student when all of this happened.
1.) I got an underage at 19. This one I wouldn't imagine would cause much for anyone, I was 19 and got an underage. I was offered the opportunity to do 30 hours of community service and it was dropped.
2.) Possession of Marijuana. This is a good one. I got caught buying half an ounce of weed and the officers detained me for a few minutes and then let me walk home telling me I'd get a letter in the mail. My state has no decriminalized marijuana. I went to my preliminary hearing and they dropped the possession charge for summary disorderly conduct. $130 fine and I was done.
-There was a black man at the same hearing as me with the same charge who was told it would be brought to trial. I don't know what happened to him later.
3.) Reckless endangerment. I got myself into a situation while drunk that required me to call 911 to help me. I appeared at the hearing and it was summary trespassing. $100 and I was free.
4.) Theft & Transport of stolen goods. I worked for a company and took an old laptop that was going to be trashed and sold it on craigslist. I had no lawyer and the DA told me I needed to get one. Two weeks later the DA calls me and tells me they are putting me into a deferment program. I go onto the program and just need to pay restitution and update the court on my current situation. This ends in May 2012 and all charges against me are dropped.
I am now older and realize how much trouble I put myself into. Shockingly, none of these things have affected my ability to get a job or live a good life. The trespassing and disorderly conduct charge have been expunged. All of these charges have had literally no effect on my professional life.
My point is that I don't understand how I got off so easily. I hear news stories every day here of people doing the same thing and they are often black and charged to the full extent of the law. I was basically given slaps on the wrist over and over.
Law enforcement in this country is ridiculously unequal.
1.) I got an underage at 19. This one I wouldn't imagine would cause much for anyone, I was 19 and got an underage. I was offered the opportunity to do 30 hours of community service and it was dropped.
2.) Possession of Marijuana. This is a good one. I got caught buying half an ounce of weed and the officers detained me for a few minutes and then let me walk home telling me I'd get a letter in the mail. My state has no decriminalized marijuana. I went to my preliminary hearing and they dropped the possession charge for summary disorderly conduct. $130 fine and I was done.
-There was a black man at the same hearing as me with the same charge who was told it would be brought to trial. I don't know what happened to him later.
3.) Reckless endangerment. I got myself into a situation while drunk that required me to call 911 to help me. I appeared at the hearing and it was summary trespassing. $100 and I was free.
4.) Theft & Transport of stolen goods. I worked for a company and took an old laptop that was going to be trashed and sold it on craigslist. I had no lawyer and the DA told me I needed to get one. Two weeks later the DA calls me and tells me they are putting me into a deferment program. I go onto the program and just need to pay restitution and update the court on my current situation. This ends in May 2012 and all charges against me are dropped.
I am now older and realize how much trouble I put myself into. Shockingly, none of these things have affected my ability to get a job or live a good life. The trespassing and disorderly conduct charge have been expunged. All of these charges have had literally no effect on my professional life.
My point is that I don't understand how I got off so easily. I hear news stories every day here of people doing the same thing and they are often black and charged to the full extent of the law. I was basically given slaps on the wrist over and over.
Law enforcement in this country is ridiculously unequal.
