Today one of my best friends had to go to court for a DUI. He has been sooooo nervous and I really wanted to find a way to give him support this morning and to really help him let go of that anxiety. So I set my alarm for 8am and those of you who know me, know I DO NOT get up early at all..lol. Anyway so when I woke up and I had to really think about what was I going to say to him that meant something, that wasn't just a good luck. How could I let him know I was there for him and that he would be ok. So I prayed on it and GOD basically said " DUHH Koya PRAY WITH HIM". I know super simple right. Not really. I wouldn't consider him to be super religious but I know he believes in GOD. So I just told him I was here for him, and he would be fine and that I really wanted to pray with him. This was all in a text because I know he was nervous and when that happens he doesn't need to talk he needs to be able to just be. So I just said "Bow your head" and I went from there. It's amazing that you can go from a babbling idiot to someone who just has these words flowing from them only that can come from GOD. I sent it and didn't get a response until 30 min later and it just said "Thanks Koya". I don't know if it helped him or not but I did my part and felt good about it. Sometimes he doesn't have the type of support he needs from some of the people around him. They would try to soothe him in other ways that I believe would be inappropriate for this moment.
SO many Black men are in the system these days and no one is really preparing them for the actual court dates. Yea if you have resources and money you can get a lawyer or you can risk it and get a shit public defender who doesn't give two shits about the people who need them. Regardless of what people do I feel as though everyone should be able to have the support of someone who knows the ropes, someone who is actually looking out for their best interest. Some people don't know the severity of the consequences of their actions. For a DUI that you get in the DC area could go a lot of ways. They told him even though he had been going to the classes that they have you attend and pay for you may also have to do jail time. Now this is where the system seem super shady. Why after he has been going to classes would jail time be given. What's the point of dishing out a punishment months ago and having them actually do the things they are supposed to and still possibly giving jail time. WHAT! And what exactly is jail time going to do for them. Ok it might scare some into not doing it again but it seems to me to make them go to classes about drunk driving is appropriate. He had to go to so many classes and still has to continue and pay for it, he will end up spending about 800$ for these classes. And they also have to attend AA meetings. So why the possibility for jail time. Why didn't they just lock him up in the beginning, why not do it when they first see you in court instead of seeing them the second time and telling them " Oh by the way even though you are doing the things we ask you may still have to go to jail". I mean the system is soooo crazy. It's like giving jail time to people isn't always the right thing to do. If you lock up people who are on drugs all that does is keep them sober by default. Our government isn't doing anything to make sure that when they get back on the street that they won't fall back into the habit. How about we actually send them to rehab, give them real help so they become better citizens, better people. Nope let's just lock their asses up. Sounds like a GREAT plan. Yes sometimes they do programs with them for their habit but not all the time.
So my question and concern is...Do we as nation want to help people, guide them in the right direction or do we just want to get rid of them, stuff them away in a cell so they are OUT OF MIND OUT OF SIGHT?
Update: He went to court. And got there and the judge tells him he can go because the cop didn't even show up. So I believe the charges were dropped... Isn't that amazing. He had been stressing out for months and finally gets there this morning, takes some of those classes (mind you he had to pay for them) and then the damn case ends up being dropped. GOD worked super fast this morning.
a few years ago I shared an office with a woman (generally unhappy woman I must add) She was a Debbie Downer. Then her mom got really sick and she was even more depressed about her life. One day she was practically in tears and I blurted "Can I pray with you?" I immediately regretted saying it. I had no idea what I was going to say in this prayer. I closed our office door and came around her desk to hold her hands while I prayed. I asked God to comfort her mother during her illness and help her family accept whatever His will was. I don't remember what else I said but as soon as I finished she gave me a big hug and thanked me. The dark cloud over her heart was lifted. It made working with her a lot easier. We lost touch when our company was bought out a few months after that. We found each other a few months ago on FB (few years after this happened) and she said, I never forgot that day you prayed with me. Something I thought was so insignificant really meant something to her. God works through us and uses us when we allow Him :-)
ReplyDelete