Traffic court fashion statements

[venusinpisces]

Question: if you were scheduled to appear for a court hearing and had the means to present yourself accordingly, what impression would you attempt to convey to the judge? Responsible office professional, or gangsta thug with excessive bling? The reason I ask is because I was recently ordered to appear before the judge on account of the heinous crime of storing my bicycle on the middle of the train car as opposed to its designated spot on the end, and I was surprised to see that roughly half of the courtroom was adorned in their finest designer sweatpants, gold jewelry and other assorted pimp gear. One woman turned everyone's heads when she sauntered in wearing spike heels and a dress so tight it looked like it was painted on. Previously, I had assumed the most appropriate attire would be the conservative office professional outfit I had borrowed from my roommate, but now I'm not so sure. Perhaps the wisest choice is to to dress in a similar style as the man who wore faded sweatpants, a gold chain and an old t-shirt stating "You can trust me. I'm a doctor" (seriously, he really wore that). When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? I do wish they would provide us with instructions for these little dilemmas.

 

[wizehop]

Dress decent man..you aint even making a statement looking like a skid..end of the day regardless how you look your just another forgotten face in a faceless system. Might as well try and get some leniency for your own sake.

 

[venusinpisces]

I probably should have made the irony in that post more obvious given the young age of many forum members, who are probably inclined towards exactly the kind of poor decisions as all the fashionistas in the courtroom. The whole point was that acting rebellious in that kind of situation (in the courtroom or in police custody) is a terrible decision because absolutely nothing can be gained from it. Seriously, law enforcement does not think you're cute. In fact, the judge was very obviously eager to increase those people's sentences. I was hoping it wouldn't be necessary to spell that out.

 

[Mouse]

bitches be trippin!

 

[wizehop]

The one thing I realized over the past two years in my dealing with the courts ext is their just glorified paper pushers. Prosecution, Judges, even cops..they basically just file papers and people.. that's fucking it. In a way it made me feel better about the whole thing, but getting locked up even for a short time and being told what I can and cant do for a while got to me in a really bad way. Showed me just how much control the whole system really has if they want....gota keep the mind free though!

 

[Earth]

When I got arrested for something that was completely my fault, I just played the game - and wound up being just fine since they like it if you show them a little respect and decency...
On the other hand, I knew a girl who got a ticket on the NYC subways - probably 6 or 7 years ago - for simply being barefoot, and she fought it in court - and even showed up barefoot.
I honestly don't recall the coutcome, but I respected her decision to be exactly who she was...

There's usually a reason why someone is in a court room, and to me it's best to play along, go through the motions and maybe even learn something from it.

I know I certainly did.

 

[venusinpisces]

On the other hand, I knew a girl who got a ticket on the NYC subways - probably 6 or 7 years ago - for simply being barefoot, and she fought it in court - and even showed up barefoot.
I honestly don't recall the coutcome, but I respected her decision to be exactly who she was...

It sounds like that girl was attempting a form of civil disobedience which is a bit different than all the people wearing pimp gear in court, who I'm quite sure would not relish the thought of being jailed for traffic violations sheerly on principle. And in case it seemed otherwise, the point of the original post wasn't to minimize the reality of the criminal injustice system, just to get people to exercise some common sense in order to avoid unnecessary legal problems. Anyways, people sure are taking this thread seriously!

 

[venusinpisces]

The one thing I realized over the past two years in my dealing with the courts ext is their just glorified paper pushers. Prosecution, Judges, even cops..they basically just file papers and people.. that's fucking it. In a way it made me feel better about the whole thing, but getting locked up even for a short time and being told what I can and cant do for a while got to me in a really bad way. Showed me just how much control the whole system really has if they want....gota keep the mind free though!

I used to catch an attitude with police when I was about 18 and a couple 30 day stints cured me of that habit very quickly. What I don't understand is how somebody can make it to their 30s or 40s and still be acting the same way!? It's one thing to have an awareness of the injustice of the prison industrial complex, and another thing altogether to come to court dressed like a thug knowing full well the impression it will make. But yes, the whole system is very depressing and dehumanizing, and of course it has the tendency to just make people more prone to violence and everything else. I believe the U.S. currently has more people in prison than any other country in the world, and to a certain extent this is because there simply are not enough jobs to go around. Now I'm taking the thread too seriously too! Support Books to Prisoners, people! They really need the help.