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  1. #1
    Senior Member gimmethesimplelife's Avatar
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    Jury duty morning.....

    Here it is on the early morning of my jury duty. I have the day off for this and feel horrible as we are short on staff right now and it's going to make an impact on the other site supervisors that I am not there. I have to say I really resent the system for putting me in a position of having to make things difficult for my co-workers and for the Banquet Staffing Service. That said, I think I figured out how I can honestly get out of the system fair and square so that I can return to the Convention Center and make myself useful on the floor.

    All I have to do is mention my anti-police brutality activism! I don't know why I hadn't thought of this earlier? What prosecutor would want me to serve on a jury based on my activism against American police? And what's really cool about this is that I am being totally 100% honest here........realistically, coming from the 85006, it's almost impossible to not be biased against the police and the system. Too bad I can't be disqualified based on zip code!

    I'll come back later in the day and post how this adventure goes......here's hoping I can get out of the system's clutches by 11 AM so I can make myself useful for mid-day events at the Convention Center. Rob

  2. #2
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    Rob, I hated jury duty and was surprised and distressed when I was chosen. It was extremely stressful to sit in judgment on my peers.
    On the other hand, I felt good doing my civic duty and felt good that I made myself available to be on the jury, as I am a fair person and I would want someone like myself on a jury if I were ever in that situation.
    So for me, it was a matter of duty and of doing unto others as I would want done to me. I believe in our jury system and I need to do my part to make sure that we still have a jury system. I think it is a duty of citizenship, and transcends duty to my coworkers, and yes, I had to miss work and lost money.

    I don't quite understand your take on this, as I believe that our jury system is one of the protections that we have as citizens. I don't understand why you are not invested in protecting a fair jury system.

  3. #3
    Senior Member gimmethesimplelife's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tybee View Post
    Rob, I hated jury duty and was surprised and distressed when I was chosen. It was extremely stressful to sit in judgment on my peers.
    On the other hand, I felt good doing my civic duty and felt good that I made myself available to be on the jury, as I am a fair person and I would want someone like myself on a jury if I were ever in that situation.
    So for me, it was a matter of duty and of doing unto others as I would want done to me. I believe in our jury system and I need to do my part to make sure that we still have a jury system. I think it is a duty of citizenship, and transcends duty to my coworkers, and yes, I had to miss work and lost money.

    I don't quite understand your take on this, as I believe that our jury system is one of the protections that we have as citizens. I don't understand why you are not invested in protecting a fair jury system.
    Tybee. your posts has really made me think for a bit and I wanted to take some time before I replied to you. I do agree with you - the thought of sitting in judgement on my peers in this setting is very stressful to me, too - but I'm going to guess for a different reason?

    My take is that there are too many laws, that victimless crimes should often not be prosecuted, and that the American (and to be fair, also Canadian) way of punishing those convicted of both felonies and misdemeanors for the remainder of their lives through various bars that can not be overcome with any kind of record - I have a hard time, a very hard time being part of that. I'm not saying that all crimes should not be punished - certainly I'd agree with murder and rape and exploitation of the elderly and child abuse or whatever heinous awful crime you can think of should be punished. But I've got issues with the system not allowing for a fresh start EVER once convicted (enough so that I'd have no problem doing an automatic not guilty in many cases) and also for the sentencing gap that exists between men and women for similar crimes (men serve longer sentences on average and I ABSOLUTELY would use my vote for a not guilty for this reason alone).....let's just leave it that much of how American justice is doled out and how it works flat out does not work for me. I am 100% unable to see this or to divorce myself from this stance.......and I've known too many people in the 85006 who were mistreated by the justice system - I can't unsee this, either.

    Realistically, I am indeed unfit to be a juror based on the expectation of impartiality. I just am unable to provide this - my life experiences in America have rendered me unable to meet this requirement.

    For the record, I find this fact both depressing and stressful. It would be nice if I were capable of believing in the system and if I were capable of filling the role that society seems to expect as far as jury duty goes - but that ship sailed long ago. Life showed me/taught me lessons that preclude myself from every being able to fit this expected role. As it is said in Spanish - Asi es la vida. So is life.

    Give me some credit. With my life experiences I still showed up for jury duty anyway - I know folks in the 85006 who refuse to appear for moral and ethical reasons. At least I showed. Given my life experiences, I consider this a concession. Rob

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    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife View Post
    Give me some credit. With my life experiences I still showed up for jury duty anyway
    I saw this a couple of decades ago on an on-line mailing list:
    Democracy quits working when the citizens quit working at it. Then they become subjects.
    I try to never forget that. I am a citizen. And I will work hard to prevent becoming a subject.

    And I did serve jury duty.
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

  5. #5
    Senior Member gimmethesimplelife's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SteveinMN View Post
    I saw this a couple of decades ago on an on-line mailing list:


    I try to never forget that. I am a citizen. And I will work hard to prevent becoming a subject.

    And I did serve jury duty.
    Hi Steve!

    On the surface I'd agree with your quote about democracy. On the surface only, to be clear.

    The problem is that I have known far too many people for whom America truly does not work, some of whom through no fault of their own. Because of this, with all due respect, I don't agree with this quote. For far too many people, America as it stands today truly does not work - and I am unable to look the other way and pretend this is not the case.

    Maybe you can understand some of my posts better now because I've posted the above? I don't see the system overall the way many folks here do, and I'd hazard to guess (?) that my life experiences and what I've seen have something to do with this.

    Sad part is, at this late date if I could snap my fingers and somehow unsee and unlearn what I have seen and learned that has led me to such stances - I wouldn't do it. It would be like taking my basic humanity away and I would not want that. Rob

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife View Post
    Here it is on the early morning of my jury duty. I have the day off for this and feel horrible as we are short on staff right now and it's going to make an impact on the other site supervisors that I am not there. I have to say I really resent the system for putting me in a position of having to make things difficult for my co-workers and for the Banquet Staffing Service. That said, I think I figured out how I can honestly get out of the system fair and square so that I can return to the Convention Center and make myself useful on the floor.

    All I have to do is mention my anti-police brutality activism! I don't know why I hadn't thought of this earlier? What prosecutor would want me to serve on a jury based on my activism against American police? And what's really cool about this is that I am being totally 100% honest here........realistically, coming from the 85006, it's almost impossible to not be biased against the police and the system. Too bad I can't be disqualified based on zip code!

    I'll come back later in the day and post how this adventure goes......here's hoping I can get out of the system's clutches by 11 AM so I can make myself useful for mid-day events at the Convention Center. Rob
    What will you do if it’s just a fence line dispute?

  7. #7
    Williamsmith
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    Quote Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife View Post
    Here it is on the early morning of my jury duty. I have the day off for this and feel horrible as we are short on staff right now and it's going to make an impact on the other site supervisors that I am not there. I have to say I really resent the system for putting me in a position of having to make things difficult for my co-workers and for the Banquet Staffing Service. That said, I think I figured out how I can honestly get out of the system fair and square so that I can return to the Convention Center and make myself useful on the floor.

    All I have to do is mention my anti-police brutality activism! I don't know why I hadn't thought of this earlier? What prosecutor would want me to serve on a jury based on my activism against American police? And what's really cool about this is that I am being totally 100% honest here........realistically, coming from the 85006, it's almost impossible to not be biased against the police and the system. Too bad I can't be disqualified based on zip code!

    I'll come back later in the day and post how this adventure goes......here's hoping I can get out of the system's clutches by 11 AM so I can make myself useful for mid-day events at the Convention Center. Rob
    Thats pretty funny, now the defense will certainly fight to keep you in the jury pool. Rob.......just suck it up and serve.

  8. #8
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    I had a jury experience in which I was in a minority that had a "reasonable doubt" that the prosecution had proven guilt. The majority seemed to believe that the police would not likely arrest, and that the prosecution surely would never proceed against a person unless they had done something to deserve it. It was stressful for me, because in that jury room I was trying to stir up some critical thinking, but most of the others wanted to say "guilty, and get it over with". But the stress on us jurors was small compared to the ordeal of incarceration that could have befallen the accused and his family.

  9. #9
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dado potato View Post
    I had a jury experience in which I was in a minority that had a "reasonable doubt" that the prosecution had proven guilt. The majority seemed to believe that the police would not likely arrest, and that the prosecution surely would never proceed against a person unless they had done something to deserve it. It was stressful for me, because in that jury room I was trying to stir up some critical thinking, but most of the others wanted to say "guilty, and get it over with". But the stress on us jurors was small compared to the ordeal of incarceration that could have befallen the accused and his family.
    I found it incredibly stressful, too. Too long a story to relay on a post, but it was not fun. But I agree that someone has to do it.
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    I was on a jury for a week, I guess middle aged, white haired ladies are not that threatening. I didn't even get asked too many questions (they never asked if I had been in a fight, assuming I hadn't been). I was very glad to be there, the case was total crap against this young man and I was part of making sure things were fair. I didn't have anything against the police actions in it, and it was interesting the negative comments about the female police chief. In the end it was self defense, a very drunk smaller guy jumped a younger, sober and athletic guy. In one punch it was over but still self defense.

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