“They can’t hear, so what is the point?”

Excerpt from Rae, a defendant at the Hall of Justice in winter 2022.

Rae: […] I noticed that um they don't have people that can speak different languages. It's, it's, it’s always just been American, and I noticed that when I was in court, there was people from different races, and I actually feel bad for them that they didn't have people and that they were able to get him a translator. But uh, I know that a lot of people were getting mad because they were making them wear um headphones. 

Interviewer: Mm hmm.

Rae: And some were even saying that they couldn't hear that—the headphones, the volume was too low, if they can repeat it and all that. And some of the, um, prosecutors were getting a little bit disturbed by that, and also the judge was getting mad that he had to repeat and repeat. You know, and I noticed that some of them, you know, because of their age. You know, they have people that uh [were] a little bit elderly too, and so I was um I was always um I was concerned. And I was observing all the cases when I was there for my case. That's something that I like to do, I guess, is because I'm a gamer. I play games once in a while. So in games when you're playing a game, you got to know your surroundings and you got to observe everything in order for you to achieve certain um abilities and um achievements. 

Interviewer: Mm-Hmm. 

Rae: You know, and that's something that I have that um I'm [a] very observant person, and uh I just like to see, um, observe my surroundings, especially—it could be in court. It could be … I remember when I used to go and watch movies when I was younger, um, I would observe the people um around me um—the way they would eat, the way they were talking when the movie was on and, you know, that's something that I have. And I guess um I see something and I can make it better or try to make it better, you know.   

Interviewer: Yeah. 

Rae: And I even try to help some of the people that were being prosecuted. And I had an officer come up to me and said, “Oh, you cannot talk for them or anything.” And I'm all like, “Well, they need help.” And they’re like, “Well, we're doing the best we can.” And I'm like, “Well, the best you can doesn't look that good because they're complaining that they can't hear, so what is the point? You guys are going to sentence these people; they don't even know what they're being sentenced for.”

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