A teenager on a field trip to see a Detroit court ended up in jail clothes and handcuffs because a judge said he didn’t like her attitude.
The teen was seeing King’s court as part of a visit organized by The Greening of Detroit, a nonprofit environmental group. During the visit, King noticed the girl falling asleep, WXYZ reported.
While in cuffs and being physically detained, the judge told her to go sleep in her own bed, not his court.
Her mother talked to the press. It turns out they are homeless, so this girl literally has no bed of her own to go to.
On learning of this, the judge offered to “mentor” the child. Not financial support, not an offer to get them assistance, just a vague offer to provide “guidance,” as if that puts food in your belly and a roof over your head. No apology, no statement of empathy, no mea culpa.
So yes, power tripping on a teenager that had the audacity to nod off in your court room can indeed be traumatic. Her difficult life was made more difficult for no good reason, and now because of how extreme and ugly that act was, it now in the national eye.
His actions should have been tempted by good judgment, but were instead short sighted, unprofessional and petty. His role calls for wisdom and a steady sense of equality, and instead he was idiotic and vindictive.