Inside a grand jury room dealing with a tidal wave of guns.
For four weeks, I was on the front lines of the criminal justice system in New York City.
Secrecy is necessary to protect the identity of victims and witnesses, some of whom risk their lives to give evidence. But it also means that grand juries are among the least known parts of the criminal justice system – and the work to uphold the justice of the 23 citizens is too little appreciated. I suddenly recognized the L-shaped outline of a gun in the pocket of the only other passenger on the train
“Mind yo’ own business, you black b–h!” one of the men shouted over and over again at the top of his lungs. I crossed to the other side of the street, where a woman was selling tamales in front of Joyce Kilmer Park on the Grand Concourse. Still, on that first day, I walked quickly to avoid another scene among the groups of young men smoking joints in front of a McDonald’s and made my way toward the courthouse where I reported for duty.
After the formal presentation of the evidence, the stenographer and the assistant district attorney would leave the jury room to allow us to deliberate. The jury forewoman would then read out each of the charges and ask us to vote on each. A majority of 12 jurors are needed to vote a “true bill” or to dismiss a case.
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