Grand Jury Duty, Week Two
By the end of week two we were a well oiled machine, the 23 of us knew the drill, the procedure, what slows down procedure, how to avoid that, and toward the end, we were able to close out cases in about 20 minutes. Week two was mostly conflict free except for one instance when a man was found in a deli, with keys to the deli. He was not the owner and he did not live or work there. Police found 45 zips of cocaine hidden behind a vending machine in the deli. Some jurors argued that he had access to the drugs but had no intent to sell. I countered that he didn’t have 45 zips of coke with intent to juggle. This convinced no one. We voted 12-11 to dismiss that charge. So it goes. Maybe he learned a cheap lesson. Maybe he was totally innocent. The facts don’t really matter. It’s all about the perception and credibility. Those and a decent lawyer…
A few terms I forgot to include last week:
- Pedigree information: height, weight, fingerprints. All vital information collected upon arrest
- NYSID #: New York State Identification Number issued from Albany. They are generated from fingerprints ergo no two numbers are the same.
- The Baskerville charge (the coolest sounding charge): If you have are hiding something in your pocket or a bag and pretending it is a gun, even if it just a toothbrush or your fingers, even if it looks nothing like a gun, you can be indicted of this charge.
- “The block’s on fire” – criminal slang for “there is a high police presence on the street.” One of my favorites.
And I guess that’s about it. Now I’m free for 8-10 years in the county of Kings. Of course if I change states or even if I just move to Astoria, I’m back on the roster like everyone else. It was pretty fun and I highly recommend doing it, if for nothing more than civic duty.
Also: I opened up the Village Voice and saw an article written on of one of my fellow jurors. Apparently his name is Andrew D’Angelo and he is a Jazzbo. I have no idea what a Jazzbo is, but he has a fascinating story about having most of his brain removed due to a tumor. Check it out if you are into tumors or Jazzbos.