Court House Fools

By: Chelsea Reid
A Salisbury University Student


Recently I was called as a witness for the State in a case against a Salisbury University student. The student was arrested for destruction of property out side a student housing area, and I was asked to testify on the States behalf. This account is not of the trial. It is of the appalling behavior of the people I saw in the courthouse that day.

Now I may be only 21 years old, but I consider myself an old fashioned kind of girl. I was taught to be respectful of officers of the law, considerate of others feelings, polite to strangers, and to respect the court of law. My Mother always taught me to look presentable when going to court, and to dress as one would when for an occasion where nice clothing is expected. So when I got out of my dance class that morning and went home to change, I made sure what I was wearing was nice. I ironed my dress, cleaned my shoes so there would not be any scuffs on them, took a shower, made sure my nails were clean, make-up was tasteful, and hair appropriate, and I arrived 15 minutes early to court (I was expected to be there at 1pm) to make sure I could check in with plenty of time to speak to the State’s Attorney about the case I was speaking on, as I was not aware of court procedure.

When I walked in I went through security. Now I knew based on what my Mother told me and the numerous signs posted throughout the grounds that cell phones were not allowed in the building for security reasons. But for some reason, many of the citizens on Salisbury fail to notice or care about this, and when asked to leave their phones in their car, make a fuss and cause a scene. The security folks at the courthouse were some of the nicest people I had ever met, and through speaking with them for the brief moment I could, I learned that the people they see were not as pleasant as they said I was to deal with. They curse, yell, scream, and threaten to have them fired. All because they are merely doing their jobs and the citizens coming to the court house that day (for a variety of reasons I learned that day) cannot be bother to follow the rules. I noticed that those treating the workers at the courthouse in this appalling manner were typically there that day for breaking the law as well, and those who followed the rules and were polite, decent human beings were there as I was, duty their civic duty.

After this, I went to check in with the State’s Attorney, and sat down to wait for the courtroom doors to open. This is when my love of people watching came in to play. I was taught over the years to never judge a book by their cover, but with the way some of these people presented themselves in a court of law meant that they were either a diamond in the rough, or that the old adage I had been taught was not necessarily true. I saw torn and tattered jeans, or pants that were either too tight of too loose. If it was a male, they were sometimes hanging so low I could see their boxers, which is a look I never understood to begin with. If the person I observed was a female, they were typically so tight, they would not fit to their body properly. I saw women in dresses one would wear to a club out dancing, not to a court of law. Denim mini skirts, sneakers, tank tops, and stained clothing were all in abundance.

Few people I saw that I knew through overhearing them speak were there for breaking the law, were dressed for the occasion. The ones that were, were their for either speeding tickets or in the case of someone I knew personally, something they knew they had to chance of getting out of, and were doing the best they could to make their case seem better. I saw the person whom I was testifying against, and he was dressed very nicely in a well-fitted, freshly pressed suit.

I encountered many police officers in my time their, and when I approached one (their for an unrelated case involving a traffic incident I learned) to ask a few questions as to what I should expect during my time that day, he was polite and as courteous as one would expect any person to be. I wish I had his name remembered, as he was a wonderful person. When I asked him if the people coming in each day for hearings are always rude and obnoxious like they were today, he said that sadly yes they are.

Our conversation turned to University student life when I told him I was an SU student. I learned that the bed reputation they have earned amongst students is mostly untrue and unfair, and I would have to agree.

I live in a house right outside Cynthia Place, a notoriously college student filled area. Weekend nights are typically the worse of them all, but on any given night, I would see property destroyed and trash left about for the neighbors who are not college students, or in my case that are but have a sense of respect for others, to clean up each morning. I have seen street signs taken down and tossed about, couches set on fire, trashcans overturned, beer bottles broken in the street, and private property damaged.

Now what I see does not involve all SU students, let me make that as clear as possible. It is a select few, typically boys I have observed, who do this. At it is usually the same few week after week. They make loud noises well in to the wee hours of the morning, and sometimes I am amazed that the police are not called sooner for the borderline riots I have seen occur, with over a hundred people in a small area. I sit on my back porch watching the madness occur as police enter the area, and a mass exodus occurs, people throwing bottles on the ground and breaking them, yelling profanities at the police, and in general making the officers jobs harder then they should be.

This officer, once he realized where I lived and that he knew my roommates and I and thanked us for cooperating with them when they ask us questions and in general being pleasant people to deal with. We have never given them trouble, and never intend to, and I can not understand why any does.

My conversation with this officer was a pleasant as any I would have with a close friend, and I wish him the best in his career. I only wished he wouldn’t have to deal with the things he was dealing with in regards to my fellow students did not occur.

I notice in my encounters with locals in Salisbury and in reading comments on the Salisbury News Blog, that many locals lump us all in together with the few I mentioned above who actually cause the trouble and this saddens me. Many like me are here to earn a good education at a fine school. I admit I go out to drink. But I am part of the group of people who don’t go to or throw wild parties that cause damage to the surrounding neighborhood, and annoy the people living nearby who want nothing to do with it. I have learned to have fun while respecting others and respecting the law as well. Many of us manage to make it through college with out a noise violation, an underage drinking citation (whether by sheer luck or by not being obnoxious about it), not having to go to court for destroying property, and not making a bad name for the school we are attending.

My entire time in the Salisbury City Court House was enlightening. I learned that not all of us were taught to present themselves nicely in court, to respect officers and court employees who are only doing their job, and to follow and respect the law in general. I also learned that those that were, either follow that advice to lead a happy life, or ignore it and have to deal with the consequences.