without a vision the people perish...

Ghetto--a term I would say accurately describes areas like East St. Louis, South Chicago, East and West Detroit, Memphis, some of Atlanta. However, the term does not mean enough to describe Newark, New Jersey. I've literally never seen anything like it. Word to the wise--if you ever have a public defender, don't cuss him out; he's probably your last hope.

It took me half an hour to drive 3 and 1/2 miles today. Between crazy drivers, buses, pulling over for police officers and ambulances, kids and adults all in and over the street, the commute was somewhat frustrating. The local high school's mascot--the Rough Riders. hmmm. How many crackheads did I see today? Countless. Police officers? countless. Stray children? Way too many for comfort. Pregnant teenage girls? same. How many defendants in the court sessions I watched today were black male? about 99.99% Very sad numbers, yet these are the people I'll be representing, instead of the big corporate giant where I could be guaranteed a six figure salary, yet spending no time with my family, friends, church, or myself.

Looks like I'll be doing a lot of courtroom work this summer. Some arraignments, grand jury indictments, bail hearings, remands. I saw this big time NJ drug dealer today. He was extremely intelligent, and you would never guess his true profession if you saw him on the street.