The System Has Failed

by Ms. Michel Moore

  “Order in the court! Order in the court!” The judge helplessly watched rage erupt from one side of the room to the other as armed guards surrounded a hard-faced Justice, who seemed not to care as he defiantly made eye contact with each person.

  “She was my baby!” The mother of the teenage girl he’d randomly smashed into the liquor store building held on to a picture of the adolescent as she wailed.

  Cree’s elderly grandmother rocked back and forth in prayer with her Bible clutched tightly, as a pregnant Angie tried consoling her while needing consoling herself.

  Cuzzo’s weeping mother refused to sit next to her sister or bad-seed niece Greedy, who she ultimately blamed for her son’s heinous death. A subdued Greedy hyperventilated, struggling mentally, trying to cope with carrying the offspring of a murderer and child molester. It was growing inside of her, kicking every morning and fighting to be born. Greedy now seethed at its very existence. The fact that her aged mother, whom she hadn’t spoken to in over a year and a half, was there trying to offer comfort and make amends meant nothing to Greedy, as did the heartless look Justice had just given her from across the venue with standing room only.

  After a group of loud-talking, neck-rolling, finger-snapping, gum-smacking, flame-throwing male friends of Cuzzo’s tried to jump over the handrail, promising to scratch Justice’s demented eyes out, the woman in charge had enough. Shrewdly observing that the volatile atmosphere was going to get worse before getting better, Judge Curtis made the wise decision to clear the out-of-control courtroom of all spectators and possibly ban the news agencies from broadcasting live.

  “Order in the court!” she bellowed again, trying to regain some normalcy to the proceedings. “Can the officers please escort everyone out except for council, the defendant, and those five people over there? The scheduled arraignment will take place this afternoon, and it will be closed to the general public.”

  Following instructions, the various Wayne County sheriffs strategically placed around the explosive, emotionally charged courtroom assisted each individual to make their way out into the hallway. They were ordered to exit from the building as soon as possible with as little controversy. When all the occupants, with the exception of those Judge Curtis requested to remain seated, had been vacated, she started an unorthodox speech directed toward Justice, who had yet to say a word.

  “Okay, Mr. Richards, I know you weren’t expecting to hear what I’m about to say,” Judge Curtis said, gazing into his hardened eyes, “but after consulting with the psychologist who evaluated your mental state, Dr. Thomas, whom I sure you remember, sitting to your right, and both sets of attorneys, we feel it’s in your, as well as the State’s, best interest to deal with a prior moral situation.”

  Justice leaned back in his seat, as nothing the judge was saying mattered to him one bit. From time to time he glanced over at Greedy, who was one of the people allowed to stay. Arrogantly he blew kisses.

  “Are you listening, Mr. Richards?” Judge Curtis inquired, trying to regain his attention. “We feel the system has somehow failed you. Even though you are here in my courtroom under some of the most atrocious and appalling acts that I have seen in my twenty years on the bench and thirty years of practicing law, I still feel it would be an injustice not to try to right this wrong.” Somewhat piquing Justice’s interest, judging by the expression on his face, she continued. “As I studied your past criminal conduct, I can only shake my head in disgust. Your history started with petty shoplifting at nine years of age, followed by several assaults, multiple breaking-and-entering charges, fraud, and quite a few car jackings. And of course you know why we are here today: homicide, vehicular manslaughter, home invasion, breaking and entering, child molestation, and weapons charges. Being placed in foster care, instead of the courts trying all we could to locate possible other family members willing to take you in, was definitely not beneficial to your upbringing.”

  Greedy couldn’t believe her ears or the cold, hard facts of whom she’d been sleeping with and had the awful misfortune to be impregnated by. Why did I even hook up with you in the first place? she contemplated spitefully, peering at Justice. I should’ve listen to Cuzzo and stopped fucking with you a long time ago when you got caught kissing my homegirl at the club. Damn!

  “Look here, Judge!” Justice finally broke his silence, standing. “I don’t know really what in the fuck this bullshit back down memory lane got to do with what’s happening now, but real talk you can miss me with all that!” With two sheriffs shoving him back in his seat, Justice wasted no time continuing his rant. “I ain’t about to be all up in here trying to take no cop to nothing or go out like I’m a punk, cause I ain’t! I’m a hundred percent Linwood all motherfucking day and all damn night!”

  “Shut your mouth talking to the judge like that! You understand?” one officer hissed with his teeth clenched. “Or I’ll shut it for you!”

  Somewhat restoring order, Judge Curtis went on. “Listen, Mr. Richards, I realize you don’t know exactly who I am, but if your attorney will give you the documents to look over, I’ll explain. See, when you were a baby, I was the one who signed the final paperwork dissolving all of your biological mother’s parental rights.”

  “Okay, and so what? You did me a favor, because if the bitch didn’t want me, I sure in the fuck don’t want her ass! If it’s fuck me, then you know it’s fuck her!” Justice remained insubordinate as the cop gave him another dirty look, promising him a beat down when they got back behind closed doors.

  “I swear it wasn’t like that,” one of the women hand-picked to stay in the courtroom shouted out. “I was out of my mind back then. I’m sorry!”

  With the attention of everyone now focused on the small woman with thick black and gray cornrows braided toward the back, Justice’s lazy eye opened. “What you say?” he quizzed. “Who in the fuck is you? What kinda bullshit is y’all trying to pull?” He turned, facing the judge for answers.

  “I’m your mother, Justice, that’s who I am. My name is Joi Richards.” She apologetically rose to her feet as the female deputy sent to guard her watched the unfolding drama along with the other courthouse occupants. “I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there for you when you needed me the most, but those drugs had me messed up bad. I was emotionally damaged, and I know you are too. I didn’t know what I was doing or saying half the time!”

  Justice looked at the woman claiming to be his mother as if she were an alien. Then he looked at the judge, and then back at the woman who was in tears fighting the maternal urge to run across the room and embrace her only son she hadn’t seen since the day he was taken away.

  “Is this shit supposed to be for real or what?” He cynically laughed. “Listen, you old bitch! You ain’t nobody to me but another ho with a slit wanting to get fucked, you understand? So get on with the ‘I’m your mother’ act. It ain’t playing with me. I walk these Detroit streets alone and always have! Bitch threw me away like garbage!” He for once, since killing his homeboy Cree, secretly regretted not having a friend on his side. “I don’t give a shit about taking a life ’cause y’all motherfuckers took mine a long time ago!” He lifted his restrained hands, ripping down the material on his jumpsuit, revealing all the wounds he’d suffered at the mercy of various foster care providers and group homes over the years. “And being scared ain’t never been a motherfucking option to a real street warrior!”

  Judge Curtis was stunned at the vulgarity she was hearing, but she allowed the obviously overwhelmed Justice to continue his outburst, getting it out of his system as Dr. Thomas suggested be done. “Mr. Richards, the court indeed feels your pain and does sympathize, but you can trust when I tell you that, without a doubt, this is your birth mother.”

  “Okay, dig, so what if it is?” He toughened up, frowning at Joi. “What you want me to do about it, run over there and kiss the old bitch’s ass? Come on now. Be for real. And why after all this time is y’all telling me now? Why now?”

  Judge Curtis hesitantl
y responded to Justice’s question, knowing full well all hell was going to break loose. “The honest reason it’s so vitally important to reunite you with your family is that ironically enough you’ve been charged with molesting your niece.”

  “My niece? Man, what in the fuck is you talking about?” Justice defensively raised his voice for being accused of a crime he knew he hadn’t committed. “I ain’t got no family!” He mean mugged Joi once more. “I been out here alone from day one! Ain’t that right, bitch?”

  A confused Greedy leaped to her feet, full of questions herself. “What other little girl have you done this to, you fucking freak?”

  “Tramp, shut the fuck up,” Justice yelled at her with no remorse, adding insult to injury. “Don’t worry, only you and your baby getting this big dick!”

  Having to be physically restrained by officers as well as her mother, Greedy was ready to kill him on the spot. “Let me go! Let me go! He got me fucked up!”

  “Wait a minute, baby. Calm down, please.” Greedy’s mother tugged at her crazed pregnant daughter’s arm while taking an old yellow envelope out of her purse that contained a few documents with gold raised seals on them. “I never wanted it to come out like this, but when I saw the news reports, I knew I didn’t have a choice.”

  “What in the hell is you talking about, Mom? Huh?” Greedy snatched away from the now-retired social worker. “What did you do? Tell me! Tell me!”

  Handing her the paperwork disclosing the twenty-year hidden family truth, the once-proud mother lowered her head in shame. Tracy “Greedy” Rodgers was legally adopted at birth. Conceived out of rape at the hands of a prison guard, Tracy was biologically Joi Richards’s daughter. That cold, hard fact was incredible, rendering all speechless. She was Justice’s younger sister.

  “I’m so sorry, Tracy.” Mrs. Rodgers lowered her head once more, knowing how hurt, devastated, and confused her adopted child was.

  “My mother? I’m adopted? What? What you talking about?” In denial, Greedy stared over her shoulder at Joi, her alleged birth mom. Holding her stomach, the puzzled mother-to-be darted her eyes at her baby’s daddy, her newly discovered brother, Justice Richards, the same man who had molested Eboni, her firstborn. “What you trying to say? I’m confused! You lying! Why y’all lying to me?”

  Justice was as blackhearted as he ever was, never letting the next man see him sweat or show emotion. Here he was meeting his mother for the first time and couldn’t care less. It’d just been confirmed he had indeed violated his niece’s innocence and didn’t bat an eye in the way of remorse. Lastly, unknowingly impregnating his long-lost sister Tracy, who he knew as Greedy, Justice sat back in the chair almost enjoying the torment he’d caused in everyone’s lives.

  “Well, ain’t this about some dumb shit.” Justice jumped to his feet once more as the courtroom officers, attorneys, the woman guarding Joi, the doctor, and the judge shook their heads, not knowing what other hidden secrets would come to light. “You motherfuckers acting like I’m the bad guy! I ain’t do jack shit but play the cards you once-a-month-bleeding bitches gave a nigga to play! So now all you broads sitting in this three-ring circus, kangaroo court wanting to blame me! Hell naw! I ain’t taking the weight! Y’all need to be on trial, not my black ass! Say what y’all want, but I made the best outta some fucked-up shit. I came from nothing. I made it out of the system! I’m gonna be all right!” he proclaimed before demanding to be taken back in the bullpen.

  Consumed with guilt, knowing her former drug addiction and long, ongoing prison sentences had caused all this chaos in her children’s and grandchildren’s lives, Joi reached for her birth daughter’s hand to apologize. Immediately pulling away, about to faint fearing what physical and mental abnormities her unborn baby would probably suffer from the incestuous affair she was unknowingly having, Greedy broke down.

  Watching both her children in agonizing pain, Joi Richards had to make a choice to help one of them at least live a halfway normal life. Knowing everyone was caught up in the moment, the mother of Tracy and Justice took the split-second opportunity to unexpectedly leap over the wooden banister. Once over she grabbed one of the sheriff’s firearms. With love in her heart, she let off one round, striking Justice, her son, in the rear of the head right before he made it out of the courtroom doors.

  “I can’t let you live like an animal anymore! Neither one of your grandmothers was about shit either! We was all fucked up back then. You just like your father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were: savages! I know it’s my fault, but I know you’ll be all right now. The shit gotta stop! God help me!” Dropping the gun, Joi Richards fell to her knees, begging forgiveness for what she felt she had to do. Instantly she was tackled then handcuffed as her other child starting hemorrhaging, causing the expecting Greedy to go into premature labor.

  Considering the immeasurable crimes the arrogant youth had committed and the many innocent lives he’d altered, no one rushed to call for medical attention as Justice lay bleeding out on the courtroom floor. With a pool of blood flowing from a huge, gaping hole in his cranium, he knew he couldn’t cheat death.

  Fuck all y’all! Go ahead, let me die! I’d rather be free in hellfire than live locked up on earth! They always got love for a nigga from Tha D! Justice’s mind grew dark as the devil welcomed him home to finally meet his kin.

  Minutes later, Greedy and Justice’s tiny son was born on the marble courtroom floor. The fifth generation of the terror-tainted bloodline had been released upon the world. The system had truly failed yet another family.

  The End