Social media is a-buzz over former judge Angela Stokes. Some folks are feeling all weepy in regards to the news that the daughter of our much-beloved and recently deceased Congressman Lou Stokes has been reduced to wiping tables at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Strongsville, while others are taking great delight in her apparent fall from grace.
But no one should think that she is destitute. In fact, she probably is in a training program that will lead to her owning one of the franchises soon. Her problem, however, is going to be keeping employees, considering how she treated people when she was on the bench. No judge in history ever went through 26 bailiffs, so clearly she has a problem getting along with people in a situation of uneven power — one where she has the whip in her hand. Some employees might just storm out and quit, but others might want to step off in her ass if she brings that high-and-mighty bullshit to them.
There’s a German term “schadenfreude” that has no English equivalent, but loosely translated it means “taking delight at the misfortune of others.” And, while I’ve written many articles over the years critical of Stokes and how she treated those who came before her while she was on the bench, my goal was simple: To try to drive her off that bench so citizens didn’t get even more dogged by an already unequal justice system. I felt it my duty to try to protect the defenseless.
However, my efforts were not personal. I never meant to — in any way — destroy her. It appears as if her own demons did an effective enough job on her on that count. While Stokes is not totally batshit, hearing-voices crazy, she certainly appears to be among the “walking wounded” — that vast number of people who are able to navigate through the world, but are just not all there. She certainly, under no circumstances, had the temperament to wear a black robe and sit in judgment of others.
Those who claim Stokes got a raw deal obviously never took the time to sit in her courtroom and see for themselves how she treated people — something I did on numerous occasions. And for those who claim that she was removed from the bench because she was black, remember that it was two black administrative judges (both friends of her late father) who lead the charge to remove her for cause. Additionally, for those who say white judges send black folks to prison unfairly and get away with it, know that a judge can’t send anyone to prison who has not first been indicted by the city or county prosecutor — and that can happen only after they’ve been arrested by a cop.
It truly takes a group effort to send someone to the joint.
But folks are right when they say the whole damn system often is as guilty as hell — but that doesn’t mean that many of the dangerous thugs who end up in front of judges are not just as guilty as the system, if not more. While the system can hurt you, a thug can kill you. Thank god they’re in prison so the rest of us can live a bit more peacefully.
I’ve been in front of a judge for counterfeiting probably more times than anyone who reads this, and yes, they took my freedom (of course, I was guilty as hell) but not one of them ever tried to take away my dignity. Stokes was guilty of doing this to people who appeared in front of her on many occasions, and it didn’t matter if the accused was black or white. At least she wasn’t racist; she would fuck over anyone.
Yet, some weak-kneed black folk are far too quick to defend wrongdoing by other blacks, to make excuses and feel sorry for them. As a race we need to stop doing that and hold our own brothers and sisters accountable and to a very high standard. This is how we advance the race.
I repeat, this is how we advance the race, by adhering to the highest of standards. And I don’t care to hear about the wrong that others do and get away with, simply because in unjust America others — and by “others” I mean whites — can often get away with all kinds of noxious behaviors. But I’m more concerned with advancing my race, not complaining about others.
And keep in mind that it didn’t have to go down this way with Stokes. I personally know an individual who offered to secure her a well-paid teaching position at a law school, and this was years ago when her troubles first started. But she flatly turned his offer of help down. And there have been others who, over the years, tried to help her, only to be rebuffed — sometimes sternly, other times brutally.
Now, I truly hope that Angela Stokes goes on to have a wonderful life. I sincerely do. But, can I blame some small-minded people for wanting to run out to Strongsville and see a former judge (one that perhaps dogged them out from the bench in the past) wiping tables, just so they can get a little payback by twisting the knife and enjoy a bit of schadenfreude? No, not really.
From Cool Cleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available again in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author by visiting http://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc.com.
One Response to “MANSFIELD: Final Thoughts on Angela Stokes”
Bridget
I personally had not had the displeasure of appearing before ms. Stokes, however, I worked for several attorneys who had. I worked for an organization that assisted low income and exoffenders with legal issues for free who were trying to obtain employment. We were not there public defenders office. It got so bad that if a client came to us that had a case before Stokes, we declined their case. Going to her court room hindered my supervisors from helping other people. She would keep them in her courtroom for hours not even considering that they had other clients to help. It’s obvious she should not be in charge of other people. She does not have the skill. I think her writing a book about her childhood, her dad and her years on the bench might give us a look into how her brain works. That would be something interesting to read