Why I Don’t Trust Prosecutors (Part 4)
The Testimony of Spooky Brown, Esq. (First Series)
For Part 1, click here. For Part 2, click here. For Part 3, click here.
(Part 4 of 4)*
Dismiss It Without Prejudice, Boy
I walked into the courtroom where all the parties were seated — the judge, jurors, public defender, and Byron. As I approached counsel’s table, the judge looked at me and asked, “What’s the People’s position?”
“Based on information received from the defense, I’m dismissing the case with prejudice,” I said, without hesitation.
With those words, I blocked my office from ever refiling those charges. “Fuck ‘em,” I thought.
As everyone began walking out of the courtroom, I waited around until I saw Byron standing alone before I approached him. “I’m truly sorry for all of this. If I were you, I’d find a good attorney and sue they asses.”
I shook his hand and left for my office.
Back at my desk I sat in front of my computer, typing furiously. I was drafting my resignation letter. I wrote about how the officers lied to my face. I wrote about how my boss wanted Byron to plead to a charge knowing that he was innocent. I wrote about how Bryon spent almost four months in jail for absolutely no fucking reason.
I printed it out, reviewed it, then signed it.
Right before submitting the letter, I spoke to my Black colleagues about my desire to quit. While they lauded me for my actions, they implored me to stay and change the system from within.
I also spoke to some of my white and Asian colleagues about my experience. Most of them laughed, saying that I should’ve continued with the case to get the felony trial credit. They didn’t care about Byron’s innocence or the fact that the officers had framed him. All they cared about was getting that fucking trial stat. At that point, I walked out because I didn’t want to continue the conversation.
Because of their callous comments, I didn’t submit the letter. Their fucked-up response showed me why I had to stay. As a Black prosecutor, I could do more good on the inside, especially considering that our numbers in the office were so low.
Still, I thought I’d definitely get fired for disobeying a direct order anyway. I had my stuff packed and ready to go.
After a couple of weeks of waiting, however, my boss never confronted me, and I learned that Bryon did indeed sue the officers.
At that point, I stopped worrying about keeping my job and focused on just doing it — my way.
*The opinions here do not reflect the official views of the L.A. District Attorney’s Office, my current employer. To avoid fierce harassment and oppressive retaliation, I’ve decided to conceal my identity, for now.
