Today, I had to visit the Law Courts for a journalism assignment. Our goal was to find a story and have it handed in on our teacher's desk by 6:00pm. I have been to the Law Courts twice before in my life. Once was to watch a friend of mine go through a sentencing because he was charged with drug trafficking and the other time was when I eloped and married my husband. My husband and I have been married for almost 12 years now so that is a pleasant memory! I have heard of the Law Courts most of my life because my father practiced law for a living. He was a corporate lawyer and used to call the Law Courts his old stomping ground and visited it frequently.
I decided to settle in to the court room 210 where there was a drug trafficking case being heard. Govinda Toorie pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges. I sat in the court room and listened to the court proceedings. It was difficult at first to capture all the factual information as the lawyers were speaking very quickly and there was a bit of an echo in the room. I was able to capture most of the information required for the assignment though. The Crown Attorney asked that Toorie receive 3.5 years and Toorie’s defence lawyer requested that Toorie receive two years less a day and hoped for house arrest as he did not have a prior record. Both parties agreed to a pre-sentencing report that will examine Toorie’s background and help the court make a proper sentencing decision.
I noticed that Toorie was soft spoken and kept his head down most of the time. His parents were there as well to support him. I can appreciate that this would be a stressful time for Toorie and his family. It was nice to see his parents there during this difficult time.
That leads me to discuss what happened after the court proceedings were done. I went to talk to the defence lawyer, J. Prober to inquire more about the case and to clarify some factual information. During our conversation, I asked him if he knew my father. Winnipeg is a small city so I thought what the heck, you never know. Well, it turns out Prober did know my father. We chatted for a little while. He said he knew my father well and that he was over at our house a few times for social gatherings. He said he remembered my father being a vibrant man. He said he also remembered my mother because my mother used to work for the Variety Club of Manitoba and organized their telethons and she got him to answer phones on television.
The emotional part of this for me was my father’s health is failing him now. He has diabetes and is in a nursing home at 75 years of age. My father is not a vibrant man anymore. His mind is there but his body isn’t what it used to be. Remembering my dad how Prober knew him brought back several emotions for me. I ended up becoming very emotional with Prober about my father unexpectedly. I began to cry to be honest. I was so embarrassed I felt terrible. I had no idea that being at the Law Courts today would be such an emotional experience for me. What was nice though is that Prober was very kind and compassionate and took the time to comfort me about my father.
The next thing that happened was even lovelier. The court recorder that took the notes at the hearing asked if I wanted some Kleenex. She and I were now in the court room alone together. She told me her sister had passed away recently and she began to cry as well. She asked me if I would like to have the court room door closed for a bit and said if I needed a moment it was alright. So, the two of us shared our stories about our loved ones. We cried together and comforted each other. I know that must sound crazy to do this with someone that you have only met. However it was so simple and natural with her. It was wonderfully therapeutic. We ended up helping each other at the end of our meeting she actually said to me that she was glad she met me. I said that I was very grateful to her as well for being there for me when she certainly didn't have to be. There are some amazing people that work at the Law Courts.
What I learned from this experience is that if you are on a reporting assignment, you may never know when your emotions may be impacted by the story you are covering. I certainly did not have the intention today of becoming emotional at the Law Courts. However, I did. It wasn’t looked down upon by the professionals around me. My emotions were actually accepted and respected immediately by complete strangers. It was really amazing. It reminded me that I am human. Journalists are human too with their own feelings, and challenges.
I guess I just had an eye opener in the fact that you are not immune to your emotions and your surroundings no matter how hard you try to be. Perhaps that can even make a story more authentic. It also allows you to develop real relationships with people along the way and to know that you are not alone even though you might feel that way sometimes.
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