Author Archives: Michelle

Just Mercy

Posted on by
Reply

My Culture Source: Just Mercy

Released on: January 10th 2020

Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton

 

The Movie Just Mercy revolves around the real life case of Walter McMillian which took place in 1986. Walter McMillian was arrested and placed on death row for murder of a young girl without proper evidence or conviction. The real reason Walter McMillian was arrested was not because he committed a crime, but because of the color of his skin. Throughout McMillians trial he explains to his new lawyer, that when he was first taken into custody it was clear that the lawyer the state provided, did not do everything in his power to prove McMillians innocence. Throughout the movie it’s clear that the justice system didn’t treat Walter McMillian fairly, they barely treated him as a person. Not only was he treated poorly in the justice system but so was his lawyer, who was also a person of color. When McMillians lawyer would visit him he received degrading comments by the officers. The officers had also made it a point to have him be strip checked, despite lawyers not needing to go through that. Once the council had been made aware that Walter McMillian was wrongfully convicted, they refused to release him from death row. They believed there was no point and that the court had made its decisions and it should stay the way it is to give people peace of mind. It wasn’t until the very end that Walter McMillian was finally released and reunited with his family. I feel like this movie accurately portrayed how our legal system treats black people of color. Although there is a major time gap between the original case and now, there are still the same problems just disguised. Throughout the years more cases have come into light of police arresting citizens for minor crimes or misidentifying them because of the color of their skin.Our judicial system does not properly recognize black people of color and their cases are often brushed off and they do not receive the help that would normally be given to a person of a lighter skin tone.

 

Matter of Marian

Posted on by
Reply

The court I chose to observe was the “Matter of Marian T (Lauren R.)”. This case was about a disabled 18 year old girl who was still in the adoption system. One side argued that she was not able to consent to the adoption due to her disability. while the other began to state, that in fact she could consent to the adoption just not verbally. I felt that Caitlin Connors Brennan was not seeing the full picture. Instead of focusing on what would be best for Marian she constantly said that the young adult just couldn’t give consent. When asked about what would be in Marians best interest Council Brennan would simply veer the conversation away from it and bring the focus back to the consent issue. I also felt that when the judges began to question Brennan, she didn’t have set answers. A lot of her arguments weren’t back up well and made her points seem invalid. I agree with the courts decision to approve Marians adoption. I felt that they considered Marians best interest now and for the future. Upon listening to this case I was surprised to find out Marian was 18. I had thought that once you were 18 you were released from any foster or adoption system.

2020 election

Posted on by
Reply

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-president.html

This new York times article is giving updates on the polls and who’s in the lead of the election. it provides a map showing which party took over which state. it also provides a vote tracking chart below as well as a list of states each candidate is expected to win in.

Timekeeping

Posted on by
Reply

October 9th

6:30-10:30

.50 – Getting Dressed and ready

.50 – Going to the DMV

1.0 – Waiting a the DMV

.50 – Going home

.25 – getting breakfast

.25 – walking to a friends house

1.0 – Staying at a friends house

 

 

Law office

Posted on by
1

I would like to work at this District Attorney’s office. The District Attorney is a government agency located in 1st Hogan Place, New York. It is responsible for reviewing police arrest reports as well as determining whether to bring criminal charges against those who get arrested. The reason I would like to work in the DA’s office is because I feel like I can create change while working there and make a step towards equality.

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjikcrTlfnrAhXrYN8KHaM8DoQQFjAAegQIAhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.manhattanda.org%2F&usg=AOvVaw0LFJPNCHqtDpPCmdj1YEBQ

Amy Tan Response

Posted on by
1

Countless of legal issues can be spotted throughout Amy Tans story “Mother Tongue” But the one that sticks out to me most is when she talks about businesses refusing service and discriminating against her mother. In her story she states, “The fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.” This could have become a law suit if Amy Tan had pleased. She could have sued each businesses for discrimination, as well as the employees for not treating her mother with the proper service and for belittling her by ignoring her. I personally was upset by the way Amy Tans mother was treated. I felt like they had no reason to treat her the way they did, she was still a customer and deserved to be treated just like anyone else regardless of the language barrier. The businesses should’ve put more effort into helping her and giving her assistance.

Who I Am

Posted on by
2

My name is Michelle Ramirez! I am a freshman in college. I wish to become a lawyer, which is why I chose to major in Law and Paralegal Studies. My plan is to be able to get a career in criminal justice law. Once i’m able to do that I would like to go back to school and be able to study civil rights law which is what i’m most passionate about. I’ve witness a lot of injustice happen right in front of me and it made me want to dedicate myself to being a voice to those who feel like they don’t have any. I’m really interested in working in activism. I had the luxury of interning with the New York Civil Liberties Union which helped me expand my knowledge as well as work with other activist and set up meeting with senators to help create a change. I also really love music! I was in my high schools symphony orchestra and I played Violin. I’ve been playing music for 5 years. I also play piano and clarinet! During quarantine i’ve picked up many hobbies such as embroidery and painting!

Just Mercy

Posted on by
1

For my culture review I have chosen the movie Just Mercy. It is based on the case of Walter McMillian who was wrongfully accused of murdering an 18 year old girl. This movie was released on December 25,2019. The movie is about a lawyer who is trying to help people on death row who were wrongfully accused. He finds an interest in McMillians case and works with him to try to prove his innocence. The movie talks about the struggles that the lawyer faced as a black man, as well as what Walter McMillian had to endure. It highlights racism in our judicial system.