Real Talk with Judge Dawson
One of the mainstays of my practice in court is to ask the person in front of me, "what have you been doing these past years?" That question is relevant for a couple of reasons. There are many people who have court dates and decide not to appear until a warrant is issued for their arrest. The sad part is that these people are normally caught by police officers at the most inconvenient time. Instead of appearing to court when they should, they end up having a major disruption of their life as a result of being arrested. Also, when I look at the criminal history of people, I can tell whether they have been positively productive or not. As one could imagine, the answer to the question of “what have you been doing these past years” are very diverse. For this particular defendant I was really asking a rhetorical question because his criminal history was full of arrests, convictions and jail time for drug related offenses. So when I asked this young man I was expecting him to tell me about not having a job and having to do whatever is necessary to take care of his family. To my surprise his answer was totally different. He looked at me and said, "to be totally honest with you Judge Dawson, I've been making babies!"
I've discussed and will continue to discuss the disadvantage of "just making babies" as opposed to planning for your life and future. I have even done workshops on the importance of fatherhood, however I can't reach everyone. We have to take a different approach. We need parents, relatives and friends to start discouraging reckless behavior. We need the community to step up and display positive examples of family values. We all need to expect more and live with higher standards.
Not only was this young man in front of me spending his time "making babies" he wasn't financially able to take care of his responsibilities which keeps him from having valid license. The routine in our community goes like this; If I don’t have a valid license, I don’t have a job. Why is this the routine? For too many people, not being able to drive themselves to a job interview or to work is an excuse for not working. I remember the time when I had to ask every friend I had for a ride to work. That's no longer the case. So, unless he changes his mentality, this father will continue to be unable to care for his children in the foreseeable future. Not to mention that he now faces the possibility of a $1,000 fine and six months in jail based on the offenses that lead him to my Court.
As a people we have to take parenthood and responsibility serious. I use the term “parenthood” because the responsibility is equality on men and women. From my experience, when men are “just making babies” and not effectively involved in their children's lives, the result is a generation of criminals. The statistics are startling. There have been 22,000 African Americans murdered during the time that President Obama has been this country's leader. The President recently used his power to create the movement "My Brothers Keeper" aimed at educating minority youth and curbing the destruction and violence in our community. My belief is that the President is on the right track. He is being a Cycle Breaker. We also have a part to play. We must discourage the mentality of "just making babies." We have to discourage the trend of fatherless homes. We must encourage our girls and women to set high standards in regard to the men they date, sleep with and have children with. We have to be Cycle Breakers in order to be "My Brother's Keeper."
For more discussion on this subject or others, join Judge Dawson’s Cycle Breaker/Finish First program on Monday nights at 5:30pm at the East Cleveland Municipal Court. East Cleveland Municipal Court’s Judge William L. Dawson is on a mission to help people to Finish First, live their best lives and be Cycle Breakers!
Social Media: @JudgeDawson
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