WASHINGTON – Every year, a community outreach program for young people takes place in D.C. Superior Court. It’s designed to help young people learn about the courts and the law and to build positive relationships with law enforcement.
High school students from around D.C. got a tour of the courtrooms Saturday, had the chance to talk to the judges, check out courtroom holding cells and participate in a mock trial. A group of D.C. police officers took part in a mock trial that dealt with a police and citizen encounter. The students played the part of the jury.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Melvin Wright, who helped launch the program 16 years ago, says every year the “Youth Law Fair” focuses on an important issue in the community. He says last year it was gang violence, and the year before it was bullying.
“We have a dialogue and have discussions about it, and what we’re trying to do is find solutions to those problems so they don’t continue,” says Wright.
This year, the focus is on citizen and police encounters, especially in light of Ferguson and the recent bloody arrest of an African American UVa. student.
“We thought it would be good to talk about how that should be handled because all lives matter,” says Wright.
Omar Mott, a sophomore from Calvin Coolidge Senior High School, says this is his fourth year attending the law fair.
“I just like the aspect of getting to learn the court system and things about the law,” says Mott.
He says the biggest thing he walked away with is connecting with the judges and court officials one-on-one.
“Sometimes when you see people who have power, you don’t see them as regular people,” says Mott. But he says by talking to them, he got to see them as regular people. “Just like me, that’s what connected me.”
Gwen Pointer, a junior at Richard Wright School for Journalism and Media Arts, attended the law fair. She agrees that the topic of police and citizen interactions needs to be tackled.
“It’s something that youth need to be aware of and not only know half the story. But know what actually happens in court decisions,” says Pointer.
