I gave an interactive prosecution presentation virtually this past Wednesday night. A group of students and faculty participated, not just listened to a “speaker”, but took an active role in reading through the series of events that collectively was my prosecution. It's only the third time that I have done this. I am collecting opinions from the participants to discern what is going through their heads as they experience it to continue to improve the experience.
I know what's going through my head. Every moment of the case was felt deeply. Every minute of the trial, the hearings, the depositions, the polygraphs, etc… was my best effort at getting the truth out. It was painful. It was inconvenient. It upended my life in countless ways, and I have never worked harder.
The only reason…… the only reason that I do this presentation is for the next generation to learn and act.
At the end of the presentation, we had time for some Q & A. One student asked how do you handle the emotional roller coaster the case put me on. I answered that it was opportunity for me to learn how to respond to something much bigger than me and that it crystalized my values. That is absolutely true and it was transformational. The additional answer is at that time, I didn't know how to handle it. I learned to take one day at a time. It wasn't that I didn't know what to do, it was more a feeling of did I have the courage to do that. I dug deep and re-discovered things about myself.
There are so many people before me that have had to carry a much heavier load than I did. I had to rise to the occasion.
The other thing that I want to mention about how this presentation unfolded represents a constant theme at Impartial. It is about connection and collaboration. Traditionally, these types of meetings are done by one person, likely me, solely pontificating before a group of people. The audience might pay attention, but they might scroll on their phones. If they do the later, what's the chances of them asking a question at the end of the presentation, what's the chance of this presentation being meaningful to them, what's the chance that they will be inspired? I would argue that without being interactive your chances are diminished.
Selfishly, I like not having to do the whole presentation. I like that there is a shift of responsibility to the student or faculty person. They own their excerpt. They are going to present it, so they likely read through it a few times. They are given their excerpt shortly before the presentation begins. First, I would imagine that they read through it to make sure they can read it. Then, I think they may read through it again and discover more meaning. By the time they read through it in the context of the presentation, they are “that role” and there is a connection to the person that read before them and the one that read after them.
They may be reading as the Judge arguing with the prosecutor regarding the Rule 29. They may be reading the criminal defense attorney's opening statement. In that moment, the presenter is that person. There is some weight in the delivery of their words.
If we are going to meet the needs of the criminal justice system, we must be connected to one another on various levels and we have to be willing to speak to our roles.
