Courtrooms are really places. You can feel the silence. Everyone has faces. They are all trying to act proper and serious. Most people get really nervous when a judge starts talking. They expect something big to happen. That day felt like it was going to be the same as any day, in a courtroom. At first everything looked normal and quiet.
The lights in the room were really bright. They were those fluorescent lights that show everything. You could see every corner of the room. There were no shadows anywhere. It was all very plain.
Police officers were standing where they usually stand. The seats for the public were all taken by people who were very quiet. Some of these people were leaning back in their chairs. Some were sitting up straight. The judge was sitting at the bench. The judge was speaking in a voice and going through the case. This was like any other court hearing. The people, in the room were all waiting to see what would happen with the case.
The criminal stood up straight. Was fully visible now. The criminal was standing properly into view.
The man was really hard to overlook. He was impossible to miss. You could not. Notice the man.
This man was really big. He had shoulders and thick arms and you could tell he was very muscular. The orange jail suit he was wearing looked like it was too small for him. It seemed like it was not made for someone with a body like his. When he moved a little some people in the crowd saw him. Looked at each other. They were not exactly scared of him. They were just surprised to see someone like him. The orange jail jumpsuit was tight, on the man. The huge man had a presence.
The judge also noticed this.
He stopped talking in the middle of what he was saying. Just for a moment. His eyes looked down at the man who was standing below him. The man was a guy. This pause was not a deal but you could tell it happened. The look on his face changed a little it was not like he was mad or worried it was more like he was slightly surprised, by the size of the man.
Something unexpected happened then. I was not ready for this thing to happen. The thing that happened was totally unexpected. This unexpected thing changed everything.
The judge smiled. He was happy with what the judge was seeing. The judge had a smile, on the judges face.
He did not have a smile on his face. He just had an one. The man leaned back a bit and spoke again this time he sounded more casual. You could hear the humor in the mans voice he sounded really polite and relaxed. The man made a joke he said something like the guy, behind bars still looked like he worked out. The man was not making fun of him. The man was not being mean to him. The man just made a comment like a normal person would.
The room was really quiet. It did not make a sound. The room just stayed silent.
A few people, in the public smiled. Someone let out a laugh but they stopped laughing quickly. The lawyer who was standing on the side kept a straight face he was holding his files but even the lawyer looked a little less tense.
The criminal looked really confused when you first saw him. The criminal just did not know what to do. The criminal was confused.
The man blinked. He tilted his head to the side a bit. It was like he was not sure if the person was joking or being serious. Then the man nodded his head one time slowly like he was okay, with what the person said. The man did not smile,. He did not look upset either.
The judge kept talking in a calm way. He moved his head a little. You could tell he was still smiling to himself still really calm. The judge did not look scared all. The big man standing in front of him did not seem to bother the judge. The judge spoke like he was the one in charge of everything, in the room. The judge was totally comfortable. The judge seemed to own the place.
For a moment it almost did not feel like a courtroom.
The criminal did something. He reacted to what was happening. The criminal reacted to the situation.
The man shouted loud all of a sudden. He was being very quiet. Then he shouted. The shouting was a surprise.
It was really loud. There was one shout. This shout was more about being excited or frustrated than being angry. The man flexed slightly. His voice echoed all across the room. This loud shout did not last long but it did break the calm in the room. The shout, from the man broke the calm.
People responded away. The public had a strong reaction, to this. The public was not slow to react all.
Some people jumped up a little in their seats. Others made their eyes really big. The police officers who were standing behind him got really tense. They did not go rushing in. The police officers stayed really alert watching the man closely.
The judge just sat there he did not flinch. The judge was still the judge did not move at all.
He stayed seated. He was still smiling, even though his smile was not as big as it was before. He did not raise his voice when he spoke. The man did not look scared or angry. He waited for the sound to stop then the man spoke again.
His tone was still light.
Almost joking.
He smiled a lot now. He told the police to take the man back to jail. The police were going to do what the man said. He did not sound angry or mean. He sounded like he was just talking to the police like they were friends. The man with the police seemed to know what was going to happen. The man was very calm. The police were going to take the other man back, to jail because the man told them to do that.
The effect was immediate.
The criminal stopped shouting. He put his head down. His shoulders fell down too. The excitement or frustration that made him yell just went away. The criminal did not say anything back. The criminal did not try to fight back. The criminal just stood there without moving.
The police officers moved a forward. They did not do it in a way. They just wanted to show him what to do. One of the police officers put his hand near the mans arm. He was ready to help him. He was not being rough. The lawyer did not say a word. He was watching the police officers and the man closely.
The mood in the seating changed again. It was like the whole atmosphere in the seating had shifted. People, in the seating were feeling something different now. The public seating was filled with a feeling.
People. You could hear a couple of quiet laughs. These laughs were not loud all. This is the kind of reaction people have when the tension suddenly disappears from the room. The people were no longer scared. The moment of the people felt oddly light, for the people.
The judge watched calmly as the officers prepared to escort the man. The judge stayed really calm. The judge did not rush all. The judge only said what was necessary, about the man.
And just like that, it was over.
The criminal did what the officers said and went with them. The lawyer got all his papers together. People, in the courtroom sat back down. The courtroom was quiet again like it usually is.
People would talk about that moment on. That moment would be something that people would remember and discuss. People would think about that moment for a time and they would talk about it with each other. That moment was very important, to people.
People would laugh about it. Some people would say the judge did a job. Other people would say it was weird to see people being funny, in a courtroom.. Every single person agreed that the judge and the whole situation was not what people normally expect when they go to a courtroom. The people all thought that the judge was not what they expected.
There was no shouting match.
No chaos.
No fear.
Just a brief, human moment in a place usually known for seriousness.
Courtrooms do not have to be places. The people in charge of the courtroom like judges do not have to be mean or yell to get respect. Courtrooms can be different. Sometimes the people in charge get respect because they are calm and confident. They know they are in control of the courtroom and that is what matters. The courtroom is a place where courtrooms, like this can make people feel more at ease. Courtrooms should be places where people can feel safe and heard.
That day really made it obvious. That day showed that clearly it was a day that made a lot of things obvious, about that day.
And for those who were there, it was a reminder that even inside strict systems, people are still people.