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[Earthquake Damage]

Trespassing, i.e. being present on private property without permission.  That's what I was convicted of, and what the record would reflect, since the record says nothing of particulars.  And the record wouldn't even say that, because I completed every term given to me by the court, some of them well outside the due process of law, so that the conviction would be deferred from official record.  But apparently that doesn't matter, because who knows what somebody not-convicted of a Class B Misdemeanor two years prior might do if given power over stamping paperwork.

Bureaucracy at its finest?

Also, "I mean, I'm sitting here on the Group W bench 'cause you want to know if I'm moral enough to join the Army and burn women, kids, houses and villages after being a litterbug."

[Aqizzar]

Also, "I mean, I'm sitting here on the Group W bench 'cause you want to know if I'm moral enough to join the Army and burn women, kids, houses and villages after being a litterbug."

Damn mother-rapers and father-stabers get all the breaks.  Especially the father-rapers.  But we was having a wild and groovy time so it's good.

You guys might want to have that shrink looked at though.

[Ultimuh]

I happen to live in Greenland, and yes I know of the concept of trespassing, but to actually be convicted because of it?
But here in Greenland its not enforced as viciously.

[Duke 2.0]

 The concept of all of America being like this always irks me. There is a Federal aspect to our country yes, but each state, county, city and upholder of the law have different standards. Not to mention without context one cannot damn any part of the process. There is a difference between standing around on the empty lot next to my old apartments in the middle of the day to throw stones around and skulking around on the NASA farms just up the road.
 Although the fact that they are still denying you a job because of it is stupid, and bashing that part is warranted. But it seems more of an issue with bureaucracy in general than anything America-specific.

[Aqizzar]

I'm not sure it's a bureaucratic problem so much as just a needlessly draconian policy.  I've served my sentence to the maximum possible character that the nature and word of the law allows.  What's the difference between two years and five years, especially when I meet every other qualification in style, at a time when Dallas County is advertising for more government employees?

As for a difference in the treatment of trespassing, I'd say it had more to do with character than the law, specifically running afoul of a thoroughly corrupt small-town legal system.  By cosmic irony, by attorney could personally vouch for the minuscule nature of my crime, but once again the actual scenario doesn't matter.  A Class B conviction is just that.

Anyway, I think the more important revelation here is that the forum has a regular member from Greenland.  How are the five of you this time of year?

[scriver]

If you don't mind me asking, what did you trespass on to begin with?

[Jackrabbit]

From the way it sounds I'd be willing he was standing in the garden outside a public library for a few seconds.

[Ultimuh]

Anyway, I think the more important revelation here is that the forum has a regular member from Greenland.  How are the five of you this time of year?

Heh, good one.  (There are actually almost 60000 people in Greenland in total, dont know the exactly number tough.)

But yeah, it is rather cold this time of the year. I miss summer..
Then again, I dont miss all the mosquitos.. bloody flying leeches..

[eerr]

From the way it sounds I'd be willing he was standing in the garden outside a public library for a few seconds.

Libraries don't sue for tresspassing.

[Jackrabbit]

That was hyperbole, yes.

[Aqizzar]

If you don't mind me asking, what did you trespass on to begin with?

Alright, I might as well explain the whole story.  Me and two of my friends were screwing around on a Labor Day holiday, and went out of town, to where I have some family and know some stomping grounds.  We were basically just strolling around a very abandoned warehouse.  I can attest to this, because by incredible coincidence, my attorney had worked at the facility when it closed in 1976.  Ever since, it deteriorated into a pile of scrap, tied up in litigation with some Korean holding company.  We defaced a junk pile and broke a window, on a building that literally had nothing but broken windows.

At some point, we tripped a silent alarm.  Four patrol cars and state trooper pulled up and shouted at us to lay down.  We did so; then my face was kneed into the concrete, and everyone got a good laugh as I had to lie there with fire ants crawling down my shirt.  We spent two days stewing with the general inmates in the county jail, before being charged with burglary, bail set at $5000.  After a grand to a bail-bondsman and three-point-five grand to the lawyer (I forgot about his down-payment), nine months later the "Burglary" was reduced to "Trespassing".  Charged with six months probation, and a restitution to the property owner split between us.  Apparently, that holding company decided a broken window on a caved in building was worth $1650 - we split it three ways.

When my lawyer and I got to the courtroom, the district attorney looked at the papers and decided it wasn't right.  One of my accomplices had hired another lawyer, who favored rapid-resolution over better sentences.  Said accomplice got his third of the dough, 18 months probation, and 30 hours of community service.  So the DA took the papers, which had already been signed, and crossed out the printed sentence to pencil in what the other guy got.  My $2500 lawyer didn't bat an eye.  Luckily he came through a few months later, when the holding company decided the split-pay wasn't good enough, and wanted the sentence amended to $1650 from each of us, with a promise to pay back the difference when they got what they wanted.  Obviously, you can't amend a sentence without another hearing.  Lawyer charged me $300 for the half-hour of his time it took to phone that in.  Oh and I forgot to mention - when you're on probation for any reason, you also pay a $50 a month fine on top of any other requirement.  Over 18 months, that's $900.  (Altogether, it's 1000 for bail, 1000+2500+300 for the lawyer, 900 for the probation, 550 for the restitution, 250 in court fines, 50 for a drug test service, and 100 to a community service placement agency, for a rough total cost of $6650.  The lawyer wasn't really necessary, but I didn't know that going in, and he was the cheapest guy in town.)

When all was finally said and done, the conviction was removed from my record, as per to terms of deferred adjudication.  I am under no legal obligation to inform anyone of a prior conviction, except apparently if I want to work for the Probation Service (interestingly enough, applying to be a Police Trainee does not have a such a requirement).  As for the whole story, I broke the law.  I don't deny that.  What I deny is that any consequence of that crime was in any way of commiserate scale to the crime.  And to the extent that I ever before needed a personal cause to motivate my passion for politics, the actual daily practice of law, and the treatment of the accused and convicted, has become pretty important to me.

[Jackrabbit]

I've always wondered, doesn't not hiring people based on past sentences served demonstrate a complete lack of confidence in the legal system? It's basically saying "well yeah, you served your time, you were 'rehabilitated' but as if that means shit-all in this day and age."

[Jopax]

The day started out great, listening to some GB while on my way to school, the sun is shining and i just can't get this smile off my face.Then comes the first class, and for some reason my mp3 player feels like a night of charging isn't enough, so it decides to go silent the little prick.So that pretty much ruined my day at school which was horrifyingly boring after that

[ChairmanPoo]

having the law bring up bullshit exaggerated claims over dubious offenses is an universal problem. I recall some years back, in my university, people from my dorm were partying around, and one of the newcomers to university went wild and got naked on top of a car, or some shit like that (don't know the details of that bit).
Result: the police was called, and brought on riots squads and rounded up everyone, regardless of whether they had done anything or not. 50-60 students were hauled to the comissary (and several were batoned too. The city police force is rather nasty), and charged with vandalism (IIRC they ended up fining them 700€ each or so).

Spoiler: As for me, I was able to sneak away from the debacle after fast-talking my way out of getting arrested, and got home safely and without a conviction history. (click to show/hide)

[Leafsnail]

So... from the sounds if it, that warehouse exists only to trap people and extract ludicrous sums from them for damages.  Why else would you have a silent alarm on it...?