Authors: Leo Sullivan
office just as the CO announced the end of the visitation. Maybe
I should have hugged him, whispered words of encouragement,
but I felt that it was important for me to keep our relationship
strictly business. But once again, a nod of the head, a shrug would
have to suffice. I took my son out of his arms, and marched out
of the door to the sound of my heels on the cold linoleum floor.
If knew then what I was getting myself into, I would have never
taken the case, United States of America versus Life Thugstin.
*****
260
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
“
A New Beginning”
–
Hope –
The next day I was at my new office. The movers arrived around
10:30 in the morning, with the used furniture that I bought from
Goodwill.
It was one of them hectic days, hot and sweaty. Of course, my
air conditioner was not working, and there wasn’t enough space in
my cramped office for all of these huge men to be maneuvering
around me. Someone bumped into me and I turned around to see
a handsome guy in a Federal Express uniform. He smiled and
began to apologize for accidentally touching me from behind. I
shrugged it off because one of the movers mistakenly pushed him
into me.
“
You know who Hope Evans is?”
“
That’s me.” I signed my name on the dotted line. He passed
me an envelope marked American Yacht Association. I opened it
and there was a check for one million dollars in my name. I sat
down on a box and heard something break. The guy in the uni-
form looked at me like I was crazy.
*****
The next morning, bright and early, I arrived at the Federal
Building downtown. I went inside the clerk’s office and filed a
motion that I would be representing Life Thugstin. At the time I
thought I was fully aware of the repercussions of what I was doing.
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The only real bright spot was the judge would be relieved to learn
that Life was trying to hire a lawyer. Whenever a defendant repre-
sents himself, it’s always a sure debacle, and I was sure the
Honorable Judge Statford was not about to let that happen in his
courtroom. The major hurdle now was my ex-boss down at the
United States Prosecution’s Office, David Scandels. If he decided
to file a motion citing conflict of interest, more than likely I would
be thrown off the case. This was too much to bear. Maybe I was
stressing, but for the last few weeks I had been feeling ill, could
hardly eat and didn’t get much rest. Not to mention the nervous
breakdown I had in the parking lot a few weeks ago.
At last, I arrived home. Crowds of media were camped out in
my front yard. I had to honk my horn just to enter my driveway.
“
What the ....” Microphones were thrust into my face as I exit-
ed my car. Too many cameras and too many faces. A sea of people
surrounded me, instantly I thought about my hair, my makeup.
This was the last thing I needed.
How did they find out so fast?
I
wondered.
“
Ms. Evans, will you be defending Life Thugstin?”
“
No comment,” I responded, as I attempted to trudge
through the herd of media.
“
Ms. Evans, with your prior experience with the prosecutor’s
office, what made you want to switch sides and go against your old
office?”
“
No comment.”
“
Ms. Evans, you’re young, barely in your mid 20s with hardly
enough experience to go up against your old boss, David Scandels.
What kind of defense do you plan to use?” a repor ter asked.
I ignored him and stepped over a thick television cable cord.
I saw a repor ter standing in my garden. Cordially, like every day I
was used to coming home finding a herd of anxious reporters
standing in my yard, I said with a straight face, “I will be more
than happy to talk with you guys, but until something breaks and
I am assigned the case it would be inappropriate and unprofes-
sional for me to discuss the case with you.” I then pointed to the
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reporter standing in my garden, he was short and round like
maybe doughnuts were his first love. “Sir, if you don’t posses a
degree in agriculture I suggest you get off my Magnolias before I
have you arrested for plant homicide.” The reporters roared with
laughter as the he stepped out of the garden like a fat kid that just
got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. I couldn’t help but grin
at his antics as blue skies and camera lights flashed, bathing my
body. I finally managed to make it inside my home. Shutting the
door, I just leaned against it. Lord, I was so tired. I knew I need-
ed a check-up and I promised myself as soon as I got caught up on
everything I was going to see a doctor.
The phone rang, eyes bulging I stared at it as if it were a time
bomb.
Reporters.
I thought. I placed my briefcase on the couch
and removed my shoes. On stocking feet I padded over to the
phone.
“
Hello?”
“
Hope?”
“
This is she. May I help you?” I said recognizing the harsh
tone of the voice instantly.
“
This is Mr. Scandels, your former employer. What’s this
about you taking the Thugstin case?” There was a pause, my heart
skipped a beat, it felt like the wind was sucked out of me. For the
life of me, I did not know why this white man intimidated me so
much.
“
Yes, it’s true,” I heard my voice respond timidly as I gripped
the phone
with both hands balancing my fortitude. Yet from somewhere
in the back of my mind a voice said,
Hope you have spent your
whole life preparing for this, the little Black girl from the Pork and
Beans Projects. You’re a fighter, fight back
!
“
Hope, I suggest you withdraw from this case if you know
what’s good for you!” Scandels threatened. Silence, as I grasped the
phone so tight it felt like I could have crushed it.
“
David, I have no intention of withdrawing from the case.”
“
David?” Scandels repeated, not believing I would have the
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gall to call him by his first name the way that he has always done
me.
“
I can have you removed from the case. As you are aware of,
this is a matter of conflict of interest –”
“
Whose interest, yours or the court?” I asked, raising my
voice.
“
You are not familiar with the logistics of federal law, but I’m
known for
my shrewd courtroom skills.”
“
All I know is that in our last conversation, before I left your
office, you threatened to blackball me, so if that is any indication
of your courtroom skills, you’re not playing fair, you’re taking me
back four hundred years,” I said sarcastically. I heard the harsh rus-
tle of air through his nostrils as he breathed his rage into the
phone. Apparently I had struck a nerve. I was trying to play on his
psyche, to bait him, use a strong dose of psychology.
“
Are you implying that I’d rather blackball you than face you
in cour t?” he shouted. I took the phone away from my ear.
“
I’m only stating the facts as to how you related them to me,
David,” I said feeling my confidence building as I realized I might
have found a hole in his armor. My rival, a man. His weakness, his
ego. A smar t woman has always been able to exploit that to her
advantage.
“
I’ll tell you what Ms. Evans,” Scandels said calmer, with more
threat in his voice.
For the first time ever he addressed me by my last name. “I’ll
look forward to seeing you in cour t and making you the laughing
stock of the town.”
“
Mr. Scandels, the feeling is mutual.”
He slammed the phone down. I beamed with pride as I turned
and peeked out the curtains. The reporters were gathering their
gear to leave, thank God.
*****
After ward I called my girl Nandi Shakur. She was now Dr.
Shakur, a professor and pioneer in the study of socioeconomics. I
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called in a debt of friendship and asked her to be one of my expert
witnesses. She told me that she had been following the case in the
news. For the first time in my life she let me do all of the talking.
She had no choice. Now I was a professional and this was my field,
criminal law. This case, this trial, was larger than life, bigger than
the both of us. I told her about one of a kind strategy that had
never been used before. I was going to build a defense on what I
was calling a Social-Economic crime, meaning that oppression
and environment, along with the fact that drugs were placed in
the Black community, were factors that had to be taken into con-
sideration. Nandi agreed to help me.
*****
265
Chapter Ninteen
Chapter Ninteen
“
Time To Get Ready for Trial”
–
Hope –
“
Hope! Hell naw! Have you lost your fuckin’ mind?”
“
Just hear me out.”
“
I’ve heard enough. I ain’t pleading guilty to nuttin’.”
“
Five hundred grams of powder or less carries a sentence of
five years, but due to your past criminal history they’re going to
add a few more years. The government is asking for a life sen-
tence,” I shouted, grabbing his arm. Our eyes locked like in a
mental standoff. He pulled his arm away from me. I watched as he
caressed the neat crop of waves in his head with his hand, eyes
downcast. A week prior to my visit Judge Statford granted me per-
mission to take the case. The only catch was I was only given three
weeks to prepare for trial. A week had already passed and I was still
trying to prepare a defense that even I had doubts about. And Life
Thugstin was stubborn as hell, just like the rest of the brothas
caught up in the system. They just did not understand the real
dynamics of law.
I opened his folder and passed him a copy of his indictment,
along with the discovery, a thick folder with all the evidence the
government intended to use against him, including all the wit-
nesses.
“
You’re charged with CCE, Continuing Criminal Enterprise.
In order for the government to prove its case against you, the gov-
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ernment must prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that you took
part in a continuing series of violations in which you,” I pointed
a finger at him for emphasis and was surprised to see that I had his