(no subject)
I'm in New Orleans, and I work for the Louisiana Capital Assistance Center. I spent all of last week in court, across the river in Jefferson Parish. I worked on a capital murder case, making arrangements with witnesses and helping the defense attorneys and investigators.
The work is incredible, and though it takes place against a background of appalling poverty and racism, I find it hard to believe I'm already in the middle of the Louisiana justice system. Thursday I filed an appeal with the 5th Circuit State Court of Appeals. Friday, one of my coworkers took me for a drive after work, and showed me Loyola and Tulane, where he goes to law school. I have a standing offer to sit in on his classes.
This is just a cursory entry because I haven't had internet access in almost two weeks. I'm going to catch up on some of my older paper entries. There's so much to write about just living in New Orleans, the anniversary of Katrina, the Jesuit Volunteers, the flood aftermath, not to mention the legal and prison work I'm doing. On top of it all, I miss her like crazy.
What's gotten me through so far is that I feel like I'm doing the work of the Kingdom, where it's desperately needed. There are people in jail in Orleans Parish who have been locked up without trial, or even legal representation, for over a year. For whatever reason, I have the job of serving these people.
Once in the early years of my friendship with Casey, on a walk above the monastery in the woods, I asked him, "so, celibacy, poverty, not travelling, all this monk business- how do you do it?" He paused for a bit, and smiled with a response. "Well, I guess there has to be a sense of romance to it." My only hope to get through this year of indigent death penalty defense in Southern Louisiana is that the sense of romance holds up. Honestly, I have my doubts. Saint Thomas More pray for us.
The work is incredible, and though it takes place against a background of appalling poverty and racism, I find it hard to believe I'm already in the middle of the Louisiana justice system. Thursday I filed an appeal with the 5th Circuit State Court of Appeals. Friday, one of my coworkers took me for a drive after work, and showed me Loyola and Tulane, where he goes to law school. I have a standing offer to sit in on his classes.
This is just a cursory entry because I haven't had internet access in almost two weeks. I'm going to catch up on some of my older paper entries. There's so much to write about just living in New Orleans, the anniversary of Katrina, the Jesuit Volunteers, the flood aftermath, not to mention the legal and prison work I'm doing. On top of it all, I miss her like crazy.
What's gotten me through so far is that I feel like I'm doing the work of the Kingdom, where it's desperately needed. There are people in jail in Orleans Parish who have been locked up without trial, or even legal representation, for over a year. For whatever reason, I have the job of serving these people.
Once in the early years of my friendship with Casey, on a walk above the monastery in the woods, I asked him, "so, celibacy, poverty, not travelling, all this monk business- how do you do it?" He paused for a bit, and smiled with a response. "Well, I guess there has to be a sense of romance to it." My only hope to get through this year of indigent death penalty defense in Southern Louisiana is that the sense of romance holds up. Honestly, I have my doubts. Saint Thomas More pray for us.