WASHINGTON 鈥� Every year, a community outreach program for young people takes place in D.C. Superior Court.聽It鈥檚 designed to help young people learn about the courts and the law and to build positive relationships with law enforcement.
High school students from around D.C. got a tour of the courtrooms Saturday, had the chance to talk to the judges, check out courtroom holding cells and participate in a mock trial.聽 A group of D.C. police officers took聽part in a聽mock trial that dealt with a聽police and citizen encounter. The聽students played the part of the聽jury.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Melvin Wright, who helped launch the program 16 years ago, says every year the 鈥淵outh Law Fair鈥� focuses on an important issue in the community.聽He says last year it was gang violence, and the year before it was bullying.
鈥淲e have a dialogue and have discussions about it, and what we鈥檙e trying to do is find solutions to those problems so they don鈥檛 continue,鈥� says Wright.
This year, the focus is on citizen and police encounters, especially in light of Ferguson and the recent bloody arrest of an African American UVa. student.
鈥淲e thought it would be good to talk about how that should be handled because all lives matter,鈥� says Wright.
Omar Mott, a sophomore from Calvin Coolidge Senior High School, says this is his fourth year attending the law fair.
鈥淚 just like the aspect of getting to learn the court system and things about the law,鈥� says Mott.
He says the biggest thing he walked away with is connecting with the judges and court officials one-on-one.
鈥淪ometimes when you see people who have power, you don鈥檛 see them as regular people,鈥� says Mott.聽But he says by talking to them, he got to see them as regular people.聽 鈥淛ust like me, that鈥檚 what connected me.鈥�
Gwen Pointer,聽a junior at Richard Wright School for Journalism and Media Arts, attended the law fair.聽 She聽agrees that the topic of police and citizen interactions needs to be tackled.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something that youth need to be aware of and not only know half the story.聽 But know what actually happens in court decisions,鈥� says Pointer.
