Article View: misc.rural
Article #1008Re: ADVENTURES WITH BLACK CLIENTS
From: hilltown_dweller
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2004 18:09
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2004 18:09
586 lines
25994 bytes
25994 bytes
Some of you people have been uppity, some of you people have been lazy. And while we're talking about some of white folks I work with.... I'm getting sick of it too. signed, some white guy---now some-body take me to the promised land. "BlackNight" <me@mindspring.com> wrote in message news:mhe300l35g3k6jvgp92athv2ikhmlcnlm7@4ax.com... > On 1 Dec 2003 07:10:12 -0800, ccleland2000@yahoo.com (charles) wrote: > > How many small negatives messages are required to change a man? How > many negatives messages reach the ears and eyes of my children each > day? Who pays for the damage? I think that we all pay. > > > >"Godzilla Pimp" <GodzillaPimp@notme.net> wrote in message news:<N9yyb.29119$Rk5.3493@newsread1.news.atl.earthlink.net>... > >> URBAN LAW 101 > >> > >> ADVENTURES WITH BLACK CLIENTS. > >> > >> by Donald Williamson, Attorney > >> > >> published in American Renaissance Vol. 14 No. 9 (September 2003) > >> > >> I grew up in a suburb of a large northern city, and had no real contact with > >> blacks until I became a lawyer. After I got my law degree I naively looked > >> forward to a rewarding legal career. Little did I realize that 25 years > >> later I would be a self-employed attorney doing domestic and civil > >> litigation for a clientele that is overwhelmingly black. I didn't plan it > >> that way. I just wanted to do a lot of work in the courtroom, and the best > >> offer I got out of law school was with a small firm that specialized in > >> bankruptcy. Most of its clients were black. Several years later, I set up an > >> independent practice and many of my former clients came to me for domestic > >> work. > >> > >> Most people do not realize this, but outside the world of corporate or > >> securities law, in any big city the legal profession is to a large degree > >> fueled by the pathologies of blacks and other Third-World people. Of course, > >> whites hire lawyers, but in any city, especially one with a good-sized black > >> population, most of the people who need lawyers are black. In this respect, > >> lawyers are like police officers or social workers - they rarely deal with > >> ordinary white people. To a large degree, I became racially conscious > >> because of my black clients, who eventually destroyed all my preconceived > >> notions about race. My awakening did not come from one or even a few > >> incidents, but from the accumulation of thousands upon thousands of small > >> interactions. > >> > >> My black clients eventually destroyed all my preconceived notions about > >> race. Day after day my clients continue to amaze me. There is no racial > >> education quite so thorough and convincing as spending time with blacks, and > >> my clients are far from being the poorest and least competent blacks. They > >> are not indigent criminals for whom I am a court-appointed lawyer. They are > >> people who can afford (or think they can afford) a lawyer to get a divorce, > >> contest a custody judgment, beat a traffic ticket, etc. Some are government > >> employees who make $60 to $70 thousand a year, yet even this group is vastly > >> different from whites. > >> > >> THEY DON'T KNOW > >> > >> One of the most striking things about my black clients is the things they do > >> not know. Many blacks, for example, do not know their own telephone numbers. > >> They may think they do but they don't, and the problem has gotten worse with > >> the proliferation of cell phones. At least a third of the numbers they leave > >> with my receptionist or on my answering machine are wrong numbers. Often, a > >> potential client will call several times, each time leaving a variation of > >> the same phone number. I keep calling until they get it right. At first I > >> thought I was taking down the numbers incorrectly, but now I know better. > >> With caller ID, it is clear when what the client says does not match the > >> digital display. Some callers don't even leave a number. About a quarter of > >> the messages blacks leave do not include either a name or a number. Needless > >> to say, many calls are not returned. > >> > >> More than a handful of blacks who have come to my office do not even know > >> their own home address (they move often). Many cannot tell me their own > >> spouse's names. Now I know to tell clients ahead of time that they will need > >> this sort of information when they come in. Otherwise, if I ask for > >> someone's address he may look hurt and say, "If I'd known you were going to > >> ask me that I would have come prepared." > >> > >> Many black men know their children's names but do not know how to spell > >> them. With the proliferation of unusual names among blacks, I can only guess > >> at how they are spelled. One client who told me he couldn't spell his > >> children's names said I would need an encyclopedia to look them up. Many men > >> have admitted to me they are not even sure how to pronounce their children's > >> names. Black woman, on the other hand, often become incensed if you > >> mispronounce the very unusual names they have given their children. > >> > >> The most unusual name I ever came across was Iisszzttadda. I have never met > >> a person, white or black, who could pronounce it correctly. To my surprise > >> the name is pronounced, "I seize the day." Iisszzttadda had siblings named > >> Raheem, Utopian, Desiorme, Sid-Timothy, Kizzma, and Larilaril. I have > >> occasionally asked clients the reasons for such unusual names, but the most > >> common answer is "I don't know. It just sounded good." This is the answer I > >> got from a mother who named her child Latrine. (See sidebar for actual names > >> of blacks I have encountered in my practice.) I once had a client in my > >> office who did not know his own name. He had been called by his nickname for > >> so long he couldn't remember his given name. This is not as shocking as it > >> sounds. Some black names, like Phe-anjoy or Quithreaun or JyesahJhnai, are > >> so odd, it would be no surprise if they were never used and eventually > >> forgotten. > >> > >> Some Names of Blacks Encountered in My Practice > >> > >> Aaja (pronounced Asia), Acacia, Ajeenah, Akai, Aquanita, Aryan White, > >> Baleria, Barbertha, Callie (pronounced Kelly), CaAndi, Chetiqua, Cloteal, > >> Curly Top, Darhies, Dayphine, Debrasharme, Derecio, Dertiteriesa, Dikueria > >> and Dikuria (twins), Dildree, Dishon, Dovanna, Duanita, Dyiamond, Dwendolyn, > >> Effillyne, Elizabeth Taylor, Endrissa, Equandolyn, Esaw, Everage, Floyce, > >> Franshawn, Ghia, Godzilla Pimp, Ivier, Jartavious, JyesahJhnai, Keithen, > >> Kentnilla, Lafondra, La,poo (yes, contains comma), Latronia, Lemonjello and > >> Orangejello (twins), L'Tonya, Machoda, Nau-Quia, Mayima, Minute, Miquel, > >> Nethel, Omnipotence, Ondra (pronounced Andre, Ozro, Padraic, Pecola, > >> Phe-anjoy, Precious Unique, Queen Esther, Quithreaun, Rincesetta, Sanja, > >> Saranus, Shanieja, Sharicus, Shiquipa, SiJourna'i, Silquia, Sinetra, Summer > >> Love, Termicka, Tequilla, Timphanie, Tryphenia, Tywana, Tzaddi and Tzavvi > >> (twins), Ulheric, Undlia, Undrea (pronounced Andre), Wsam, Xiomara, XL, Yaw, > >> Yuvodka Sharice, Wilida, Zaquan, Zufan, Zyneene. > >> > >> Since appointments mean so little to my clients, I decide each day when I am > >> available, and tell everyone to show up at the same time. Names are not the > >> only things blacks do not know. Once when I was filling out a form for a > >> female client I asked if she knew how old her husband was. She told me she > >> didn't know. I asked her the next question on the form, which was her > >> husband's birth date. Amazingly, she knew it - and was genuinely surprised > >> when I told her she could figure out her husband's age from his birth date. > >> > >> When potential clients call for the first time, often the hardest part is to > >> figure out why they are calling. Usually they begin in the middle of the > >> story. If you let them, they will go on and on, and say nothing. Clients may > >> call about papers they got in the mail, but never have the papers in front > >> of them. They may call for information, but never have a pen or pencil ready > >> to take it down. I have learned to ask direct questions: "What is your > >> name?" "What is the problem?" If a client cannot tell me in three minutes or > >> less what the problem is, I tell him to come to my office and bring a small > >> retainer fee. That way at least I will have to listen to their ramblings > >> only if they are prepared to pay. > >> > >> Blacks with whom I have already spoken seem to think I should know instantly > >> who they are when they telephone. After I get on the line, a typical > >> conversation may go like this: > >> > >> "Who am I speaking to?" > >> "I am your client." > >> "I have many clients, can you tell me which one?" > >> "I am your divorce client." > >> "Can you tell me your name?" > >> "Rufus." > >> "Rufus, can you tell me your last name?" > >> > >> The conversation may go on for some time before I finally figure out who is > >> calling. > >> > >> I do not take personal injury or product liability cases, but blacks are > >> always asking about bringing suits of this kind: "My vacuum cleaner broke. > >> Can you help me?" > >> > >> Most of my clients who are not black either show up on time for appointments > >> or call if they must reschedule. Amazing as this may seem, only about five > >> percent of my black clients show up on time, and by that I mean within an > >> hour of the appointed time. Only one in five show up on the appointed day. A > >> few trickle in a day or two later. Most just never show up. Missing an > >> appointment never embarrasses black people. They call repeatedly for new > >> appointments, making four, five or even six appointments and then miss them > >> all. I had one client who called more than 50 times before he finally came > >> to my office. Rarely do I ever get a call from a black client canceling an > >> appointment. > >> > >> When I first started out as a lawyer I would call clients in advance to > >> remind them of their appointments. They thanked me, but it made them no more > >> likely to show up. Also, I used to call clients and potential clients who > >> missed appointments, and try to have them reschedule. This did very little > >> good. The most common response was, "Why are you calling me?" and it was > >> never their fault that they didn't show up. They had many different excuses, > >> but I never heard, "I forgot," or "I'm sorry I didn't make it." > >> > >> Since appointments mean so little to my clients, I decide each day when I am > >> available, and tell everyone to show up at the same time. On Saturday > >> afternoons I can have as many as twenty appointments for the same time. > >> Usually it is not a problem because few show up and even fewer show up on > >> time. Only once in the last 20 years did everyone show up. > >> > >> Many of my clients are unable to explain even the most basic facts. Often > >> they must take the witness stand, and no matter how many times we have gone > >> over the testimony in advance, I can be surprised by what they say. Some are > >> simply lying and get tangled up in their lies, but most have such low IQs, > >> they cannot describe even the simplest things. Often they seem to say the > >> first thing that pops into their heads. When they are questioned further > >> they cannot remember what they said previously. > >> > >> I once had a client whose wife was suing him for child support. In > >> discussions before trial he told me he had two children from a previous > >> marriage. This was favorable for him because it meant he would probably owe > >> his current wife less money. At trial, his wife testified that my client had > >> no children outside of their marriage. When I asked him on the stand how > >> many children he had before he married his current wife, he said he had > >> none. Later I asked him why he had answered that way, when he told me before > >> that he had two other children. "Did I say that?" he asked. I never found > >> out which version was true. > >> > >> Many of my clients have a hard time following simple directions. Once I > >> appeared in traffic court with a client. In lieu of a conviction he was to > >> see a traffic safety movie. The courtroom was on the second floor of the > >> courthouse, and the traffic safety movie was shown on the first floor. The > >> client was to come back to the courtroom with proof - which would be given > >> him on the firsfloor - that he watched the movie. Both the judge and I > >> explained this to the client. At the designated hour my client did not come > >> back to the courtroom. Later that afternoon I got a call from the judge, who > >> told me my client had completely misunderstood the instructions. He went to > >> the nearest commercial movie house, saw a movie, and brought back his movie > >> ticket stub. > >> > >> Long ago I stopped asking my clients why they did something. It is not worth > >> the effort. Most don't know. The ones who know usually cannot give a > >> coherent answer. Even if they can give a coherent answer, it usually changes > >> every time you ask. > >> > >> For example, one of my black divorce clients tried to hide assets from his > >> spouse - this is not uncommon. Through discovery it came to light that he > >> had secretly bought a piece of property after the divorce had begun. He put > >> his wife's name on the title, a very odd thing to do, since he was trying to > >> hide the property from her. I made the mistake of asking him why he did > >> that. True to my previous experiences, he could not give an answer that made > >> sense. > >> > >> Clients sometimes tell me they knew they were being cheated, but signed the > >> papers anyway. I have given up asking why they signed, because I know I will > >> not get an intelligible answer. > >> > >> My clients make mistakes in written and spoken English that are often > >> comical. One client in a criminal case told me he was telling the truth, and > >> was willing to take a "polyester test" to prove it. Another told me he > >> desperately wanted to see me, and needed an appointment "between Tuesday and > >> Wednesday." One who bounced a check told me the problem was "insignificant > >> funds" in his account. I have had clients who have "profiteering" plans at > >> work, want an "uncontestable" divorce (or a "detested" divorce, or an > >> "untested" divorce), had "insects" (incest) in the family, need an > >> "annoyment" (annulment), want a free "flirtation" (consultation), ask about > >> my "container" (retainer), want to "consultate" about a divorce, or had to > >> meet with "media people" (mediation counselors). One man told me, "I own a > >> car but it is not mine," and one who was accused of indecent exposure > >> insisted, "I didn't take my stuff out of my pants." > >> > >> It took me some time to understand certain kinds of black slang. Within the > >> first month of my independent practice a man called to ask if I could "put a > >> suitcase on a cat." After much inquiry I realized he wanted to know if I > >> could file a law suit against someone. Within the week I got another call > >> asking if I "did luggage." Since I now knew about suitcases, I said yes, I > >> do luggage. I pride myself on doing good work for my clients, but I cannot > >> remember even once being thanked or complimented by a black client. They do > >> not observe even the most common courtesies. Also, with rare exceptions, > >> blacks will never admit they made a mistake. When things go wrong, as they > >> inevitably do, it is always someone else's fault. The most common excuse > >> blacks give is, "They are putting me through the changes." I have yet to > >> figure out exactly what that means. > >> > >> Most people tell lies because they think a lie will help them. I have come > >> to the conclusion that most of my clients cannot distinguish between a > >> plausible lie and a wild fairy tale. They are convinced people will believe > >> anything they say. Clients often tell me some fantastic story I cannot > >> possibly defend in court. If I tell them what they are saying is > >> unbelievable the usual reaction is anger and screaming. Typically, they will > >> add, "I'm paying you. You have to believe what I say." > >> > >> One client was willing to take a "polyester test" to prove he was telling > >> the truth. Sometimes, despite my warnings, clients will get on the stand and > >> tell obvious, outright lies. The judge may interrupt the testimony and tell > >> me to go outside with my client to "get your story straight." They are not > >> going to sit in court and listen to fairy tales. I take my client outside > >> and tell him he has got to tell the truth, or at least say something > >> believable. My client then starts screaming. "Why are you talking to me this > >> way? You're supposed to be on my side." > >> > >> I once had a client testify about his assets in a divorce case, in which the > >> court was to determine whether he should pay his estranged wife temporary > >> support. My client was a store-front preacher, and testified that he lived > >> in the marital residence with his wife, though in separate quarters. His > >> wife testified that he was out living with his "ho." My client went on and > >> on about how this was impossible because he was a Man of God. I thought he > >> was lying. The judge ruled that if my client was living with his wife he > >> should share household expenses, which he was not currently paying. At this > >> point, my client realized there was a cost to pretending to be a Man of God > >> living with his lawful wife, and changed his tune. "Judge why are you > >> believing me?" he said. "Believe my wife. I am nothing but an old lying > >> nigger." No one in the courtroom could stop laughing. > >> > >> OUTSIDE KIDS > >> > >> "Outside kid" cases are one of my specialties. For those not in the know, > >> blacks call any child born out of wedlock an outside kid. Black men are good > >> at making children but not at supporting them, and this can be a terrible > >> burden under laws written with white people in mind. > >> > >> In my state, the parent who does not have custody - almost always the > >> father - pays a percentage of net income to the parent with custody - almost > >> always the mother. The mother gets 20 percent of the father's net income for > >> the first child, 25 percent for two children, and up to 50 percent for five > >> or more children. What if a man has children by several women? Each mother > >> gets 20 percent for the first child, so a man with five children by five > >> different women is supposed to be paying 100 percent of his income in child > >> support. I once had a client who had 12 different children by 10 different > >> women. Theoretically, he owed 250 percent of his income. These laws simply > >> don't make sense for blacks. Judges have to decide each case as best they > >> can. > >> > >> Not surprisingly, the average black client will not pay child support unless > >> it is deducted from his paycheck. Many refuse to work, or leave a job to > >> avoid paying. Job turnover is very high among blacks, and the court system > >> has a hard time keeping up with them. Some blacks quit on purpose, and move > >> to another job so as to keep one step ahead of the collections. > >> > >> Whenever I ask a potential client whether he has paid court-ordered child > >> support he will almost invariably answer with one or more of the following: > >> "I always helps my kids." "I gives the mother money whenever she asks." "I > >> am always there for my kids." "I buys my kids whatever they needs." It > >> almost always turns out they have paid no support, haven't seen their > >> children in years, and at best may have paid for some basketball shoes. > >> > >> Children do not always seem to have the same importance for blacks that they > >> do for whites. I was in bankruptcy court once waiting for my client's case > >> to be called. A black debtor - not my client - was before the judge trying > >> to convince him to approve his bankruptcy repayment plan. The judge told him > >> he could not afford both his Cadillac and his children, and had to give up > >> one or the other. The debtor immediately said he could not give up his car, > >> and therefore the judge would have to take his kids. The judge threw up his > >> hands and walked off the bench. On another occasion, the same bankruptcy > >> judge told a black debtor he could not afford both his Cadillac and his > >> house. The debtor replied, "You can live in your car but you can't drive > >> your house. Take my house." This was many years ago and tastes in cars may > >> have changed, but I learned how important Cadillacs were to blacks. > >> > >> In one respect my job is very different from that of a policeman or social > >> worker: I have to make sure I am paid. I try to get paid in full before I > >> agree to represent a client. If I am not paid in full before the case is > >> over I know I will never get any more money. Clients have a hard time > >> understanding they are paying for an attorney's time. Invariably, if a > >> client drops a case before it is over he asks for a full refund. Their > >> reasoning goes something like this: "I paid for a divorce and I didn't get > >> one, so I should get all my money back." > >> > >> Once I sued a client who didn't pay me.I finally garnished his wages and was > >> paid in full. About six months later he called to ask me to take his next > >> case. I told him I didn't want a client that doesn't pay his bills. He > >> became indignant. He said I got all my money, so what did I have to complain > >> about. > >> > >> To hear my clients tell it, banks are constantly "messing" with their > >> checking accounts. At least that is what they tell me when their checks > >> bounce. Most of my clients do not have checking accounts, and pay cash. The > >> ones who do have accounts have no idea how much money is in them. Many > >> clients have written me checks on accounts that were closed. > >> > >> Black clients yell and scream at me every day; I have learned that this is > >> normal. They are like young children who don't get their way. I usually > >> ignore these outbursts, though screaming back at them is usually more > >> effective. I have been threatened with physical violence only twice, and > >> once I had to call the police to escort a client out of my office. > >> > >> My experience is hardly unique. Most of the lawyers I know have practices > >> similar to mine. Most lawyers therefore are racial realists even if they do > >> not admit it openly. Their actions and comments are no different from mine. > >> People who have daily contact with minorities, who know first-hand that > >> there are racial differences, are likely to be the best prospects for any > >> movement that promotes racial consciousness. They don't like dealing with > >> blacks, but that is simply part of the business. If they can't take it > >> anymore they get into some other line of work. > >> > >> One lawyer I know moved to the country so he would have white clients. He > >> had lived in the big city all his life, but was willing to pull up all his > >> roots to get a different clientele. > >> > >> Recently the supreme court in my state ruled that a lawyer can be > >> disciplined for communications that racially denigrate litigants. For that > >> reason I cannot write this article under my own name, much as I would like > >> to. I must hide behind a pseudonym for fear of falling victim to our > >> politically-correct supreme court. > >> > >> Donald Williamson practices law in the Midwest. > > > >But dey bees Gawds chillen. > > > >Charles >
Technical Details
Message-ID:
<mHANb.162413$JW3.13823@twister.nyroc.rr.com>Path:
arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!archiver1.google.com!news2.google.com!newsfeed2.dallas1.level3.net!news.level3.com!zeus.visi.com!priapus.visi.com!orange.octanews.net!news.octanews.net!news-out.visi.com!petbe.visi.com!newsfeeds-atl2!news.webusenet.com!news-rtr.nyroc.rr.com!news-out.nyroc.rr.com!twister.nyroc.rr.com.POSTED!53ab2750!not-for-mailReferences:
<N9yyb.29119$Rk5.3493@newsread1.news.atl.earthlink.net> <3be6f215.0312010710.ed68be8@posting.google.com> <mhe300l35g3k6jvgp92athv2ikhmlcnlm7@4ax.com>Show Full Headers
Complete Article Headers
X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 10e1e4,80a6a849e3765cc0 X-Google-Attributes: gid10e1e4,public X-Google-Thread: 1037c2,80a6a849e3765cc0 X-Google-Attributes: gid1037c2,public X-Google-Thread: f514b,80a6a849e3765cc0 X-Google-Attributes: gidf514b,public X-Google-Thread: 10a587,80a6a849e3765cc0 X-Google-Attributes: gid10a587,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2004-01-15 10:09:26 PST Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!archiver1.google.com!news2.google.com!newsfeed2.dallas1.level3.net!news.level3.com!zeus.visi.com!priapus.visi.com!orange.octanews.net!news.octanews.net!news-out.visi.com!petbe.visi.com!newsfeeds-atl2!news.webusenet.com!news-rtr.nyroc.rr.com!news-out.nyroc.rr.com!twister.nyroc.rr.com.POSTED!53ab2750!not-for-mail From: "hilltown_dweller" <northernfringe@helderbergs.com> Newsgroups: misc.rural,atl.general,neworleans.general,alt.appalachian References: <N9yyb.29119$Rk5.3493@newsread1.news.atl.earthlink.net> <3be6f215.0312010710.ed68be8@posting.google.com> <mhe300l35g3k6jvgp92athv2ikhmlcnlm7@4ax.com> Subject: Re: ADVENTURES WITH BLACK CLIENTS Lines: 588 X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1158 X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165 Message-ID: <mHANb.162413$JW3.13823@twister.nyroc.rr.com> Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2004 18:09:22 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 24.25.129.68 X-Complaints-To: abuse@rr.com X-Trace: twister.nyroc.rr.com 1074190162 24.25.129.68 (Thu, 15 Jan 2004 13:09:22 EST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2004 13:09:22 EST Organization: Road Runner