Bryan Stevenson

The judge said, oh, your people have to get here earlier tomorrow.

I said, judge, that wasn't the problem.

They didn't let them in.

Judge paid no attention.

I explained to the community what had happened.

They said, we will be here earlier tomorrow.

There were a few seats left, and they identified this older woman.

And my relationship to this work is because of people like this older woman.

She was so proud to be given the responsibility of being one of the witnesses for the community.

And she fixed herself up and she walked over to the door.

They let people in and she walked through the door with such grace and such dignity.

She held her head up high.

She had this hat on.

She walked through the metal detector, but when she saw the dog, you could just see the fear paralyze her.

She stopped dead in her tracks, and I watched her try to move, try to take a step, and she couldn't do it.

And her body began to shake, and her head drooped, and I saw tears start running down her face.

And then I heard her groan really loudly, and then watched her turn around and run out the courtroom.

Painful thing to see.

Other people came inside.

We had a really good day in court that day.