NC lawyer: Courtroom attack I witnessed is burned into my grieving heart

Welcome to NC Voices, where leaders, readers and experts from across North Carolina can speak on issues affecting our communities. Send submissions of 350 words or fewer to opinion@charlotteobserver.com.

Violence takes a toll on all in NC

The writer has practiced law in Durham for over 39 years. He is also the author of “Cloak and Gavel: FBI Wiretaps, Bugs, Informers and the Supreme Court.”

On Sept. 26, I was in Durham County Superior Court for the guilty plea of my teenage client. He was in the process of admitting to second-degree murder. This turned out to be no routine morning. What I witnessed has been burned into my grieving and bruised heart.

The judge told the courtroom “there are no winners in the criminal justice system.” This was after sentencing two very large, very angry men to 30 days in jail for contempt of court after they rushed from the spectator area and beat my very small 17-year-old client.

They continued to pummel my client in the head while being pepper sprayed and tasered by deputies. My client suffered a head injury, as did some of the deputies. One ended up at the hospital, but was treated and released. Later, I learned that one of my client’s assailants was out on bond for a Durham murder charge.

We were all in court because a 15-year-old came to the Bull City from Person County with a handgun in early 2021. He died in Durham, shot by my scared client who was 15 then and also armed with a handgun.

No winners. Only tragedy. Only tears. One teen dead and one teen going to prison for over a decade.

What emotional toll do we all suffer for sifting through the aftermath of the violence and watching as the raw emotions play out in court — even on the days when there is no overt violence?

I’m left afraid, irritable and wary. I do feel a measure of hope from the words of forgiveness spoken to my client by the mother of the young man who is never coming home again. I, too, pray for us all: the dead, the wounded, and the grief-stricken.

There were no winners, and the souls of all in Durham lost something we will never get back.

M. Alexander Charns, Durham

NC elections chair: We need your help

The writer chairs the N.C. Board of Elections.

It’s election season again and while the thermometer is dropping, it feels like the temperature is rising. We seem to be living through an era of high conflict, yet our founding documents talk of things like forming a more perfect union.

As we enter this season of democracy and go to vote, I ask for your patience, your grace, and your help ensuring that voting in elections remains the cornerstone of our democracy.

As Americans, we argue. We disagree about how high our taxes should be, or what should be taught in our schools. We are at odds over the proper role of government in our lives and how best to help our least fortunate citizens. Like you, I see a vehement and dogged polarization creeping into every facet of our lives.

As election administrators our job is straightforward: to ensure that elections are secure, accessible and fair. The public servants who conduct elections in our state are highly trained and dedicated. They are committed to running elections impartially.

You may have seen these folks in the grocery store or at church. They may live on your street. They work year-round to make sure we are ready for you to be able to cast your vote in local, state and federal elections.

With over 7 million registered voters in North Carolina and over 5.5 million votes cast in the last presidential election, making voting happen is no small task. During election season, election professionals train thousands of your fellow citizens, representing both major parties, to work the polls. Everyone involved works impossibly long hours to make sure you can vote.

Because of the high level of conflict and polarization right now, those of us in the election administration community are worried. Some of us are Republicans, some Democrats, but all of us are Americans first. We want what you want. We want a thriving democracy where our differences are settled at the ballot box and where we can continue to seek that more perfect union.

We will do our level best to make sure your voting experience is secure, accessible and fair. In return, I hope you will show up to vote and have faith in your neighbors and friends who are conducting the voting process.

Damon Circosta