Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2000 11:44:26 -0600 (CST) X-Sender: jfloyd@mail.hiwaay.net X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Light Version 1.5.2 To: jfloyd@hiwaay.net From: James Floyd (jfloyd@hiwaay.net) Subject: Open letter to David Duke Cc: davidduke@mail.com Stand and Deliver Subject: Birmingham Municipal Judge Carnella Greene Norman. I'm not asking you to come to Birmingham, no, I'm demanding that you and your team come here. We have an insufferably, ugly situation in the Birmingham court. This circumstance has no parallel since the horrid days of the so-called Reconstruction. We are not talking about an intelligent, honest person of color, nope,what we have here is a vulgar, back-alley nigger who has become a threat to both Whites and Blacks, but especially to Whites. When a White person appears before her, she reaches down, picks-up her gun, shows it to the court and then proceeds. If the person is Black then no gun is drawn. She explains by saying that she is from an all Black, rough, area of Birmingham and "don't trust Whites ," and does not intend "to put-up with any of their shit, and does not like to be around them." In a sworn statement, one black court employee, the bailiff , said Judge Norman made it clear to him that she did not like white people and did not want white employees working near her. He said he feared to be friendly toward white employees in Norman's presence, for fear of turning the judge against him. ELAINE WITT BIRMINGHAM POST-HERALD One man was summoned to be in her court for a morning trial, he waited for her to arrive until pass two o'clock before he gave- up and went home. She showed-up at three o'clock and sent the law after him with a warrant for his arrest. A white lawyer stated under oath that she knows other white lawyers who charge their clients extra if they have to appear before Judge Norman, "because of her abusiveness." BHM.News The only hope that we have here is that her demonstrative lethargy will continue unabated. "... this judge hardly ever shows up for her $103,000 job." "I went to see Judge Norman on the bench on Thursday. She wasn't there. A bailiff, who once was fired by the judge but was reinstated by the Jefferson County Personnel Board, told me the judge hadn't shown up regularly since August." "One black employee stated under oath that when she went to work for Norman, she was required to style the judge's hair before each court session." Notwithstanding, never-the-damn-less, here is what the Black dominated Council did; "But Norman's judicial career is in the hands of the Birmingham City Council, which already has cast its vote. A majority on the council recently named Norman to another four years as a municipal judge. And after Mayor Bernard Kincaid took the title of presiding judge away from Norman and gave it to Judge Barnes, the council passed a resolution praising Norman for "ensuring the dignity of the administration of justice." Is this discrimation, this mockery of justice, this open racism against Whites, which is sanctioned by a Black government, a portent of our children's future? (Attention Tom Chittum) So, David Duke and N.O.F.E.A.R., THERE IS FEAR HERE! But, I'm handing you a royal flush, a winning hand, show us what your new organization can do! Give us reason to believe that the support you seek will not go to just another do-nothing, accomplish nothing, worthless, White fraternity. c/c BHM News fax 205-325-2283 Jim Floyd 256-739-1412.
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2000 06:40:31 -0600 (CST) From: James Floyd (jfloyd@hiwaay.net) Subject: Answering Yo Mail Cc: SNEADSTER@aol.com Sister Gertrude, please! the little vulgarisms that I use in me missives, really, are not all that offensive. As a matter of fact, they pale, indeed, when compared to the septic which floods yo own living room all day and all night. And as regards me spelling and punctuation, Real men can't spell, much less, punctuate! You got HBO, you old darling, don't you? So, you seem to be saying that you can be tolerant of foul-mouthing, verbal, affrontery, only from those of a different color or ethnicity. And what's this "zero tolerance of intolerance." I'm confused, again!.
And then there's Ms. Gonzalez fresh back from a " NEAR-DEATH- EXPERIENCE." She says, "They are experiences of people who have been clinically dead and have revived. OH yes. They do exist." And she goes on to say that Jesus and Budda sent her back here to straighten me out. Well! Ms. Gonzalez, forgive me for being so incredulous. However, I respect your opinions involving spiritual things and have filed them in the 'fat holiness lady' file. (For new readers:) You see, several years ago, I took a clipboard and went to the Holiness Church, uptown. There was a large lady, like three-fifty or four hundred pounds, who kept "falling-out in the spirit." She'd fall flat-out and a sister would run to the altar and , quickly, tug her dress back down from her waist and then stand by while four or five deacons would exert an extraordinary amount of engergy toward getting her up and on her feet, again. So, after watching this several times, I, nonchalantly, told one of the deacons that it would be far more impressive if, rather than just knocking her down, the 'spirit' would also pick her up. They didn't seem to love me much after that. In this same vein, next time you die, tell Jesus and Budda that I'd be more impressed if They would drop by and talk to me direct, instead of me hearing all this, second-hand, through you..
No, no Charlie, I don't hate Jared Taylor. I just don't trust nobody whose got a Rabbi. And Charlie, I stand by my statement that Al Gore is "about as Southern as a bagel.".
And then there's those Revisionist, Militia members, CC of C folk, immigration activist and followers of various and sundry demi-gods etc., with prostate and prostrate trouble who get up to pee at three o'clock in the morning and feel that this is also a good time to jump on ole Jim. Well, let's talk about this ugly trend. If you don't want to help with a project and if you don't want to give money, fine. But why do you feel that you must denigrate, not just mine, but any individual effort at civil disobedience? I think that something very sinister is occurring, here i.e. if you can convince yoself and others that an appeal or person ain't worth a damn, then you feel no obligation to help. This seems to act as a balm, a salve for the conscience. There's one guy, in Atlanta, who went to bed, last night, cheerfully and with a clear conscience. Michael Snead at, SNEADSTER@aol.com, fired-off a fax to the Birmingham City Counsel which bounced around from desk to desk and ended in a televisied donnybrook between the three White members and the Black mob. Look, every word I wrote about Birmingham Municipal Judge Carnella Greene Norman, was true, no, the paper did not say "shit" in the articles but the judge did! And there is much more to this story - three hundred thousand + dollars are missing from this court. Fifty one million dollars are missing from the school coffers. Duke may not come, Duke may not investigate, you may not give a damn that this judge is pulling a gun on White kids who appear before her but I'm gonna keep shaking Duke at'um and rubbing this sore until half the world knows the unconscionable criminality of our New South governments. Bye, got to go to work. Yours in mischief, Jim Floyd.
Commentary.
By ELAINE WITT
BIRMINGHAM POST-HERALDIf you want to know the damage a bad judge can do to the very ideal of justice, just mention the names Jack Montgomery and William Wynn to a Birmingham attorney. Many will tell you that when a judge behaves unprofessionally, criminal defendants, civil parties, lawyers and court employees all lose faith in the process.
And some people in the Birmingham legal trade will tell you that unprofessionalism is the order of the day in the courtroom of Birmingham Municipal Judge Carnella Greene Norman.
For weeks now, listeners to a local talk radio show have been hearing allegations that this judge hardly ever shows up for her $103,000 job. But citizens concerned about the efficient administration of justice might be just as worried about what happens when this judge does come to court.
I went to see Judge Norman on the bench on Thursday. She wasn't there. A bailiff, who once was fired by the judge but was reinstated by the Jefferson County Personnel Board, told me the judge hadn't shown up regularly since August. Another court employee countered that the judge did come in two or three weeks ago to handle a handful of cases.
Judge Norman's dockets, I was told, are slim to non-existent most days, meaning that the court's two other downtown judges, David Barnes and Raymond Chambliss, may have to handle hundreds of traffic and misdemeanor cases per day. Defendants thus have to wait even longer than usual to see a judge. And if you've ever been to city court, you know the wait never has been short.
But documents filed in a pending race discrimination lawsuit against the judge, who is one of three black judges at the downtown court, tell a more chilling story.
In a sworn statement, one black court employee, the bailiff mentioned above, said Judge Norman made it clear to him that she did not like white people and did not want white employees working near her. He said he feared to be friendly toward white employees in Norman's presence, for fear of turning the judge against him.
A white lawyer stated under oath that she knows other white lawyers who charge their clients extra if they have to appear before Judge Norman, "because of her abusiveness."
An attorney who in 1981 helped establish a mediation program in municipal court stated under oath that the program disintegrated after Norman became presiding judge, because the mediators and their clients would show up at the appointed time but could no longer get access to their case files.
One black employee stated under oath that when she went to work for Norman, she was required to style the judge's hair before each court session.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one attorney said that during her tenure as presiding judge, Norman would lock case files in her office and bar the court's other judges from taking the cases. The result was that some cases would be held in limbo for weeks or months because Norman did not act on them.
Norman could not be reached for comment. In her responses to the lawsuit, Norman said she had no bias against white employees at the court.
Andy Allen, one of three attorneys representing her in the race discrimination case, said the judge's critics are simply "a lot of folks with axes to grind."
"She may have ruffled some feathers here and there, and certainly there are some people who are unhappy with the way she has elected to perform the duties of her office. But that in itself means nothing. There are a lot of people who are unhappy subordinates," said Allen, who along with lawyers Joe Whatley and Peter H. Burke, is being paid by the city to represent Norman in the lawsuit.
As for the bias claim, Allen, who is white, said has seen no evidence the judge is a racist, "and I don't believe she is one."
The bias complaint has dragged on since 1996, mainly at city expense. Presumably, it will be resolved in court.
But Norman's judicial career is in the hands of the Birmingham City Council, which already has cast its vote. A majority on the council recently named Norman to another four years as a municipal judge. And after Mayor Bernard Kincaid took the title of presiding judge away from Norman and gave it to Judge Barnes, the council passed a resolution praising Norman for "ensuring the dignity of the administration of justice."
Norman, making a rare public response to complaints against her, told the council she "never miss(es) a docket call."
The job of this politically connected judge, the daughter of a powerful ally of former Mayor Richard Arrington, appears to be safe.
But things might be different if the derelict council members who reappointed Norman were forced to spend a day in city court.
Elaine Witt's column runs Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in the Birmingham Post-Herald.
Birmingham Post-Herald -- www.postherald.com/me012200
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