Before the judge

Work has started again in the Le Roux housing project where we built earthquake relief housing. We have started building a fence around the housing project to help with security and to protect their gardens from the herds of goats and sheep that migrate through their land. After we started erecting the fence, one of the neighbors that was using the land for vehicle access to his property was upset and filed a case with the court to have the work stopped. The village was first given a an unsigned court order so they decided to ignore it and continue working. The next day the village was given a signed court order.

Because we want to support the village and want the work to continue, it was decided that Wismith and I would go to court with them. Another interesting Haitian experience.

The court order was for 11:00 on Monday. We showed up with about 20 other folks from the village. We were not let into the courtroom until 12:00, but still the judge hadn't showed up yet. During the next hour while we waited, they did have one small case that was held before a couple of men, not sure who they were, but they must have the authority with small cases. I didn’t understand all of it, but it was some dispute between two men that worked together and a hammer. After about 30 minutes of shouting between the lawyers, some kind of judgment was passed that amounted to 40 Haitian dollars or about the equivalent of  $5 US. Wonder what the lawyers cut out of that wasJ

At 1:15 we were told that the judge had arrived and we were going to meet in his office. So, we all crammed into his office and he took one look at me and asked if I spoke Creole. I told him only a little, so he explained to me in English that we was just a judge and was not taking either side, but was there only to ensure that justice was properly balanced. I guess he wanted to make sure I understood what going on. He then made an interesting comment. He said that I should be scared; I guess he thought I was going to be a little concerned with the process. Maybe he knows how things proceed in the states.

Then the case started. He asked a couple of questions and the shouting match began. I didn’t see a whole lot of order, but was pretty humored. It was an argument between the man that donated the land to the village and the lawyer of the disgruntled neighbor. Again, I didn’t understand what all was being said, but it did appear that our side was in control of the argument. After about 15 minutes of this, the judge started pounding on his desk to start wrapping things up which took about another 5 minutes of shouting. The judge said he couldn’t decide which side to support so threw out the case and told them if they wanted to continue they must take it to a higher court.

So, a whole day wasted with nothing accomplished.

Praise the Lord, there is a judgment day coming when true justice will be served.