Educational Experience

Part III--Chapter 17

I clicked the link I'd received from Che while Chase was talking a mile a minute to her on Cat's cell.

And as soon as the video clip started, I sighed real loud and said, "It's Celie's thing," and held out the phone for Mike and Kelli to see.

On the screen, Celie was being rushed out of somewhere, maybe court, and into a black sedan. She looked really skinny and fragile, like she was being swept away by a wave of police and lawyers and reporters.

The reporters were yelling things at her but her eyes were sort of vacant, like maybe she was on something for her nerves. I mean, I didn't think she would go back to her drugs of choice on a day like this.

And actually, I didn't believe she was a drug addict or anything. Troubles had stolen her soul. That's the kind of hollow her eyes looked. And when they got to the sedan waiting in front of the court house, she almost looked like she'd forgotten what a car was. Or how to get into one.

She was all stiff and uncomfortable, like she didn't know what foot to step in with. But the police and lawyers closed in around her, and the sedan sped off as soon as they slammed the door, with all these crazed paparazzis running after it.

And then some reporter standing in front of the building said, "We have received no official response to the dismissal of the case from the Sheriff's Department. But earlier this week, a department spokesman did say that there was an investigation underway, and that Deputy Billings would be transferred to desk duty for the duration. Meanwhile, the actress' lawyers have said that they will file a lawsuit against the department for racial profiling and defamation of character."

The big eyed blond infotainment "reporter" was trying to look all serious. But think about what she was being all serious about. I mean, there are millions of desperate people dying from hunger or drowning trying to get across rivers and oceans to safety from wars and outright genocide all over the world while we're watching some talking head serve up the celebrity scoop.

Mike sort of frowned—not for that reason, though--and said, "Okay, what the hell?"

And one of Celie's lawyers came on next to explain "what the hell" for her. I guess he'd stayed there to do all the talking.

"The judge's statement was right on," he said. "This is a classic case of racial profiling. Despite all the explanations offered, repeatedly, Deputy Billings had made up his mind. Black woman, young white boy, fancy car. It could only be one thing. As for the search, well, 'They usually have drugs,' he said. Did he mean prostitutes or black people or both? We don't know. But we do know a promising career may have ended that night. And we're not going just go quietly."

"He's not saying that she admitted she had drugs," Kelli said.

"Search was illegal's what he's tryin'a say," Mike explained. "Or he took it too far because he just assumed she was out on the ho stroll."

"The what?" Kelli said. I love her. She's such a cute, clueless little white girl sometimes. I mean, I love her to death, but you can tell she grew up in one of those "made for TV" families in the 'burbs somewhere.

So I said, "That's like, walking the streets—the track, you know? Pimps call it the ho stroll. But she's saying it's sort of like what we were talking about, with the poisoned tree thing. Once he got the wrong idea about her, everything he did after that was wrong, too. So the charges had to be dropped."

"You sure, though?" Mike asked.

"If they weren't, they will be," Chase said, still on the phone with Che but listening to us, too. "They don't need the kind of publicity they're getting, for one thing."