I Love This Judge Who Scared These Kids Straight

11 News - Bibb County Superior Court Judge Verda Colvin said she didn’t know the camera was rolling. By the time she found out, it was too late. She went viral. Colvin volunteers with Bibb County Sheriff’s Office’s “Consider the Consequences” class, a program that bluntly shows youth where their early lives in crime are likely headed.  At points in the video, you can see a sheriff’s deputy handing tissues to some of the children who were moved to tears. “I did not expect or anticipate that was going to be recorded,” Colvin said about the video. But she’s glad it was. “For some reason there was a decision to tape it and I have to think it was predestined because I didn’t plan it. … I wanted to speak to their hearts and that’s what I did. … I am shocked that it has gone that far … I’m continually amazed because it renews what I’ve always thought – at the end of the day, everybody really cares about everybody else.”

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I don’t know why, but I really liked watching this video. It’s probably not the normal “Barstool video” but listening to no-nonsense black women lecture kids is sneaky one of the greatest things in the world. Judge Colvin fired me up to not fuck up my life and I wasn’t even sitting in the court room. I don’t want to go to jail and get raped, fuckkkk that.

I know a lot of people can’t even imagine what life is like for these kids, but imagine all you’ve ever known is poverty and nobody doing shit with their lives. It’s engrained into your head that that’s what you’re supposed to be too. Almost like a circle of life type thing, if it’s all you’ve ever known, all you’ve seen, why would your life be any different? Add in there’s nobody at home to drive you anywhere, help you with your homework, or be a role model, and round and round it goes. It’s actually pretty fucked up once you see it in real life– I have a sibling who taught in the inner city and these poor kids come to school hungry, smelling like smoke, in yesterday’s clothes. What are they going to do when an older kid wants to befriend them, say no? Say no, I have to go homework? It’s such a tough cycle to break. And now multiply that by 1,000 because kids, regardless of environment and upbringing, are already insecure and susceptible to peer pressure.

So when the kids see this judge tell them that she knows all this and none of that is an excuse, it’s inspiring. She said everything I just said is true, but not a reason to be a delinquent in life. Because everyone is responsible for their own actions, no matter what situation they are put in. It’s so, so hard for them to know that once you get out of high school, nobody gives a fuck about how cool you are. Once you’re in college, nobody really cares if you were prom king or played Magic Cards. As long as you’re generally just not a shitty person, usually people will get along.

I didn’t really intend on writing this blog, but it kind of just moved me at the right time and I think it’s important to every so often recognize not only people like this judge, but the shitty situation a lot of children find themselves in.