purposefully trying to shut them down, lock them up, or kill them. We can’t all be leftists mobilizing the people toward a better tomorrow without caring about what happens to people being affected by the system here and now. 12/12

through being a PD, to literally change people’s lives, and they are grateful for the outcome but also grateful that I just gave a shit about them. That’s meaningful. That’s life changing - to them! You cannot mass mobilize people to class consciousness if the system is 11/12

scale is the end goal, there are still people existing on the micro scale. When you actually care about your clients and treat them like real people who have been affected by the system and its injustices vs just another cog in the system that is meaningful. I have had the 10/12

are getting, which in turn can obviously make a difference between your PD taking extra steps in their advocacy or logical thinking which can be the difference between something getting on your record or not. Finally, let’s talk about how while changing things on a macro 9/12

system affects impoverished people (think poor people crimes like driving with a suspended license, loitering, and even possession of certain substances or weapons). Being a leftist PD also absolutely can affect the quality of direct care that impoverished and homeless ppl 8/12

The end point to this, public defenders absolutely affect the material position of their clients and even if we aren’t directly mobilizing people to class conscious, it’s a great legal job for leftists because it serves as great harm reduction against how the capitalistic 7/12

it and it didn’t really matter. He later that day labeled himself as one of the PDs who’s just there as a job. To me it absolutely matters whether a client is getting something on their record and I was floored that he didn’t think it mattered and didn’t really seem to care! 6/12

much better plea for a first time offender because at least in Florida, where she lived, the offense would not go on her record and she would still go home same day. The attorney shrugged and said something to the effect of there was no reason aside from her didn’t think abt 5/12

per se, but what’s important here is that we’re in misdemeanors and she’s a first time offender. An adjudication means it’s going on her record. So I asked him, was there a reason you didn’t ask the State for an adjudication withheld and credit time served? To me, this is a 4/12

new client was being brought in for arraignment. Elderly white woman, first time misdemeanor offense. He said he got a plea from the state atty for adjudication with credit time served, so she could go home that day after pleading guilt. On the surface this isn’t a bad plea 3/12

difference in direct care that comes from having a PD that is truly “down for the cause” so to speak and having a PD that just views there work as a job. For example, in one of the PD offices I worked at I shadowed an atty for a day who feel into the latter camp. One of his 2/12

improvement is still improvement 🤠