In the late 60s, early 70s, I was involved in Hamilton Safety Councils judicial arm of justice - BICYCLE COURT! The proceedings were held every Friday in the courthouse and aired on WMOH on Saturday mornings. That was during a time when bicycle traffic was much heavier than it is today and they were required to be licensed and police would issue citations, requiring an appearance in Bicycle Court, if a rider was caught not conforming to any of the strict safety guidelines. The strong arm of the law included high schoolers, Bill McKinney as prosecutor, Regina Ratliff as judge, myself as clerk and Kriste Zeller as bailiff. The courtroom was packed with alleged perpetrators each week when court was ready to begin. All were required to stand as we faced the flag and said the pledge of allegiance. Court was then called to order and one by one, each case was heard. The police officers report against a suspect was read, then the suspect had to get up and give their account of the alleged incident. The prosecutor would make his closing argument to the judge after a rough cross examination, and the judge would deliver the verdict and pass sentence, if any. The sentences were temporary suspension of licenses, 500 word essays on safety, etc., unless you were a repeat offender (ouch). It was such a great time and learning experience about court procedures for the few of us who were involved. And my favorite part.....was stopping by the little counter store inside the front doors of the courthouse and sharing a few kind words with the blind man who ran it while I bought my after school snack of Reece cups and peanut M & Ms before going into court. Great times!!
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 11:23:44 +0000
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