My brother lives a Stop away from the train I need to take
to get home. Tonight, instead of
hopping on the Train where he lives only to have to transfer at the next
station, I decided I’d walk the 9, 10 minutes to that Stop. It’s a charming October night and
besides, I love the fall. I enjoy the
feel and sound of my feet stepping over the fresh, autumn leaves that litter
the ground. I like the threat of
winter the wind carries this time of year. On the way, parallel to Queens Boulevard is the Queens
Criminal Court House. It’s the
very same courthouse where the three Detectives accused of shooting Sean Bell
were acquitted in 2008. Anyway,
when I walk, I stare and study all the buildings in my path even If I’ve seen
them a thousand times. I'm not
sure what goes on in other cities but here, criminal defense attorney offices
prop up like weeds, very close to criminal courthouses like bodegas near
Projects. There are dozens of them. They have neon signs on their storefront windows that mesmerizingly
blink, Lawyer / Abogado. One of the storefronts in particular caught my
eye. It’s directly across from the
courthouse. The sign on its
storefront window reads in huge red and green letters, Schwed & Zucker... Puzzled
I thought, why would anybody facing prison, hire attorneys with names that look
and sound like, Screwed & Sucker ?? Those two words carry multiple
meanings, one for outside prison walls and one for in them. Think about it.