I know Judge Frank for visiting at Merrick.
He's a very good judge.
I think a lot of people could get more experience
with the judge, that
he's more lenient
and I think he's a better judge than I ever seen
not on TV, but
on TV judge is not as nice as Judge Frank is.
Because they don't know any better,
they don't know how to stop themselves from using the R word.
I went down to the State Capitol
and I use the shredder and
a lot of us shred the R word because
I was getting tired of hearing it,
and I wanted to do something that was being respectful for me.
Yes I did.
My rights were never taken away.
I teach people at my building, I teach them at home.
It's just... I feel that's my right.
I wouldn't want to live alone, because
I'd be too lonely, and some people like that,
but I wouldn't because
I don't think that's really a safe environment for me,
and I'd rather have people surround me that I care about and love,
and if there's a need I'd go help the people that need.
You know, I was just going to say Karen forgot what she said,
you teaching people, well I'm one of the people she probably...
she's taught.
Well you can get a sense of it
listening to what Karen just said.
And in other words it's... it's not just the...
what she's taught me,
and you know you have to understand this is somebody...
we've not just been in the courthouse and Merrick together,
we sat at the same table for dinner (Yes)
and had conversations that friends and people have.
(Right) And so this is just...
this is much more than teaching about something,
I think should be obvious,
but as Karen says, it isn't so obvious to some people about
the R word.
There are other things, I mean
you can see it, you can hear it.
I'm a joyful person,
I'm fun to be with.
I do a lot of things that I do very good at,
and there are some things I don't do as good at.
But people accept me for who I am.
I know I have a disability but I don't let that bother me
and I go on with my day.
I would like to help the poor people
to understand what their rights are.
The poor people don't always get that chance to listen to other people,
but I feel that they need a need also to get to well to
not to live in boxes or anything like that because
I would not want to live in their box.
I feel bad for them,
but they also deserve the same right as we do.
They can get help, they can go to doctors, they can
get some assistance, go to a doctor and make them well.
That they have a right to have their own meetings like I do.
I go sometimes but not always
because they need me on the work floor
and it's hard to get off sometimes.
Just like other people, like families,
they have a right to get involved with their community,
like church. I get very involved with my church.
I sing, I help in my neighborhood, I help at home.
People should get involved.
They shouldn't have to be alone at little boxes
or they shouldn't live in cars or anything,
because that... I don't think I could do that.
Some of them... some of them really have a hard time understanding,
but maybe someday, if I have the time,
I would like to teach those people they have rights because
every person that lives
around the world should have a right to either be a judge,
or be listening to a judge on a case
or working for them
or when they need help.
I'd be glad to help a judge or a person that
has a disability. I wouldn't let them go.
I believe they do, but
if I may, you asked me earlier just a few minutes ago
and depending on where the camera was,
you could've seen
my demeanor change just a little bit a few minutes ago,
what Karen teaches. I mean,
think about something that just happened a few minutes ago.
You could bring in Ph.D. candidates,
you could bring in Harvard people,
anybody you want and ask them
what is something important you do,
did you hear what this woman said?
If you believe, as I do,
that a civilized and democratic society,
that how we will all be ultimately be judged,
how we care for those who most need around us,
right out of – here's what she said,
"I want to get a message to the poor and teach."
I mean think about that! I mean,
how many people haven't worked with people,
regardless of the nature of the disability?
If you went up to them and say, well look at... let's talk
about what people understand about our society.
They would exercise a stereotype,
they wouldn't think for a minute
that people like Karen
she's got it all figured out.
I'm telling you right now,
so I'm sitting here saying
I could be with a group of students
and you'd never get this response,
and here is this very special person
She's got it figured out just right.
Right where the priorities are.
I mean to me that is so, you know...
thank you.
You're welcome.
She has the same expectations,
the same hopes and dreams as I and other people have.
I mean, she has the same
rights as you've heard her say,
to participate in things as I do
and as I said earlier,
she teaches me more than I teach her and I don't know if...
Right.
Yeah I think you'd agree with me.
Yeah.
See that? These are...
sometimes people, when you haven’t been...
You know, I can't walk in her shoes,
I can't say
I know how she feels, but when you spend time with someone,
you get to know them.
When I find out about the obstacles
that she has had, when the feelings that she has,
both the good feelings and the hurt feelings
about things that happen,
I re-examine myself and what I'm doing.
In my case it's even more important because
I take an oath as a judge, I think it's important to everybody, but
but I make a promise in an oath,
and there's no better reminder than well, look at, well
here's a reminder, Judge Frank, as Karen would say, of equal justice.
And so... you know reading... You can't read these things in a textbook
you can't read them, and then, of course,
when you, as Karen has said,
there's certain people who stereotype things
or make assumptions about you.
And you know, just like when you're done with these interviews here,
of course you know with family and friends,
but people who haven't worked with people,
they carry around these assumptions, these stereotypes
and they're... none of them are true.
You heard exactly what she said.