SCAR COURT OBSERVERS
Court Watch brings the community’s voice into the courthouse.
Court Watch is a collaborative, community-based approach to criminal justice. Ideally, concerned citizens’ partner with police, prosecutors, probation officers, and other resources to prevent and respond to public safety concerns of discrimination in the courtroom.
The primary goals are:
Hold our Judicial Systems accountable for their role in perpetuating systematic racism in the court rooms.
Reduce and prevent Implicit Racial Bias by protecting the constitutional rights of our POC population through transparency and judicial accountability.
Court Watch is one of the strategies that SCAR has at its disposal to fight racism in our Spokane Community. Court watchers monitor the criminal justice system through the lens of racial equity.
Justice for Caiden Henry
Nine-month-old Caiden Henry was killed in February of 2017 when left in the care of Joshua Mobley.
RELATED: Jury finds Spokane man Joshua Mobley guilty of killing baby
RELATED: Jury begins deliberation in trial of Spokane man accused of killing baby
RELATED: Lawyer for mother of baby Caiden claims racial bias in accused killer's release conditions
RELATED: Court docs: Baby found dead last February had face injury that matched pattern of suspect’s ring
Justice for Norris Cooley
On October 12, 2017, two self-avowed white supremacists threatened Mr. Norris Cooley, addressed him with racial slurs and shot at his home. They were arrested and charged with, among other counts, malicious harassment. Malicious harassment is more commonly referred to as a hate crime. Very few hate crimes are reported, let alone tried, in Spokane. As a community, we aim to support justice for Norris Cooley and to show our commitment to hate crime prosecution, by being present at the trials of the two who attacked him. Their names are Jason Edward Cooper and Donald Lucas Prichard. More information about the incident can be found here: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/oct/12/hate-crime-raises-specter-of-racism-past-for/
RELATED: Man sentenced to life in prison for 2017 hate crime
Court Observation is open to all SCAR members who wish to support the victims of hate crimes and to prevent bias in the courtroom.
New signup sheets will become available as needed.
Please sign up for an hour that fits into your schedule. Even one hour makes a difference!