Ava and Phil, Los Angeles, CA
I work at a law firm defending tenants.
Before any trial, attorneys question potential jurors to root out “bias.” Word spread quickly around the office about a juror who denounced landlords and private property during jury selection.
Come to find out, it was our comrade Phil!
“When the issue of ‘bias’ came up,” Phil said, “I raised my hand and spoke up: ‘I have a bias against landlords and real-estate speculators. I have a bias against anyone who gets in between people and their needs for the sake of profit.’
“The judge then raised a made-up analogy, hoping I would see things from the landlord’s point of view. What if someone came into my home and refused to leave? Wouldn’t that be a crime?
“I told him there’s a difference between owning a home to live in and using one as a means to extract money from someone else.”
The landlord’s lawyer dismissed Phil from the case. He tried to remove everyone who heard his speech, but he couldn’t. My coworkers described how Phil’s words rang through the courtroom, changing the way all the jurors saw the trial.
Phil helped stop that eviction, they say. Many of them are asking about our party and newspaper.
“If not for the party, the readings, one-on-one discussions with comrades, cell meetings, and paper sales,” Phil said, “I would not have developed the confidence or ability to put forward our ideas. These are the opportunities we train for.”