Over the last few days I have come to believe that the system is broken.

Some of you know that I was assaulted last February 2009. The last year and a half has been a healing experience for me. Its also taught me to be patient as I thought the court system would move forward with bringing my attackers to justice. Today, and over the last few days, I’ve come to realize, though, how the court system is broken.

Here’s the story:  on June 21, 2010, one year and four months later, I was witness to a car wreck. A young girl ran her Honda into the back of a truck at the intersection of Andersen and Mopac.  I was the first on the scene; called 911, and spent some time with her, trying to calm her nerves as well as help stop some of the bleeding.  It was a graphic situation, so much so that I wrote a thought about it here, not knowing what else to do to express what had happened. Other than the girl’s injuries, no one else was injured.

Its four months later, and the Travis County Courthouse has called me in with a subpoena requesting that I be present at her court case as a witness to what happened.  Here’s the rub: how is it that the courts can get to a DWI case so quickly, when there’s a criminal assault case, with four attackers, including one that’s already been detained by the police that’s now over one year eight months old?  How is it that our Travis County Court can pursue the DWI case on a young woman (that I don’t know if she was intoxicated or not, but I see no previous criminal intent on her part) yet the system has not aggressively pursued the gang that had criminal intent?

Some photos that you might not want to see for they are graphic.

Self photo after the attack.

Photo after surgery.

APD knows who the attackers are; they stopped one of them, yet let him go.

(The attending physician at Breckenridge said that the cut and bone fracture on my nose happened because I was hit with a piece of metal- brass knuckles or a ring).  Its important to share as well- I’ve not been reimbursed yet for my medical expenses, and I am still chasing this down as well through a very slow State of Texas system. (By law, criminal victims are entitled to be reimbursed for medical expenses while the Court pursues the criminals).

Thankfully I was able to walk away from the attack. With the lack of the Court’s actions, though, you have to ask yourself who this gang has since attacked, and why is it that the Court has not aggressively pursued criminals while it has time to pursue a young woman that didn’t have criminal intent.

“Without justice, there can be no peace. He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.