The judge and the felon

Jul 22, 2018 Countryman, Features / Columnists

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By Dennis Nichols

In a world filled with cynicism, there are numerous moments that renew faith in human nature. Some are profound; others fleeting, and in many instances they can change the trajectory of someone’s life, or have the potential to do so.

We often ponder “What if …” someone had said, or not said; done, or not done, something to alter the direction of one life, for better or worse. Guyana’s social landscape is littered with the consequences of words and actions that have done just that, too often in the ‘for worse’ bracket. The following story is hopefully an example of the other.

Now this week’s Countryman has nothing to do with Guyana, or considering the human factor, maybe everything. It’s a simple but universal story, the kind that falls under the umbrella of ‘human interest’. It doesn’t seem like one of those stories filled with gut-wrenching pathos, but could be for some. And if you belong to that group of humans known as empaths, you may be one such person. It is a brief encounter between a man and a woman, just a few minutes long, but with a three-decade history behind it. As a YouTube video, it has been viewed several million times, and I’m sure many Guyanese have seen it.

The woman is Mindy Glazer, a Miami Fla. bond-hearing judge; the man is Arthur Booth, a felon who has spent almost half of his then 49 years behind bars. In June 2015, he faced charges of burglary and fleeing from police just seven months after the end of his latest stint in jail.

After preliminary proceedings, Glazer looks at Booth and asks, “Mr. Booth, I have a question for you … Did you go to Nautilus for Middle School?” Booth looks at the judge, and a smile of instant recognition lights his face, before the irony of the situation hits him and he blurts out, “Oh my goodness!” Between the lady in the black gown and the man in the orange jumpsuit, a transient spark illuminates their common humanity.

Three more “Oh my goodness!” exclamations follow, but by the third one Arthur Booth is crying uncontrollably. As the years are rolled back, the judge and the felon remember each other as classmates at a Miami middle school more than three decades earlier. More specifically, Glazer recalls, “He was the nicest kid in middle school; he was the best kid in middle school. I used to play football with him. All the kids looked up to him, and look what has happened; I’m so sorry.” The video quickly went viral.

Shortly after, a Daily Mail article juxtaposed photographs of Booth and Glazer over the years, from school days into adulthood, and noted their ‘choice of careers’ suggesting each had the opportunity to live decent, productive lives, but that only one chose to do so. It underscored the fact that the school they attended, Nautilus, was one of the best schools in Miami, for which Booth had been handpicked after outstanding success at elementary school. Family members said he had taught himself Spanish, and excelled at Math and Science. He is said to have told friends he wanted to be a doctor (a neurosurgeon no less) when he grew up.

The article goes on to tell of how Booth left Nautilus in 1980 as an honour roll student with glowing reports, and, like Glazer, attended Miami Beach Senior High School. He however dropped out in the 11^th grade. By then, he had become addicted to gambling. A cousin told the newspaper that Booth gambled on anything and at any time. “It just took over his life. He didn’t have a job, so the only way to get money was to steal. He would break into warehouses or empty homes. He was never violent to anyone. He just needed money quick and that is how he got it,” she explained.

At the age of 18, he is jailed for grand theft, after which he is in and out of prison, unable as a felon to land a job or rent an apartment, and now addicted to crack cocaine. He eventually kicks the habit while incarcerated. But the gambling continued and with it burglary and theft. The new millennium sees Booth back in prison, then in and out again until December 2014 when, according to relatives, he finds work with a construction company. But just seven months later he is back in court – this time across from his old classmate.

While Booth had been sparring with the law, Glazer had become the law. She graduated from the University of Miami with a BA in Arts then studied law at St. Thomas University School of Law, graduating JD (Juris Doctor) in 1991. She was then admitted to the Florida Bar, after which she went back to law school and got her Masters in Estate Planning. She ran her own law practice until elected to the Florida 11^th Judicial Circuit Court in 2000 where, 15 years later, she was ‘reunited’ with Arthur Booth.

Although it was obvious that the judge was touched by the tears of her old classmate, she dealt him a dose of tough compassion, setting his bond at a hefty $43,000. Her parting words to him were, “Mr. Booth, I hope you’re able to change your ways. Good luck to you sir, I hope you’re able to come out of this okay and just lead a lawful life.” (‘Sir’ – deference or politeness?)

There is a hint of a happy ending to this story. Ten months after their first encounter, as Arthur Booth is released from custody, family members are there to greet him. So too is Judge Mindy Glazer. They hug. Both of them are smiling and Booth seems anything but a prison-hardened ex con. Glazer tells him to take care of his family, get a job, and stay clean. “You’re going to do something good for somebody else,” she concludes.

Booth responds, “You better believe it; you better believe it.” He describes his former classmate as incredible, and a huge inspiration to him, ‘… cause I know where I could’ve been, but I’m not giving up on life. It’s just a new lease on life for me right now.’ Their final exchange – Glazer: “This is (with family members) a group effort to see you succeed. Don’t let us down.” Booth: “I won’t. I promise not to.”

Life has too many convolutions; too many variables, to pass judgment on why two gifted children such as Mindy Glazer and Arthur Booth had their lives take such divergent paths. Self-confidence, willpower, family support, and a host of socio-economic factors intermingle to either propel or thwart individual aspirations, or do both at different times. There are more than a few Arthur Booths and Mindy Glazers out there, and we do have the power to choose which path to tread. But a single word; a gesture of encouragement or compassion, can help someone get there – or at least help smooth the way.

Schooldays photographs of Arthur Booth and Mindy Glazer (Daily Mail)

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