It was just pointed out to me that voters should be sure take a good look at Deputy DA Serena Murillo when you’re voting for the various Superior Court Judges.
She’s got people on all sides of the legal spectrum supporting her, her opponent lacks trial experience while she’s got loads and seems level-headed and respected by both prosecutors and PDs, she’s a Latina and frankly we could use more Latina’s on the bench, and she has far and away the most interesting candidate’s statement I’ve read this election cycle.
Here’s how it begins:
A wise professor, the late Bill Hobbs, once taught me that the best way to explain an idea is with a story:
An older African man, slight of build, approached the podium. Loud crinkling resounded through the courtroom as he removed a folded sheet of paper from his pocket. The trial for the murder of his twenty-three year old daughter had concluded. Finding that he was sane at the time of the act, the jury convicted the defendant for murder in the first degree. The man at the podium, a native of Eritrea, had been in this country for all of two weeks. His daughter had come here to study English before being shot in the head as she slept.
Anxiously, I sat before the Court waiting for this man to deliver his victim impact statement, and I was not sure what to expect. In my experience, victims often used their statements to berate the defendant. Sometimes, they sobbed uncontrollably as they tried to explain their loss. Sometimes they forgave the defendant. This man, Mr. Tewolde*, sat quietly through the proceedings. He and his wife humbly observed the defendant, the Judge, the police, the mental health experts, and the Jury.At the podium, he steadied the tremble in his voice and in broken English he began, “Your honor, first, I would like to thank the Founding Fathers of this great country for creating a place where there is justice.” His voice broke. He cleared his throat and continued…..
Read the rest. Then go and vote—for whomever you deem right—but vote.
Here’s the link to the continuation of the story. http://www.murilloforjudge.com/Murilloforjudge.com/Why_I_want_to_be_a_Judge.html
I was expecting a bigger bang for an ending. Did her Dad immigrate here legally? Oh, well. Go ahead and vote for her. It seems that the best people in California don’t want to run for public office.
Thanks for the complement! To answer your question, yes, my whole family was documented.
Hey, Serena, thanks for coming by. Good luck today.
Is “documented” the same thing as immigrating legally? Why not say so?
How did she do?
Is “documented†the same thing as immigrating legally?
[Hit post too soon]
Is “documented†the same thing as immigrating legally?
Yes.
What was wrong with the term “illegal alien?” “Documented” sounds like Nazi Germany where they wanted to see your papers.
Ms. Murillo,
From the son of one immigrant and the spouse of another immigrant to you, the daughter of another immigrant, allow me to wish you the best of luck in the election. Your life exemplifies the classic American Dream.
I’ve always believed that what’s important is not where you are, but where you came from.
Woody, as Ms. Murillo indicates in the link above, her grandfather came to this country as part of the Bracero Program during which he and his family worked the fields for pay that most citizens would find unacceptable.