Oh No, Jury Duty!!!

In the past, I viewed jury duty as a necessary evil and hoped with all my being not to get selected. Too busy, too much going on. Never mind that my employer provided me with time off at full pay, it just ment I would get further and further behind at work. Since retirement, my thinking has changed (slightly). It might actually be interesting to serve on a jury. And yes, it is, after all, my civic duty. Plus I'm overdue... I've reported for jury duty a number of times over the years, but never selected. So when the dreaded jury duty card came in the mail, I thought no big deal. That is, until I read the fine print. The North Orange County Superior Court is in my city, just a few miles away. That's where I've always had to report in the past. So why are they telling me I must report to the Superior Court in Santa Ana?? It's a very challenging commute which can easily take a full hour during peak traffic times. My casual acceptance toward jury duty quickly changed to a negative view. I even contacted the court to request a change of location (denied!!).

Long story short, I reported (along with about 300 plus other people) to Santa Ana. Left my house by about 6:45 AM, giving myself an hour of driving time, 10 minutes to find where to park (which can be tricky) and another 10 minutes to walk from the parking structure to the courthouse (about 3 blocks). After sitting most of the day trying to figure out how to connect to the public wifi (without success), I was dismissed at 4 PM without being selected (yippee!!).

The day wasn't a total loss. We were given a long lunch (1.5 hours) which I used to walk around Santa Ana and took photos with my iPhone.

The shot above is the front view of the Superior Court in Santa Ana. It was an overcast morning with a little light drizzle. It looks like a government building, don't you think?

Another shot of the courthouse, high contrast b&w, and reflecting more of my "moody" mood related to having to drive down to Santa Ana (a commute I would be making daily for a while if I get selected).

By the afternoon, the sky was a pretty blue with some fluffy white clouds. This is a shot of the courtyard area behind the courthouse (and surrounded by other government buildings). This looks like a festive shot, with the flags flying in the breeze, until you look a little closer. See the tents? This is a large homeless encampment. It's absolutely amazing to me that that all these homeless folk live here literally in the shadow of the courthouse. You have high-priced attorneys going in and out of the courthouse, wearing expensive suits and driving luxury cars and walking by all these people who have nothing. It's a real study in contrasts... the two extremes of society working/living side by side but having little to do with each other.

We were warned first thing in the morning not to use the south entrance to the courthouse (because it takes you next to the homeless encampment where these photos were taken) and not to walk through the encampment. According to the local paper, there have been multiple documented cases of violence against workers passing through the area. Local workers complain, demand more protection and request that their shifts end before dark. And no one is at greater risk than the homeless themselves. A sad situation.

Santa Ana Public Library.

The "401 Building" and Office of the District Attorney

I like the look of this old Spanish-style building. Reminds me of "old Santa Ana" and very different from the office buildings surrounding it.

Above is the old (original) Santa Ana Courthouse. At some point it must have become too small to meet the needs off a fast growing Orange County. I think it's currently used as a museum, and very glad they didn't tear it down! Look closely and you will see the contrast between old and new (mirrored high rise behind and to the right).

Old Victorian-style home that's been converted to a restaurant. I love these old houses, and there are a fair number still standing in Santa Ana, which is one of the oldest cities in Orange County.

A very cool old building, this is the original Santa Ana YMCA. All boarded up now, with a small homeless encampment in front, my hope is they preserve this beautiful building and give it a second life.

A couple of my favorite shots (above and below) Not sure how I managed to be crossing Main Street in Santa Ana without any cars around! Not a sight you see very often.

So, use the imaginary voting buttons below: Jury duty- Something you look forward to or something to be avoided at all cost??

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