Visitors to the courthouse (known as the Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice) in Philadelphia are rebelling against a policy which requires them to secure their cell phones in an inaccessible bag while court is in session. The idea is to put a stop to unnecessary and potentially case-affecting device use. People will suffer through sitting in a smoke-free zone, but apparently not through a phone-free zone.
Courtroom guests have been reported to have set the secure pouches, a product of a company called Yondr, on fire. They have hacked them open with sharp objects and thrown them out in a show of contempt. They would rather do that than have the device freed of its pouch so it can be taken off the property for use.
Those who don’t have to secure their devices, such as attorneys and other employees, are grumbling about having to show ID before being allowed to shun the bag of doom.
If you tried to convince yourself that our society is not a bunch of overgrown three-year-olds, stop trying.
Pictures of witnesses and other courtroom personnel have been taken and used as fodder for social media threats and witness intimidation. The sanctity of the courtroom and our justice system are being intimidated by dumbbells playing the “I have my rights” card for the wrong card game.
Of course I’m speaking from a neanderthal point of view, since I have yet to figure out how to use a cellphone camera. They’re not really that good, anyway. However, if one cannot be without what is essentially a toy disguised as a mobile safety tool for a few hours, we must truly be a society of cyber junkies with no hope of redemption.
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