People rely on the judicial system to provide a sense of justice. The press relies on interesting stories to uphold their ratings. Imagine including the press within the confines of a court case. With an ear against the walls, delicate details of the case are now accessible to the public. With the help of the media, one gains an insight into both lives of the alleged victim and the one standing accused. People can appreciate transparency, especially coming from a high-profile court case. Yet, there are various elements that can bring more harm than good to any case with press exposure. The type of problems that can occur from having the press present in a courts hearing vary. It would be difficult to locate people for jury duty who had not already gained knowledge of the case. In addition, a high-profile case exposed through the media can auto-populate bias opinions before ever knowing the facts. Disruption can occur where court venues must be moved across state lines just to assure that locals are fresh to the case. Even more upsetting would be the need to have to prolong the court date if deemed necessary. (Schmalleger, n.d.) It would be a hopeful assurance that the public would lose interest so the case can move forward. Pressure from a public outcry for swift justice would not be good for any case. The families involved would potentially have an even more difficult time in public I do not agree with having the presence of media during a court case. It could cause more damage to the victim long term. Therefore, it is better to protect all parties involved by keeping the press in the newsroom and not in the court venues. This would decrease the heightened chance of important details getting disclosed to the public causing disruption in the case itself. Though I do think that the individual who goes in and draws pictures during an active hearing is neat. That is where I would draw the line in exposing any court hearing as it progresses to the public eye. References: Schmalleger, F. Criminal Justice Today (15th ed.). Pearson. Metheny, A. (2021). Media Exposure Within the Court Room. Indianapolis.

'5461', '15246', 'Photo', 'Article', 'Should we draw a conclusion that Uganda's political space thrives under full democracy? Compilation of Robert Ssekolya (Teacher, professional writer, mentor, business man, renowned blogger) On October, 1, 2020, history will unfold that at 10pm during Agataliko Nfuufu (scrutinized news broadcast) at Bukedde TV, His Excellence Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the president of Uganda and one of the most serving presidents of Africa since the continent's renaissance was quoted to have said 'there is no country in the world which is more democratic than Uganda '. Well, we have no mandate to discretely refute the presidential statement before having a critical reflection and introspection of the metamorphosis of democracy way back from 1962 when Uganda celebrated her independence. Based on a comparative analysis of the lens and moot question of democracy under different governments both local and international governments, and to a certain degree, we bestow honor and thank His Excellence president Museveni for realizing a pocket-sized democracy in Uganda during his 34 year old leadership trajectory. However, as the incumbent president seeks reelection in the forthcoming presidential elections, his government is called upon to reexamine itself in the way it manages and administers the resources of the country mostly the human resource to leverage its stance on democracy. If we were to unearth how Ugandans are constantly brutalized and dehumanized by the current regime then...things would take a new twist, the genre of our story wouldn't be a SCI-Fl or a romantic story but rather... ...if you value and dignify humanity and you were once at the sad scene gazing at the last breath of your family member, neighbor or a friend being grappled and annihilated by the perpetrators of democracy, you can concur that such high pitched statements are based on facts. To date, we are still experiencing a terrifying wail of many innocent Ugandans who lost their lives while spearheading the political campaign to propel the country to the peak of a new government. It's critical that the current government redefines the term "democracy" so that prior to the terminal phase of the election process, Ugandans are satisfied that autocracy no longer assumes any position in the political leadership of their country. Does it fashionably call for resignation of the incumbent president to revive the country through unfeigned democratic systems? Maybe...it's difficult to pursue such an ideal decision, however, if this could be a nightmare especially to many protagonists from the NRM political wing, then such pro-NRM cadres (the iconic actors in the evolution of the NRM party) can cherish the following duality of options; They can either craftily draft another plan (plan B) that will restructure the NRM leadership systems and ensure that democracy prevails in the African Pearl. treacherously continue to blindfold Ugandans with false pledges for fear of dislodging the incumbent president and in order to suppress the driving forces inducing the leadership transition from a cohort of prehensile rulers. All sectors should design blueprints that reorient them to demonstrate democracy in their operations. The police, judiciary and other law enforcement organs are not only accountable to peace and tranquillity of the natives but are also mandated by the constitution to enforce performance and standards in the application of the law against offenders irrespective of their political affiliations and socio-economic backgrounds. They ought to streamline their interventions and service delivery pathways by responding to the outcry of Ugandans in pursuit of practical and effective administration of law and justice. The assumption is that all people have equal inalienable right to self expression and justice. We earnestly request, the government and its organs as highlighted above, all private actors including but not limited to human rights activists, individual organisations...to play a pivotal role in promoting the civic rights of all Ugandans especially during this time when Ugandans are cogitating about the election countdown. The ultimate goal is to observe the Rule of Law as well as ensuring that democracy is prevalent in Uganda and that harmony flourishes throughout the country. Expressing our feelings, emotions, thoughts and sharing ideas, insights, knowledge and wisdom is always our corporate job in a bid to fix the problems overwhelming our society.

THE HOCUS-POCUS OF THE INCUMBENT REGIME TO RESIST LEADERSHIP TRANSITION AND OSTRACISM OF THE AUTOCRATIC PRESIDENT. Recently, a complaint was lodged against the legitimacy of NUP leadership, but the question resonating in the minds of the Ugandan populace and the international community is, will justice prevail and appease the parties to the dispute?What are your projections in the resolution of this litigious matter? Let's first have an overview and a critical analysis of the motives and hidden agendas of subjecting NUP to this state of political agitation by the trembling regime; The strategy of the dictatorial leadership is basically to; 👉 disorganise and subjugate NUP political activities and transitive programs. 👉divert the attention of the public to create a platform for the regime to continue taking advantage of the Covid-19 situation, ignorance and reticence of the public to manipulate the country in all sectors like oil industry as it siphons gross monetary resources from these assets as unveiled by the public procurement audits. 👉paralyze and delay the administration of justice in matters related to NUP political wing and people power movement. 👉 lower the motivation of many oppressed Ugandans mostly the youth who are constantly thirsting for change and ousting the mafia government out of power. We cognitively acknowledge that the judgement trajectory yet to be pursued is concretely based on falsehood, political conspiracy, corruption and hypothetical grounds. Our biased and compromised judicial sector is on trial and a watch over by Ugandans and the international community to see whether it will show credibility and professionalism in administering justice in regard to the complaint lodged by a fraction of the political agitators against the leadership of NUP because such people are opposed to change of the office of the presidency and in other critical leadership areas, they are irrationally desirous of perpetuating autocracy at the expense of the soaring frustrations and pessimism of Ugandans. However, we can discern what is currently boiling in the law sector. The organ is still craving how it will cunningly dive into this legal matter and meet the expected legal standards within its legal framework and jurisdiction. Unfortunately, it's speculated that the judiciary is being illegitimately disoriented, and misguided in its decision making process, it can no longer enjoy its independence and autonomy, it lacks public trust and has been infiltrated by the corruptible crooks. No doubt, it will hardly show its credibility in making a right and fair judgment because the move is politically influenced and fueled by the mafias at the helm of manipulating the country. More so, it will find it more challenging to reach to the threshold of a fair and reliable legal resolution within the projected limited schedule (timeline) to execute the final judgment. However, if the judiciary fails to execute or get hold of its powers and authority conferred by the constitution of Uganda but rather opts to submit to the directives, pressure and repugnantly illegitimate conditions of the complainants, l bet, no final court hearing and judgement will be effected this year, the legal entity will keep adjourning its final legal intervention in the matter pretexting to be on grassroots still venturing in aggravating more practically based evidence implicating NUP, and in favor of the incumbent autocratic regime not until we shall transition into next year. This will be a big fallacy that will grossly cost the judicial sector and affect the reputation of the Ugandan government at both local and global scene. *When humanity fails to accelerate change, nature does it solely with its powerful tools which at times might lead to the overthrow of the dictator and facilitate restoration of hope among the formerly marginalised households and societies!*—Robert Ssekolya!

The last week of May and the entire month of June was a very dark period for me. As I was working from home and trying to keep safe in these precarious times, social media had become my go-to for some relief (as well as the consumption of news as I see fit for my mental health). However, when I opened my Twitter app on this fateful day in May, I realised that I could no longer find succour on social media. A young woman had been raped and murdered. Again. As someone who is extremely invested in the protection and progress of the girl child, this news shattered me for weeks. I couldn't go on social media for fear of what I would see and the pain and tiredness I could feel from the tweets and posts from other women. Another thing that made me lose all interest in social media at this point was the "hot take" dropped by men about the heinous act of rape and how women somehow contribute to it. Being someone that already volunteers as a content creator to one of the most responsive rape centres in the country - Mirabel Centre - I quickly got to work expressing my frustrations the only way I new how, by writing. Below is what I had to say; On Saturday, May 30th 2020, the Mirabel Centre's Twitter account was tagged on a tweet about finding justice for a young lady named Uwa, who had been viciously raped and physically assaulted in a church in Benin. We immediately reached out to this young man via his DM on Twitter and provided contact details of lawyers and NGOs in Edo state that could help. Unfortunately, barely 3 hours after the conversation, the poster informed us that Uwa had passed and requested that we do all we could to get justice for her. With heavy hearts and a black cloud over our heads, we got to work and quickly put out a tweet announcing the tragic event and calling for justice from all and sundry. As the news spread to demand #JusticeforUwa, voices began to rise and statements were made to express that #WeAreTired. However, there were people (read men) who thought that a fight against the injustices that women constantly face somehow meant that men's rights were being neglected. Here is the thing; we all know “men also get raped”. Another thing we know is that no one makes jokes about these stories when they are shared more than men themselves. Infact, saying that the rights of men are not fought for is a big slap in the face of the many women who have been at the forefront of fighting battles that directly impact men's lives. We've called out police brutality, the offences of SARS, we've stood with men who were at one time or the other sexually assaulted and are now ready (and brave enough) to share their stories. The Mirabel Centre recently published a post about male-on-male abuse and we have also been known to take on cases of sexual assault against boys and men. So the issue here is that you're not really concerned about the support men supposedly do not receive when they share their stories. The real issue is that you are trying to derail the conversation currently being had and we will not stand for that. And to those of you who ask inane questions in order to shame and discredit victims, we can categorically tell you - drawing on the number of cases we have dealt with at the Mirabel Centre since existence - that it really doesn't matter where she was, what she was wearing, why she was there, what she said, what she did, how she walked/eat/slept/breathed, who she is, whether she fought or not, screamed or otherwise, MEN RAPE BECAUSE THEY WANT TO. In a bid to help, we also see people talking about self-defense and how it can help women avoid getting raped. This is shortsighted because it exposes the underbelly of the issue, which is that our society sees the crime of rape as something the woman should take responsibility for. This goes to prove just how deeply rape is ingrained in our society that it is subtly permissible to an extent - that being as long as the larger society does not raise awareness against it. So, we'll leave you with this - rather than teach girls how not to get raped, teach your boys that they have absolutely NO right to a woman's body! IT'S ABOUT TIME OUR SOCIETY STOPS FAILING THE GIRL-CHILD.

We were in a barren city. The storms kept hitting. Nobody knew when they were coming next. Blackened sky. Disastrous rain. Wailing sirens. Police officers, yelling orders into their PA systems - their voices blaring through the speakers. Debris flying. Them: “Hands up!” Us: “Don't shoot!” Them: “Hands up!” Us: “Don't shoot!” Them: “Hands up!” Us: “Don't shoot!” Over and over and over again. We ran into the stores and warehouses, hiding under retail carts and equipment made of iron that might keep us safe but not for certain. We maneuvered the industrial carts from one side of the space to the other to escape the bullets....but they wouldn't stop. They came for us. They came for our skin. The bullets sinking into our yellow and tearing holes through our black. We were hurting; broken on the inside, but brave on the outside. We were angry but we were together. The flag waved tattered and tired in the background, grayed by the smog. When the war on the foreground was over we would walk, looking for younger children that didn't belong to us - not because we were covetous but because they were our allies. They looked ivory as bone, helplessly washed in glistening shades of white by the hands of God our maker. Some were painted a dark red. Others were dipped in bright yellows and fine golds. Most of the children were polished in the prettiest brown and black tones; a stony trail of ebony by the wayside. We walked. Then we sped. Then we ran. Them: “Hands up!” Us: “Don't shoot!” Them: “Hands up!” Us: “Don't shoot!” Them: “Hands up!” Us: “Don't shoot!” Again, we sought for cover, trying our best to remember the “duck-and-cover” protocol from our lock-down drill days in grade school. We were adults on the inside who knew righteousness apart from injustice but we wore the bodies of fifth graders, and seventh graders, and eighth graders. We were us, but the us from our youths, staring each other in the eyes as if to scream, “fight for your life! It is our God given right to live!” Imagine that? A God given right. The upmost right that not a single white man had the right to strip away, but he did so in plain sight because he could. Their stark hands collected the muscle memory of the last lynchings; their craving for the next victim....insatiable. We fought for the right to breathe the same air as these white law enforcement officers. We were not privileged enough. To them, black or yellow meant filthy and unpardonable. They counted us as unworthy. We hid for the sake of preserving our right to bleed red. They saw us. We owned our anger. They opened fire. The color of our skin didn't inspire the crime; it was the crime. They raged, offended that we were still awake. They seethed for fear that we were not yet left for dead in pools of our own blood. They wanted us asleep forever. They were scared of us, threatened by a beauty that challenged their white privilege. They called our skin dominant so their society made us inferior. We became a part of it, having no choice but to play the role of the weaker vessel. How did I not know that this series was on repeat for over 400 years? Yet, the world remained quiet about our dread. Instead of defending us, they eyeballed our ascent into a Heaven that called us home too soon. Glory demanded us. We carry on, filling up the streets as if nothing ever happened; traveling on threadbare feet that were tired of amounting to the stereotype that “all minorities do is run.” They blame us for running but it's the only option they offer us. We run until we see Heavens gates swing wide, shadow-less and full of acceptance that our prior world ruled we didn't deserve. God waits on the other side to meet us and we grow nervous, buckling before His bigness. Were we ready all along? Did He count us as so from birth? Either way, He doesn't shun us. He doesn't know how to, so instead He bear hugs us. Deep in my soul, I can feel hundreds of thousands of God's children fling their eyes open from the same nightmare, all at once and in different time zones. They feel like my friends. One, by one, by one, we wake up with a disturbed kind of energy that sends elastic waves from the Earth's epicenter to its opposite poles. We sense that the racists could feel the aftermath of our torment. “Why can't the nightmares remain nightmares?” we ask rhetorically. Our voices echo from different bedrooms. We ache for dreams only to wonder if they are worth writing down or fighting for. The media tells us, that we might not ever survive to see our dreams. They don't tell us verbatim of course, but the reports all end on notes that shrill with dissonance and screech with injustice. For the first time at age 26, I am unsettled by my indigenous features, alarmed that I am a double minority, who can't scrub the color off of my skin. I am Latina. I am a yellow woman.

Darkness tearing at my soul Like a thief in the night Stealing away happiness and joy Coldness spilling across my body A blanket smothering me with Doom despair and injustice I long for a beacon of light To repair my soul For I am blinded by darkness Begging to be set free

This travesty How dare they, I say! How dare they deny me my right to eat all the foods, all the ways, all the time! INJUSTICE! I cry! Never mind my thighs! Nor look at my belly The way it swooshes & sways I'm hungry always!!! I say! Death to those who don't obey!

I was lying in the grass half naked, cold, and confused. I looked up at the stars shining as I felt the tears burning my face as they went down my cheek. I heard his car door slam and the tires screeching as he left. One day, I was outside my aunts house scrolling through facebook and a friend request popped up. We'll call him John. I was confused because we had so many mutual friends so I accepted, not thinking too much about it. He texted me and we became friends. Later, we became good friends. He would call me to see how I was doing and talk to me. He was really sweet and very friendly He flirted with me a lot but I just brushed it off. John told me he was 16; I was 14 at the time. We had planned to meet up after a few weeks. I remembered when I first met him he was so nice and funny; his hugs were so soft and warm. One summer night he called me telling me he really needed to see me at 3am, to talk. It was warm, I could feel how humid it was, how it made my skin sticky. I walked outside, across the damp grass with no shoes. I felt the droplets in between my toes as I walked to his car. He got out of his car and he came up to me. I smelled the cologne he had on and the alcohol he tried to hide with minty gum. He kissed me. I didn't feel the same. I pushed him off. He forced me to kiss him. I tasted the gum and alcohol, but that's not the only thing I tasted. I tasted regret. “Get off of me!” I said. “You teased me up to this point so take it.” John said. He closed my mouth as I tried to call for help. I felt his warm hands but cold fingertips gripping my arm. I felt him crawl over my body as he forced himself inside me. I felt so betrayed. “Stop, stop, stop!” I said. “Take it!” John said. “It hurts. Please stop.” “Stop crying and shut up.” I was frozen after. No facial expression just emptiness. It only lasted 15 minutes but it felt like a lifetime. It was quiet, only the crickets and owls could be heard. I walked up my porch and was stuck. I stayed silent, I didn't want anyone to know. I found out it was many more victims. I didn't want to hear, “Are you okay?” Later on I spoke about it to a few people. I also spoke to John after. I forgave him. Why? I learned to forgive but never forget. He did the worst thing to a person before murder. I found out he was 19 not 16. Yes I was raped. He is now in jail but will be out soon. I do not let this identify me. I learned that no matter how good someone can be to you they can betray you. It impacted my life because it made me have trust issues with everyone. I try to work on myself. But now I know not to trust too fast and too hard.

I am looking forward to pursuing my Doctorate in Psychology at the Alliant International University. I did not attend college until I was 38 and completed my Masters in Forensic Psychology 4 years ago. I was married until the untimely passing of my husband in 2012. I have, mostly, been in the restaurant business which led me to my newest venture, my own catering company. Having lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 3 decades, I am interested in social justice and how psychology can ferret out group and individual ideals and beliefs that are at the heart of discrimination. That's all for now but stay tuned.