Chapter 53
The courtroom was packed. Reporters and sketch artists were present. It was a high-profile trial and Beau Lee had a sense that his sketch would make it onto the evening news.
The room could accommodate around a hundred people.
Family, friends, and supporters of Hollis and Rocky had made a point to be there.
Hollis’s supporters were professionally dressed; many were senior citizens who’d been activists over the years, but there was also a good share of young activists who’d been fired up after attending the rallies Beau Lee had held for Hollis over the past four months.
Rocky, Finn, Jamillah, Tyrone, Capes, and Harpo were in their usual seats in the row behind the lawyer’s table where Beau Lee, Nellie, and Alvarez were sitting.
Capes was right behind Beau Lee, and Nellie was within earshot of them.
Baby Hope lay in her car seat between Jamillah and Tyrone and was sound asleep.
DaSilva was eager. Beau Lee knew he’d come out swinging, as there was no way he’d allow the bloviating Beau Lee Cooper—the name the right-wing media, especially radio jockeys, had given him—to best him.
DaSilva’s task was simple. He represented the City of Chicago, and in doing so, he’d have to put the uppity Beau Lee in his place. The city was an unscalable wall, and Beau Lee wouldn’t get a chance to put his feet on so much as one brick of it, let alone climb it.
On the State’s side of the courtroom were uniformed officers from the Chicago Police Department. Their presence was a powerful display of force that was not lost on those from across the aisle, many of whom were from the African American community.
“All rise,” the bailiff said.
The judge walked in. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We will begin with opening statements made by both parties. The State will go first. Mr. DaSilva, you may proceed.”
DaSilva stood up and walked to the podium.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the State of Illinois, I present the case that the defendant, Hollis Montrose, is to be held accountable for his criminal actions that put four good, hardworking police officers’ lives in jeopardy.
” He walked the length of the jury box, making full eye contact with each member, a tactic used to help build rapport.
“Members of the jury, I want to make clear to you all that it was Hollis Montrose’s conduct alone that led to these officers fearing for their lives, resulting in their having to fire multiple shots to subdue him, a violent suspect.
Now, the defense is going to suggest that you should have sympathy for the defendant because he suffered these life-changing injuries, but the evidence will show that Hollis Montrose fired his weapon at police officers, and these valiant men did what they were trained to do by neutralizing the threat and defending their lives. ”
DaSilva spent the next ten minutes victim blaming and asserting that Hollis failed to identify himself as a police officer, became aggressive, and ultimately fired his pistol at officers before they miraculously took him into custody.
It was his attempt at spreading “copaganda,” the notion that police officers were inherently good and justified in all their actions, no matter the outcome.
He added, just before concluding, “If Hollis Montrose had been obeying the law and the officers’ commands, he would’ve gone home to his wife that fateful night.
Instead, he did the opposite, and today, he’s wheelchair-bound.
” DaSilva paused for dramatic effect, and then concluded, “And we will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it’s no one’s fault but his own. ”
“And for the defense, Mr. Cooper, you may proceed,” the judge said.
Beau Lee walked to the podium. “This case is a tragedy. Mr. Montrose was shot and paralyzed, and the government actors, be it the police or the prosecutors, continue to try to prevent you from knowing the truth.” Beau Lee left the podium and stood before the jury box, gesticulating as he calmly spoke.
“The reason I’m so confident in our defense is because we have the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth on our side.
We intend to tell you the full story. While the State seeks to obscure the facts that would make you question why Mr. Hollis Montrose was even charged with these alleged crimes, we ask that you look beyond the false picture Mr. DaSilva will try to paint of Hollis Montrose and see that he is not only a law-abiding citizen who has never had a criminal record, but also that he is a police officer who has served this city—one he loves—for decades, first as a Chicago Police Department officer, and then as a Metra police officer.
So, there is only one thing I ask you to do during this case, and that’s to constantly ask yourselves: Why would a veteran policeman and law-abiding citizen suddenly engage in a heinous criminal act like the ones he’s been accused of?
When you see and hear all the evidence it will be clear, it doesn’t add up. ”