Court-watchers in PG County have a musical advocate who is amplifying the need for advocates to see what’s going on inside courtrooms.
Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Fiona Apple came to prominence during the 90’s era of empowered women demanding to take center stage with their voices and concerns. And she’s now urging others to raise their own voices and join her as a PG County court watcher.
**LANGUAGE WARNING**
The legislation Apple is advocating for Marylanders to pass is Senate Bill 0469 and House Bill 0647, which guarantees public audio-visual virtual access to all criminal & civil proceedings. Maintaining remote access to courtrooms, according to the folks using the slogan Keep Courts Virtual say it just makes sense to keep the same rules that already allowed remote put in place for the COVID-19 pandemic.
The group that sparked Apple’s activism is Court Watch PG, an organization founded by two Black women who have experienced incarceration. The organization offers training for people who will monitor court proceedings. It isn’t a requirement to live in PG County.