Letters from the Issue of March 4, 2004

I cannot attest to the accusations of several of the disgruntled lawyers who have left the Public Defender's Office, but I can attest to the diligence, integrity, and hard work of Marie Osborne, chief of the juvenile division. As a member of the board of the Baypoint Schools, where almost all the boys enrolled have been assigned by the courts, I can attest to the diligence of the Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office.

Maurice A. Ferré

Coconut Grove

And from what I can see, politics trumps racism: This past December, at the annual Public Defender's Office holiday party, an assistant public defender, Arnaldo Trevilla, called another assistant public defender, Chris Baisden, "nigger" three times before attacking him. Public Defender Bennett Brummer's own internal office investigation verified these facts. Despite this, on January 13 Brummer merely slapped Trevilla's wrist and gave him 30 days' unpaid leave.

It must be noted that Trevilla had aligned himself with Brummer in the upcoming public defender's election while Baisden supports Gabriel Martin, the challenger. Less than two weeks after his "punishment" of Trevilla, Brummer fired assistant public defender Lonnie Richardson, who was well regarded by judges and peers alike, for yelling "Martin" on a bullhorn at the Martin Luther King Day Parade in Liberty City.

In Brummer's office, I guess it's better to use the word "nigger" than the word "Martin."

Anthony Britt

Miami

Editor's note: Anthony Britt is a trial attorney employed by the Miami-Dade County Public Defender's Office.