Courting

A few weeks ago I had the privilege to sit in on Judge William Pileggi's court call.

My developer, Carlton Knight, was back in court about the Marquette building.

It's been over two years since the city filed a lawsuit in an attempt to compel Mr. Knight to bring the back porch into code compliance.

Two years of continuances. Two years of not bringing the porch into compliance.

With that in mind, I left the south side and went to see Mr. Knight's latest court appearance about this matter.

Sadly, his case was moved up in the call and I missed his appearance.

As a bonus, I did get to see him outside of the courtroom.

And no I did not hiss at him as I passed by.

I seized the opportunity to see the wheels of justice in motion and stayed for the rest of court.

To see people who are overwhelmed with trying to do right by their homes and their communities is a humbling event.

I have a Ph.D from the school of hard knocks with a minor in getting my ass kicked.

But it was also gratifying to see the judge give irresponsible home owners and landlords the business.

Honestly speaking, that comprised only a few of the cases but it was still fascinating to witness.

Judge Pileggi genuinely and honestly seemed to fairly balance the needs and resources of the home owner, the codes and laws of the city of Chicago and the safety of the community.

In short, he seems like a stand up guy.

Which makes me wonder if his good nature is being taken advantage of.