lights of justice
lead to enlightenment
katie stevens
It was the endless summer of 2007. I was back in
Colorado Springs from my first year at Colorado State
University, and I was packing in everything summer
offered me. After a night of fun, I was driving home
at 8 a.m., a bit hung over and pleased to have a day
to do absolutely nothing. The possibilities were endless, and
that’s when I saw the flashing red and blue lights of justice in
my rearview mirror.
I pulled over and my stomach dropped into a pool around
my ankles. As I reached for my license and registration,
I surveyed the police officer getting out of the car in my
rearview mirror, and caught my own reflection. My face was
snowy white, my hair stuck up and I looked like I felt – a
piece of chewed gum.
Feeling flustered and dehydrated, I prepared to speak
to the officer, but the smeared conversations and forgotten
names of the party popped up in my mind. And then I knew
why I was getting pulled over – the police who crashed the
party said they would follow every car leaving the party until
the morning.
Why hadn’t I taken a ride home? Despite hiding under a
spider-infested deck for hours, I reeked of marijuana and my
endless days of summer were now fading because I was about
to become another statistic.
“Sir,” started the police officer, “I have three questions
for you. First, do you know why I pulled you over?”
“I think I was speeding,” I submitted.
“Forty-six in a 35, for starters!” he laughed. “Second, sir,
can I see your license and registration?”
“Yes. Here you –”
“And third, sir, before I perform a search, is the marijuana
on you or in the car?”
I didn’t have any on me, but I wasn’t sure about the car.
However, the car was filthy because over that summer it
served as my bedroom, closet, bookshelf, and pantry. So I
calculated my connundrum. If I said no and he found something,
I’d be charged for possession, concealing, and lying.
But if I said yes and he found nothing, I’d be obstructing the
lights of justice! I was becoming a statistic, and began to feel
the overwhelming sense of intimidation, defeat, and exhaustion.
So I said, “I don’t know.”
In these three words, my life, for the next year and a half
was defined as the best decision (or surrender) I’ve ever made.
After my car was searched and nothing was found, I was
arrested with a charge of Driving Under the Influence of
Drugs, and taken to a hospital for a urinalysis test. At that
point in my partying career, there was no way I was going to
pass it. And of course, it came back positive.
About six months later, I was sentenced to bi-monthly
UA’s, 24 hours of level II education, 22 hours of therapy and 48 hours of community service in order to get the DUID
deferred and off my record.
Damn.
Another thing – since I got my DUID in Colorado
Springs, and I was going back to CSU in the fall, this was
an additional hassle to communicate between two agencies,
two probation officers in two separate counties. DUID’s are
treated the same as DUI’s in Colorado and they’re incredibly
expensive. Overall, this has cost me between $4,000-6,000.
Another cost was the emotional tolls my family went
through. And because I replaced my party habits and hobbies,
my group of friends changed, too. Furthermore, the
time to complete this was horrific - hours, weeknights and
weekends for almost a year and a half were spent trying to
return to a healthy and sensible place.
At first, this change felt like enslavement to be railed
against laws, rules, and stereotypes. Community service was
required and felt like forced work, not service. However,
I commenced that I could do all of this by being mindful,
engaged, open, and perceptive as possible.
It began with group education sessions, offering basic
drug and alcohol information for first-time offenders. Then,
there were therapy sessions with second, third, and habitual
DUI offenders. Seeing how real this problem is inspired me
to use my community service as a service and to stop seeing it
as forced work.
This is how I got involved with RamRide.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s,
there were 16,885 alcohol and drug-related
fatalities in 2005, which account for 39 percent of annual
traffic fatalities. And the highest percentage of drivers in fatal
crashes who had blood alcohol levels of .08 or higher were
from drivers ages 21 - 24.
These statistics are why RamRide is necessary.
RamRide offers a safe, free, non-judgmental ride home
for CSU students by CSU students, which is run on student
fees. This program is growing quickly because it is a leader,
designed to reduce the number of intoxicated drivers on
Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.
In 2007, there were 1,000 volunteers who gave 19,871
people a safe ride home, which adds to the four-year total of
70,420 rides. Students can call (970)-491-3333 during the
hours listed above to get a free ride home and why not? Your
student fees help run the program!
RamRide is run by volunteers, so when you do call, thank
them because they’re helping you. Our 15 cars cannot run if
there aren’t 30 volunteers to fill them. The fewer volunteers,
the fewer cars, the longer the wait time! So, instead of complaining
about long wait times, give back by volunteering.
RamRide is a relevant service assisting people daily. For
me, service is about giving selflessly – big or small – whatever is possible just to help someone else. RamRide gives me that
opportunity, and that’s why, after completing eight service
hours, I applied and am now one of the associate directors.
My community service is now finished, but this has been one
of the most rewarding jobs I’ve ever had. Knowing that at
least once a week, I help prevent fellow Rams from the arduous
and painful experience of a DUID (or DUI).
If I had a service like RamRide the night of my DUID, I
would’ve called. But this is reality and premiere free services
like this do not exist on most college campuses.
In my protracted journey, I wait to be liberated from
probation, but I’ve learned a few things along the way. When
partying, don’t even drive the next morning. Just straight
up never drive, and plan rides ahead of time for a smoother
night and morning. All in all, avoid the lights of justice, the
Man, the maniacal loss of money, time, and strain on relationships,
and when in Ram Country, definitely do as the
Rams do – call RamRide. You’ll be glad you did.