A Michigan judge has apologised to an expatriate Bangladeshi, a 72-year-old cancer patient, after she shamed him in court for not maintaining his yard.
Published : 25 Jan 2022, 10:50 AM
District Judge Alexis G Krot has faced widespread condemnation for her harsh remarks.
"I made a mistake. I acted intemperately. I am very embarrassed that I did so. I apologize to the person who appeared before me and to the entire community for having failed to meet the high standard we expect of our judicial offers,” she said in a statement.
Judge Krot told Burhan Chowdhury during a Michigan state court appearance over Zoom earlier this month that he “should be ashamed” of himself for being unable to clean up the grass that had overtaken the property.
Krot’s comments toward Chowdhury have been met with a backlash since a video of the court exchange was shared on social media following a report by The Washington Post on Jan 12. A Change.org petition calling for her to be removed from the bench had generated 230,000 signatures in six days.
The judge self-reported her behaviour to the Judicial Tenure Commission, she said in her statement on Jan 18.
Chowdhury, a native of Sylhet in Bangladesh, emigrated to the US in 2010 and later settled in Michigan. He bought a house in Hamtramck, six miles away from Michigan in 2016, where he lives with his wife and son.
The family was devastated when Chowdhury was diagnosed with cancer in his lymph nodes in February 2019. He also suffers from high blood pressure.
On Aug 2, last year, when the neighbours complained to the city administration against Chowdhury for not cleaning his lawn, his son Shibbir Chowdhury, 33, was staying in Bangladesh for three months.
The city asked Chowdhury to pay $100 in fines, but he did not agree to pay saying he was sick and his son was away from home.
When the matter rolled to the court, Chowdhury tried to explain his dire situation to the judge, but she rebuked him instead.
Shibbir Chowdhury has expressed his gratitude to everyone as the judge finally apologised over her conduct.
“Those who protested the cruel act against a 72-year-old cancer patient, have reminded us of our biggest responsibility as human beings. Everyone realised that this could happen to anyone at any time. Those suffering from a severe disease shouldn’t be neglected or looked down upon—this is the message they gave,” he said.
Judge Alexis G Krot loses her mind over cancer patient not being able to clear out brush around his house. pic.twitter.com/vUWu9zHwnx
— Dallas (@59dallas) January 12, 2022