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Summary: Chapter Nine: I’m Here—Part I
Chapter 9 opens on the day of Walter’s hearing where Stevenson and Michael will present Ralph Myers’s new testimony. They arrive at the courtroom and find dozens of Black community members supporting Walter. Stevenson explains that the state’s case hinged entirely on Ralph’s testimony, but Ralph lied. On the stand, Ralph testifies that Walter did not kill Ronda Morrison and holds firm under cross-examination. Stevenson calls more witnesses to refute other parts of Ralph’s original story. The judge appears engaged and concerned, and Walter feels excited and Walter’s family grows hopeful.
The next morning, Stevenson finds the Black supporters standing outside the courtroom, apparently barred from entering. The courtroom is already half-filled with older white people as well as a metal detector and a police officer with a German shepherd dog. After Stevenson angrily insists that Walter’s supporters be let into the courtroom, the deputy begins letting them in, but there are not enough seats for everyone. One older woman, Mrs. Williams—who is chosen as one of the representatives for the Black community—is unable to enter the courtroom because the guard dog brings back memories of attacks against Black people who marched for civil rights. Despite the bad beginning, the trial ensues, and Stevenson elicits testimony from health care workers confirming that Ralph told them he was forced to testify against Walter.
Summary: Chapter Nine: I’m Here—Part II
On the third day of Walter’s trial, the white supporters, who seemed confused by the health workers’ testimony, don’t attend, but the police officer has returned with the German shepherd dog. Mrs. Williams finds the courage to get past the dog this time, and before the hearing begins, she announces several times to the courtroom that she is here. Stevenson understands that her words mean that she feels called to be part of the fight for justice.
On the final day of the trial, Stevenson questions Ralph’s fellow prisoners to confirm Ralph’s claim that he was pressured to give false testimony. As his final piece of evidence, Stevenson presents multiple tapes of law enforcement officials threatening Ralph if he did not frame Walter for the murder. None of these recordings had been disclosed to Walter’s previous attorneys as the law required. The state’s attorney puts on no rebuttal case. The judge asks both sides to submit written briefs outlining and defending what they think the ruling should be, and the hearing ends. On the way back to Montgomery, Stevenson and Michael stop at the beach. They discuss how their opponents will react poorly to the new evidence—maybe even threatening them—but reaffirm their commitment to freeing Walter.
Analysis
Stevenson illustrates the power of showing up, and the way the justice system discourages showing up, throughout Chapter Nine. The Black community, many dressed as if for church. show up at court not as witnesses, but as an expression of support for McMillian. The crowd audibly reacts to the entrance of Ralph Myers, with their shock at his aged appearance suggesting the toll prison has taken on him. This community, reacting as one, holding their breath, then buzzing as Myers admits his lie at the original trial, suggests they’re a collective being, negatively impacted by McMillian’s arrest, trial, and sentence. The next day, a police officer and dog stand at the door to intimidate spectators. When the minister needs to choose just a few representatives, Stevenson notes that the supporters won’t be deterred. The Black community has stood by McMillian, certain of his innocence, and they continue to demonstrate with their calm, yet powerful presence.
While fear serves as a powerful means of control, people gain freedom by overcoming their fear. The corrupt justice system used Ralph Myers’s fear of death row and the electric chair to coerce him into lying about McMillian. As he tells the court that the allegations were untrue, Myers makes eye contact with the judge and prosecutor to demonstrate that he’s been freed from his fear. In his work with Stevenson to finally reveal the truth, Myers wants to achieve freedom for both McMillian and himself. The controlling element of fear also reveals itself through Mrs. Williams. When she sees the police dog, Williams’s entire posture changes, illustrating the physical manifestation of her deep fear. According to Stevenson, her fear likely results from the police dogs often used to control Black protestors. Williams confirms his suspicions, telling Stevenson she was at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965, revealing how long she’s been fighting for freedom. Determined, Mrs. Williams walks past the dog the second time, and her announcement of her presence demonstrates her need to witness McMillian’s fight for freedom, as well as her own, to see justice done.
Throughout his work with Walter McMillian’s case, Stevenson walks a dark path marked by lies, corruption, racism, and injustice, but he finds hope in the darkness along the way, including at the end of the second day of the trial. Strengthened by the bravery of Mrs. Williams, Stevenson’s hope is reflected in his assertion that, for the first time since he started working on McMillian’s case, the elements involved in the struggle for justice for Walter and the community make sense. Recordings proving that Myers was coerced into false testimony, a lack of rebuttal from the prosecution, and the judge’s request for written briefs, shed light on McMillian’s dark legal journey and add another layer of hope for freedom. As Stevenson and Michael O’Connor stop at the beach, their enjoyment of a brief moment of peace and relaxation shows that they dare to hope. However, the fear of the potential of nearby sharks and concern about personal safety resulting from their overwhelming evidence of McMillian’s innocence suggest that though hope exists, darkness still lurks.
