Race Ipsa Loquitur: A Poetic Diary of My Journey from Compton to the Los Angeles Superior Court Bench

By Kelvin D. Filer

My book is a "poetic diary" meaning that it is a journal of my life written in poetry!! I have always written poems as a sort of therapy and emotional outlet to reflect on my days' experiences. I,luckily, decided to date the poems as they were written and through my book they chronicle my life's experiences of leaving to go to college, matriculating in a new/challenging environment, experiencing friendships and disappointments! My poetry was particularly helpful in getting me through the rigors of law school by serving as an inspirational reminder that I can make it! Once I began my adult life, you will see how the poems change in style and substance to reveal my thoughts on politics,family,life ,racism, love, the joy of my accomplishments and the valleys of my troubles. Yet, through it all, I was able to reach a pinnacle of my legal career in obtaining an appointment as a Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court ! My poems speak for themselves, the photographs speak for themselves and my book speaks for me!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 10, 2010
• ISBN: 9781456830366

Book preview

Copyright © 2010 by Kelvin D. Filer.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Photo credits : Fulton Bell; Camilo Cruz; Richard Duncan; Duane de Joie; Paula de Joie; Michael Fernandez; Anthony S. Filer; Brynne A. Filer; Kree D. Filer; Philip Chico Sampson; Shon Smith of D’Angelo’s Photos and Gwen Washington.

Rev. date: 08/14/2020

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

589050

CONTENTS

Chapter 1—What It Is? (1970-1977)

The beginning of my poetic diary begins the first day of college at UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California. Writing was a pleasant hobby at this time in my life.

Chapter 2—The Scales of Just-Us

Law school at UC Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law, Berkeley, California. My writing is now more focused. It has become my therapy and self-encouragement. I continue with my poetry.

Chapter 3—The Evidence of Life

My family and friends—I wrote many poems about my immediate family and friends from whom I got my start and inspiration.

Chapter 4—Miscellaneous: Music and Sports

Music and sports are two of the loves of my life. They helped get me through many a dark hour.

Chapter 5—Passed the Bar!

On to the Compton school board and becoming a Compton Court Commissioner.

Chapter 6—The Divorce

What I was going (growing) through with my wife and kids during this difficult time in my life. My poems show the pain, etc.

Chapter 7—The Judgeship

Becoming a judge . . . what a trip!

This book is dedicated to my parents, Attorney Maxcy D. Filer and Blondell Filer. On behalf of all my siblings, I want to say thank you Daddy for instilling in us a commitment to always try to do what is right and to fight for justice. Thank you Mommy for teaching us to always try to help someone and to keep an open heart for those most in need. Your love speaks for itself!

Kelvin aka Scooter

RES IPSA LOQUITUR

D o you know what this Latin phrase means?

The thing speaks for itself, it seems

And that is what these poems, my journey, reflects

The lifelong pursuit of love, peace, and happiness

But we all run a different race

Although we’re all running to the same place;

I’ve had a wild ride to tell the truth

This book reveals a part beginning in my youth

There will always be obstacles to overcome

There will always be barriers to having fun;

But you can’t give up . . . not an inch

Keep moving forward—focus, don’t flinch

’Cause that is when you can win the race

When you contribute and help the human race;

I’ve done my best to make a mark

Bending—without breaking—justice’s arc

I am most proud of my two little girls

They will always be the top of my world;

I guess it’s time for the next phase of life

Time to move on . . . no worries, no strife

When you turn fifty-five, it’s okay to look back

It’s good to know you’re still on the track;

’Cause the race is not over, there’s more to come

My life speaks for itself . . . I’m still having fun!

November 25, 2010

FOREWORD

BY

DUANE FILER

L ittle brother Kelvin has always been the inquisitive soul, even when he was a little tyke running around with his cowboy hat on his enormous head and cowboy boots on the wrong foot. Even then, he was always asking why this and why that; he had to know the reasons of why. Kelvin was never one to just sit on the sidelines and go with the status quo; he had to get to the bottom of the issue and understand the know.

Kelvin didn’t sit in the back of the class and hide. He always sat in the front row so the teacher would see his raised hand as he asked his questions. He exhibited leadership abilities then, and those abilities rest in him till this day.

Maxcy and Blondell’s children, the Filer children, grew up in Compton, California. There were seven of us—four boys and three girls—in the following order: Maxine, Duane, Kelvin, Stephanie, Anthony, Dennis, and the baby, Tracy. Now let me tell you, Compton was a wonderful place to raise a family in the midsixties and into the seventies—nothing like the media portrays it. We lived on Arbutus Street, a street with huge trees that grew high into the sky and shaded the entire street. Arbutus and the neighboring streets with well-kept homes and manicured lawns was a fantastic place to grow up. All the neighbors knew each other, and all the parents had permission to discipline any rudeness or rowdiness. There must have been at least a hundred kids on our block alone, and we loved playing freeze tag, street football, baseball, and basketball; we belonged to the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts, and our parents went to every PTA meeting. We played and learned together, and we all knew we had to be in by the time the street lights came on!

It was this type of environment that helped shape Kelvin and the rest of us. As we passed elementary school to junior high school and into high school, we all knew Kelvin had a gleam in his eye that said he wanted to succeed and give back to Compton. He always had that intensity for issues that concerned him, whether it was running for school office or playing to win during Little League games, not to mention who was playing hard for the Dodgers or Lakers.

About the only thing Kelvin couldn’t succeed at was cutting his pancakes; he just couldn’t do it! He just didn’t possess the skill to cut his pancakes clearly and squarely, and this frustrated him to no end, so our mother had to cut his pancakes well until he left for college.

Father Maxcy and Mother Blondell made no bones about it—all the Filer children would go to college. So when it was time for Kelvin to leave, he went to University of California Santa Cruz for his undergrad, where he first starting

Reviews for Race Ipsa Loquitur

[maec_52 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A poetic diary of the life and challenges of Judge Kelvin Filer. From humble beginnings in Compton, CA to his rise in serving the Superior Court bench in the same city.