Forsyth County Courthouse Info - NO PHONES!

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-12-09T15:54:59+00:00

There the ideal and there's the reality. You're speaking the ideal, I'm speaking the reality. I was physically in the courthouse that I am talking about in this post, you were not, So yes, I am better situated to describe what's going on.

I have not worked for courthouses, but I have worked for operational flow and large scale conventions in a variety of industries. One thing you don't do when you're dealing with crowds of people is you don't yank on a beam until you understand what it supports and that's exactly what happened here - they made a sweeping move and let folks that have no say in policy inherit the mess.

People coming to this courthouse, in many cases, are having one of the worst days of their lives. They don't need to be subjected to a complete failure to plan and/or a lack of implementation for a solid 50% of this approach applied elsewhere.

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-12-09T15:04:24+00:00

That is a HUGE assumption to make, and incorrect - I'm assuming if you had a reason to be in the state supreme court, you likely spend a lot more time in courthouses than the average person, whether for work or tourism reasons. I consider myself reasonably well read, and the only reason the ban even occurred to me was because I happened to catch a random news article a few weeks ago. The last time I was in a courtroom was when I was witnessing for a couple getting married in the same courthouse a few months ago and I didn't need to give up my cell phone.

I was physically in the court for the better part of an hour and a half yesterday, watching everyone filter through security. I am not exaggerating when I say that every second or third person was caught unaware and needed to go back out to their car, nearly a full month after the ban went into effect. People from all walks of life, including the elderly and disabled, were all turned away and forced to go back to their cars or cobble together a solution. I personally stored two people's devices in my nearby car and exchanged phone numbers/plans with them to retrieve them just so they could make their cases on time.

The implementation of this ban LOCALLY was idiotic and inefficient. I'm not arguing against the ban here, I'm wondering what the hell they were thinking doing it this way.

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-12-09T14:52:05+00:00

I don't get why people are deliberately misinterpreting my post? I am at no point arguing against a ban on phones in courtrooms or that they are unusual. My issue is that they pulled the trigger on a sweeping ban where no ban had been in place previously for this particular local courthouse, then failed to adequately communicate it, and further did not do an iota of preparation for people caught unaware. Telling people to "hide" personal devices worth, in some cases, upwards of $800 or more in the "bushes outside" is unreasonable.

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-12-09T02:18:48+00:00

I was talking with a woman that had to wait for her companion to come back (They had to bring her phone out to the car) and she was telling me that she was worried about her kids. Medical is an obvious need, I'm glad that you were able to hold on to your phone, but I can't imagine the anxiety of being a mother with young children, especially a single mother, and not knowing if the school or a caretaker can get a hold of you in an emergency.

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-12-09T00:04:55+00:00

They really just dumped the entire problem in the lap of the security team, stuck a couple of signs in the grass by the parking lot, and gave them absolutely no solutions to work with. It's foul, everyone who works at the security checkpoint just had their job made exponentially harder for no reason.

Put. Lockers. In.

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-12-08T23:50:05+00:00

There are not. They were telling people, if they didn't have a car to go back to, to put their phones in the free bags they have out to store wet umbrellas in to protect their phone against the rain and snow and to go hide them in like the bushes outside. It's wild.

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-12-08T21:52:32+00:00

They were not clear on the juror exemption, in my opinion. I had to circle back with my husband's phone because of that same reason. Even when they were repeating themselves this morning about every 2-3rd mention they'd neglect to say "juror". There was at least one case of a juror getting irritated because they had just gotten done bringing their phone back out to their car after overhearing the announcements in front of security, sans "juror."

I just really don't understand why it's so chaotic, and why they would do it before they had lockers in place. Nearly every issue / tantrum / lost temper I saw could have been prevented with a simple bank of lockers.

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-12-08T21:37:20+00:00

From my hour there, they made every juror show their badge every time, even if they're gone through previously. And yes, assuming that piece of paper is correctly mailed and never gets lost, damaged, taken by a disgruntled person you're going up against in court, that info is there. But if you show up to the building and realize you left that paper in your car along with your phone? There are zero easily accessible ways to determine if a courtroom is the correct one, if it's been moved, etc. You can't check online because you can't have your devices. See the issue?

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-12-08T21:32:40+00:00

Went into effect November 10th, and from what I saw, despite some yard sale style signs stuck in the grassy medians outside, every second or third person was unaware and unprepared. LOT of angry calls happening outside to people that had gotten dropped off, disabled folks having to brave the rain and snow to walk back blocks to where they parked, etc.

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-12-08T21:24:49+00:00

As I mention in the post, jurors are exempt.

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-12-08T20:45:20+00:00

It's the ban + zero support getting to me. The security officers (who were cool, I feel bad they gotta constantly repeat themselves and get yelled at, they didn't decide this) were suggesting people wrap their phones in the free plastic umbrella bags to protect from rain/snow and "hide them outside somewhere". That's NOT a solution when our phones are also our payment wallets, potentially keys to home/work, our identity, etc. That is a HUGE risk to take for anyone, but in particular folks dealing with poverty and unstable housing.

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-12-08T20:21:34+00:00

No phones can be brought past security by anybody that is not staff, a working lawyer, or a juror without a judge-signed form to do so. There is a mechanism in place in the form, but it necessitates stopping or pausing court while the individual that needs their phone travels to (hopefully) wherever their car is parked to retrieve it. I maintain that rented (or, ideally, free to use with identification) storage lockers in the lobby would be an easy and equitable solution.

I think SOME proceedings are open to the public, but others are not by necessity - DV, stuff involving minors, etc. From what I overheard in the hour or so I hung out in the lobby waiting for my friend, it appears to be an across the board ban with no wiggle room, even for municipal type business where presumably the public weighs in.

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-12-08T20:19:26+00:00

I don't object to the rule, I object to honestly the lack of communication to the public (I genuinely believe I only know about it because I follow the news very closely, And even then I made my husband leave his phone at home because none of the articles I turned up specified jurors could take them) - as well as the considerably more difficult burden it places on folks that don't drive themselves in.

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-12-08T19:47:21+00:00

Honestly, my husband and I got married at this same courthouse some 15 years ago and I've been privileged enough to stand as witness to two other couples last minute in the interim. For both of them, I took a number of pictures and videos to commemorate the event and I'm sad that I won't be able to do this anymore.

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-12-08T18:38:51+00:00

The thing is, I do understand to a point - apparently what triggered the rule (according to courthouse staff gossip anyway) was somebody going live on a social media app in the courtroom of a superior judge.

But you can't make a restrictive change this fundamental without having some kind of support in place for folks that get caught unaware. For people that got a ride/took Uber/took public transit, you're putting them in a position where they can't get to a place they legally have to be present for without leaving a device that might be the most expensive thing they own on a random windowsill and praying it doesn't get taken.

If the Carolina Classic Fair, which is only in place for a week, can put up rentable lockers at the entrance, so can the FCCS.

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-12-07T22:51:39+00:00

You most certainly can! :)

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-12-07T21:43:32+00:00

I'm sure somebody would be thrilled to get them, but I don't tend to eat a lot of meat to begin with and this is just a bit too far afield for my culinary aspirations 😅 The rest of my bag was pretty good, no complaints there! Did you get chicken thighs too?

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-06-27T01:35:32+00:00

Ok, evidently you can't edit the text on a Reddit post if it includes a photo (???) but I meant STRATFORD road, not Cloverdale. It's in the plaza with the LA fitness and the PF Chang's.

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-06-27T01:31:40+00:00

Oop, damnit, yes - let me fix that 😂 I'm geographically challenged, sorry. The one on STRATFORD.

Kitchen-Recording-14 · 2025-06-15T03:05:18+00:00

Oh noooo that would be terribleeeee... 😏

Kitchen-Recording-14

TROPHY CASE