CD10 Voices

Our Weekly: Court ruling chills elected official-constituent interaction

A functioning democracy demands that public officials are accessible and responsive to our constituents. For us to effectively perform our duties, we need the ability to interact with the people we represent It must be reversed on appeal. By Rick Tuttle | Our Weekly Guest Contributor OUR WEEKLY LLC | April 8,

WHERE WE STAND—MRT Bribed Himself?

Federal prosecutors in the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) will file their response by today, Monday, April 8 to Dr. Mark Ridley-Thomas’s (MRT) appeal of last year’s bribery, conspiracy and honest services fraud conviction and sentence. The appeal compels the USAO to defend a criminal prosecution for

USA v MRT: We Are Watching Closely and Prayerfully

By Norman S. Johnson and William S. Epps We are very pleased that the unjust conviction and sentence of Dr. Mark Ridley-Thomas (MRT) in the case of USA v. MRT is attracting national attention. The United States Attorney’s Office’s (USAO) novel and unique interpretation of “honest services fraud”

SPECIAL REPORT: Appellate & Amicus Legal Teams Educate MRT Supporters

Prepared by Vincent M. Harris and Brett D. Louie United States of America vs. Mark Ridley-Thomas is attracting national attention as a result of his appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals with the filing of no less than three friends of the court briefs from legal scholars, civil

Race and Gender Discrimination in Jury Selection

KBLA 1580 AM Talk Radio Editorial 0:00/169.7959181× The appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals of the guilty verdict on seven counts of conspiracy, bribery and honest services fraud in United States of America v. Mark Ridley-Thomas is receiving national attention. Observers of this case have

LA Focus: Ridley-Thomas Notches Early Win in Effort to Overturn Guilty Ruling

February 23, 2024 By Vincent M. Harris In late January, the Mark Ridley-Thomas legal team, led by a team of accomplished lawyers, filed its opening legal briefs, laying out their arguments as to why Ridley-Thomas’s guilty verdict should be overturned, or a new trial established. The briefs were a

Washington Post Opinion: Struck from a jury for being Black? It still happens all too often.

By Stephen Bright | February 14, 2024 at 7:30 a.m. EST Stephen Bright, a former director of the Southern Center for Human Rights, teaches at Yale Law School and the Georgetown University Law Center and is the author, with James Kwak, of “The Fear of Too Much Justice: Race,

WHERE WE STAND — The Amicus Briefs

Last week three amicus curiae (Latin for “friend of the court”) briefs in support of Dr. Mark Ridley-Thomas’s appeal were filed before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. These friend of the court briefs merit our attention. They reflect the growing sentiment among Federal public defenders, bipartisan elected officials,

Witness LA: Deconstructing The Conviction Of Mark Ridley-Thomas: Part 9 – Filing With The 9th Circuit

February 1, 2024 by Celeste Fremon On Thursday, January 25,  the team of five appellate attorneys who are now representing Mark Ridley-Thomas filed their 102-page brief in order to appeal their client’s conviction with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  The arguments made in the

WHERE WE STAND — MRT’s Appellant Opening Brief

In the strange case of the United States of America versus Mark Ridley-Thomas (USA v MRT) consistent themes continue to emerge.  Abuse of power.  Official overreach.  Exaggerated claims of corruption. Deliberate avoidance of relevant information.  Assumption of impropriety.  Unmistakable implicit bias. Headlong rush to judgment.   Such was the case when

LA Mag: Mark Ridley-Thomas Begins Appeal With an 'Army' of Supporters Standing Behind Him

Regarding Politics Column: A legal showdown begins as the longtime politician seeks to overturn his federal conviction JON REGARDIE | 1 HOUR AGO One of the most striking elements in the federal trial of Los Angeles political veteran Mark Ridley-Thomas was the crowd that each day thronged the seventh-floor courtroom of

LA Focus: “Convictions Cannot Stand” State Lawyers in their Appeal of the Mark Ridley-Thomas Case

January 26, 2024 “What should have begun and ended as an internal investigation at USC resulted in a prosecution untethered to federal precedent.” - Attorney Alyssa Bell “Dr. Mark Ridley-Thomas is not guilty of either federal-programs bribery or honest services fraud. The government’s prosecution of Dr. Ridley-Thomas involved none

32nd Annual Empowerment Congress Summit: MRT vs USA Powerpoint

MRT-v-USA-PowerpointMRT-v-USA-Powerpoint.pdf602 KBdownload-circle USA v Mark Ridley-Thomas was the subject of a workshop during the 32nd Annual Summit of the Empowerment Congress on Saturday, January 13, 2024. The workshop panel was moderated by KBLA 1580 Talk Radio host Areva Martin and featured an esteemed panel of lawyers and activists, including

Our Weekly: Capacity Crowd Attends YMCA’s 53rd Annual MLK Jr. Brotherhood Breakfast

Crowd Acknowledges Allyson Felix’s Receipt of “Human Dignity Award” As Well As Past Award Recipients By Brett D. Louie Last Monday, January 19, 2024, 1,200 guests packed the Westin Bonaventure Hotel’s California ballroom for the 53rd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Brotherhood Breakfast. The event, with a

LA Focus: Avis and Mark Ridley-Thomas Honored with Inaugural Lawson Transformative Resistance Award at SCLC MLK, Jr. Legacy Awards 2024

January 18, 2024 | JT Torbit Following an invigorating Empowerment Congress gathering on Saturday that kicked off the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday and included a teach-in on USA v. Mark Ridley-Thomas, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), under Pastor William D. Smart, Jr.’s leadership, held its 2024 Martin Luther

Witness LA: Saturday Forum Featuring DA Candidates & A Reconstruction Of The Conviction Of Mark Ridley-Thomas

January 15, 2024 by Celeste Fremon This past Saturday, January 13, 2024, the 32-year-old organization known as the Empowerment Congress convened its annual summit attended by elected officials, community members, and other “interested constituents,” in order to discuss a selected set of  issues that affect the communities that the Empowerment

32nd Annual Empowerment Congress Summit

Pursuing Justice Through Participatory Democracy! Please join us for a Teach-In on the USA v. Mark Ridley-Thomas Case.

LA Focus: MRT Conviction Raises Substantial Questions

November 16, 2023 | LA Focus Op-Ed By Mansfield Collins, Esq. Dr. Mark Ridley-Thomas (MRT) is free on bail pending appeal of his conviction and sentence to the Ninth Circuit. During his sentencing hearing in August, Judge Dale S. Fischer initially ordered MRT to surrender on his 69th birthday, November 6,

Our Weekly: The MRT Appeal is a Righteous Fight for Justice

OUR WEEKLY LLC | October 25, 2023 | 9:49 AM | 5 min read By Vincent M. Harris USA v. Mark Ridley-Thomas The famed a cappella group “Sweet Honey in the Rock” would often sing, “We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.” That’s why we believe the decision

LA Focus: Ridley-Thomas Wins Motion to Remain Free on Bail Pending Appeal

October 11, 2023 | lafocus By: Elgin Nelson Former L.A. Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas has successfully obtained a crucial victory to remain on bail pending appeal. A lengthy 37-page motion put forth by Ridley-Thomas’ legal team received approval from U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer, who had previously overseen Ridley-Thomas’

A One Year Retrospective on the Racist Rant and the Blatant Abuse of Power

Editor's Note: As the holiday observance of Indigenous People’s Day draws to a close, it seems timely to punctuate the need for civility in Los Angeles in contrast to the venomous display of racism leaked in October of last year. It is worth noting that former Council

WHERE WE STAND: Bail Pending Appeal Approved

The decision by US Attorney’s Office to stipulate that Dr. Mark Ridley-Thomas should be granted bail pending appeal represents a significant step forward. The agreement between the parties establishes that Dr. Ridley-Thomas’s appeal to the Ninth Circuit will present at least one “substantial question of law or fact”

KBLA 1580: The Tape - 1 Year Later

Please listen to KBLA 1580 on October 9th, from 5-7:00 PM, as they will take a live look back at the racist leaked tapes that shook Los Angeles City Hall. With political insiders and experts, KBLA seeks to address underlying issues, and present the public with all the information

LA Times: Ridley-Thomas was facing prison in a month. Now he’ll remain free while appealing conviction

BY MATT HAMILTON | STAFF WRITER OCT. 5, 2023 | 11:58 PM PT Veteran Los Angeles politician Mark Ridley-Thomas, who was found guilty of fraud and bribery in a corruption scheme with a USC dean, was granted his request Thursday to stay out of prison while he appeals his conviction. Ridley-Thomas

Witness LA: Deconstructing The Conviction Of Mark Ridley-Thomas: Part 6B – Judge Fischer Agrees To Bail

October 5, 2023 by Celeste Fremon A bit after 6 p.m on Thursday evening, October 5, U.S. District Court Judge Dale S. Fischer granted bail to Mark Ridley-Thomas. This means that the former state senator, former assemblyman, former member of the board of supervisors, and twice-city council member