Every man is supposed to be afforded the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty. Today the Los Angeles City Council is considering a motion to suspend 10th District Council Member Mark Ridley-Thomas before he has been afforded the right to defend himself or even face his accusers. This type of injustice has been heaped onto members of our community for far too long and we cannot let this rush to judgement supersede his rights to a fair trial and the opportunity to address these charges and his accuser.
None of us know the real facts behind the charges, and to remove him from office is not only unfair to him but is also unfair to the thousands of 10th District residents who elected him to represent them. Mark Ridley-Thomas has already said he would step back from his day to day duties as not be a distraction to the city council, but that he still could represent his constituents when needed and he should be given that opportunity.
Please email or call all of the Los Angeles City Council representatives and tell them that we as a community do not support the suspension of Mark Ridley-Thomas and that they should take no formal action until he has had his day in court.
