Letters to the Editor: Mark Ridley-Thomas is not above the law, no matter how indispensable he is

To the editor: Suspended L.A. City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas was a successful and effective political leader in several elected positions for decades. I understand why columnist Erika D. Smith laments his recent conviction, which will probably end his long career as an elected official.

Of course, he still has friends and supporters. But the long investigation into his behavior as an L.A. County supervisor and his conviction on a number of serious criminal charges clearly demonstrate that power had gone to his head and he was guilty of corruption.

Smith asks, “Why is this the corruption we care about?” Ridley-Thomas betrayed our trust by using his power to pursue personal gain. He is now a corrupt former politician. The fact that he is Black should not be a factor in judging him or holding him accountable.

Steve Freedman, Venice

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To the editor: Ridley-Thomas’ corruption conviction is a tragedy in the Shakespearean sense, a good man brought down by his own failings.

Rather than explaining the unease and unhappiness of some in Black community at the guilty verdict after Ridley-Thomas’ trial, it might have been better for Smith to educate readers about the fact that past good deeds do not justify present-day unethical or corrupt behavior.

Ridley-Thomas’ record of past community activism and positive legislation may be a mitigating factor at his sentencing, but it should not be used to shield him from the consequences of his corrupt acts.

Demetrius Pohl, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Maybe when Ridley-Thomas is sentenced to prison there will be justice. His conviction stems from working to get his adult son a job and into graduate school on a scholarship at USC.

My children, like thousands of others, were never offered a free ride at USC, but then agian, I never had anything to offer in return. The L.A. politburo is rife with back-door dealing.

Remember, character counts, or it least it used to.

Glenn Zweifel, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Smith states that permanently sidelining a leader who been so effective actually feels like opening the door to greater injustice.

Of course, the jury made the right decision on Ridley-Thomas. If Trump is not above the law, and he shouldn’t be, then it stands that no one should be above the law, no matter how much good they did.

So, if a segment of the population is going to suffer as a result, there is only one person to blame for that: Mark Ridley-Thomas. As the saying goes, “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”

Joseph Lombardo, Upland