Letters to the Editor: I was a constituent of Mark Ridley-Thomas. I admire him, but his behavior was wrong

To the editor: Erin Aubrey Kaplan is spot on about suspended L.A. City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas. It is precisely because Ridley-Thomas served an underfunded and underappreciated section of the city and is a seasoned politician that we should be angry over the behavior that led to his corruption conviction.

This isn’t holding him to a higher standard — just the letter of the law.

I live in Ridley-Thomas’ area, and I have seen him pushing a baby pram through the neighborhood. I was so proud to cross paths with him.

Now, I am not sure what I would say to him, because while I do understand that he did good for Los Angeles, he has also shamed himself and disappointed his constituents.

Randy Farhi, Leimert Park

..

To the editor: The accomplishments of Ridley-Thomas are legion and dwarf the charges on which he was convicted. Still, the notable roster of his defenders after the verdict can’t help but make one reflect on former President Trump and his enablers and supporters.

Both men must receive justice, or our system of law and order means nothing. As a longtime friend of Ridley-Thomas, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass in particular has a difficult needle to thread here.

Hal Rothberg, Calabasas