Mark Ridley-Thomas’ fall from grace, while sad, reaffirms our system of justice

Too many times those who serve the public manage to escape the rules of justice because of the offices they occupy and who they are. This was brazenly called to our attention with the trial and conviction of now former Los Angeles city council member Mark Ridley-Thomas for federal conspiracy, bribery and fraud.

The verdict after five days of jury deliberations arose from allegations that Ridley-Thomas extracted special benefits for his son from USC while voting in support of motions and a contract sought by the university.

The funneling of a $100,000 donation from the campaign of Ridley-Thomas through USC to a nonprofit led by Ridley-Thomas' son persuaded jurors to convict. The government emphasized that the actions came in advance of a summer 2018 vote by Ridley-Thomas.

After the verdict was announced, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Ridley-Thomas supporter, along with others, came to his defense. She noted that "for decades...[Ridley-Thomas] has been a champion for our city, a civil rights activist, a ... leader and a policy maker who made a real impact."

Reportedly, the verdict is the most high-profile in a series of successful convictions by the U.S. Attorney's office in Los Angeles. The court is expected to pass sentence in August and it is anticipated that Ridley-Thomas will appeal. His co-defendant, Marilyn Flynn, former dean of the USC School of Social Work program, has already pleaded guilty to one count of bribery and is awaiting sentencing.

The jury apparently didn't feel good about what they had to do although they were certain what their decision had to be. The $100,000 transaction was what clinched it for them. There was no hesitation, and they said, "there was no more discussion of maybe he didn't do it. He did. But even if that's the case, it's not fun. Somebody's guilty."

The interesting phenomenon here is that the verdict failed to cause scorn. Instead the tributes to Ridley-Thomas flowed freely - signifying the depth of the support he has built over the years from some of the city's leaders "offering tributes instead of scorn." In addition to Mayor Karen Bass, sentiments flowed forth from Steve Soberoff (who sits on the Board of Police Commissioners), State Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), and former Los Angeles City Council member Mike Bonin. These attested to the "huge base of friendship and political support amassed by Ridley-Thomas over his three decades of public service." Derisive comments made regarding disgraced public servants in the past, but not regarding Ridley-Thomas, served as a departure from the usual derision concerning other former public servants caught in the crosshairs of public scrutiny following conviction in such cases. Not to mention the extensive support offered by clergy and community members. These and other achievements combined with his deep ties to the community seem to explain why such shock reverberated following his conviction.

According to Pastor William D. Smart Jr., president and chief executive of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Southern California, "It wasn't supposed to go down like this... Everyone just thought he was going to get exonerated, because he's a hero."

There has been the charge leveled that this is "a U.S. government railroad of another Black man... a political witch hunt... hunting season for Black folks is always open."

Former Councilmember Bernard C. Parks, who lost the 2008 county supervisor race to Ridley-Thomas, said that while the conviction does not diminish the legislative accomplishments of Ridley-Thomas, they do tarnish his overall legacy. "Mark Ridley-Thomas was not indicted because he's Black or because he was too successful...He was indicted and convicted because he committed several serious felony crimes."

The testimonial efforts on behalf of Ridley-Thomas nevertheless did in some respects acknowledge that he should not have taken the measures he did to help his son. Soberoff referred to this mistake as an "asterisk."

In his excellent column discussing this tragic situation, the Los Angeles Times' Nicholas Goldberg cogently laid it out: While Goldberg has "known and admired [Ridley-Thomas] for many years," he notes that it is possible "that Ridley-Thomas is both an ardent fighter for his constituents and a bribe taker." Goldberg goes on to say that while "Ridley-Thomas was found to have betrayed the public trust" by the jury, all his good works are appropriate for consideration when it comes to sentencing."

So now "the judge must weigh the man in full before deciding what his sentence should be."

Stay tuned.