The stakes are high as Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas has his day in court, facing allegations of bribery
In the sanctuary of Holman United Methodist Church in South Los Angeles, Mark Ridley-Thomas prepared for the trial of his life.
“Take up the shield of faith,” Bishop S.T. Williams Jr., thundered. Ridley-Thomas bowed his head and held an arm around his wife. “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit.”After Williams finished reciting the words of St. Paul, the crowd boomed, “Amen,” and burst into applause.This was an ecumenical and interfaith prayer service with a very specific mission, organized to support Ridley-Thomas two days before jury selection was scheduled to begin in his federal corruption trial.
“I think that people have done a lot worse,” said the Rev. Kenneth Walden, senior pastor at Holman United Methodist Church. “So we’re just asking for fairness. We’re not asking for special treatment.” Walden kicked off the evening by invoking the 1965 march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. He framed Ridley-Thomas’ looming trial as yet another challenge in the long struggle for Black Americans’ civil rights.
“His accomplishments are many,” Rabbi Steven Jacobs said in an interview. “And because he’s challenged, people have seemed to have forgotten how enriched their lives are by his actions and his deep convictions.” Pastor Julian Lowe of Oasis Church shared from the pulpit that early in his career, Ridley-Thomas invited him to call if he needed anything. Lowe scheduled that call in 2021. But in the days leading up to their appointment came “this terrible assault on his legacy,” when federal prosecutors unveiled an indictment listing 19 counts against Ridley-Thomas.
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