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Jasmine Richards faces possible year-long sentence; Attorney calls the case ‘political prosecution'

Richards, 28, was the first African-American ever actually tried on these charges, said Gyamfi. Others had been initially charged, but the charges had been eventually dropped or reduced. No African-American had actually ever stepped into a courtroom to face the charge.

The court had just called. The verdict in her felony “lynching” case was in. The charge is now officially known as Attempting to Unlawfully Remove a Suspect from Police Officers, but until quite recently, CA Penal Code § 405a described the charge of “taking by means of a riot of any person from the lawful custody of any peace officer” as “a lynching.”

Jasmine Richards was NOT the woman that bailed on paying for her meal. Richards and a group of BLM supporters intervened at a park across the street when they saw the police treating said woman with unnecessary force. What's worse is that no one from BLM even got arrested that day - police waited two days to arrest Richards.

-- Comment for clarification.

http://www.pasadenanow.com/main/bla...icted-of-felony-lynching-charge/#.V1CMA_krJaS

edit;

alt

http://gawker.com/black-lives-matter-activist-convicted-on-felony-lynchi-1780111316

The leader of a Black Lives Matter chapter in Pasadena, California, was convicted this week on a felony charge that was known as “lynching” until recently, for her alleged role in a confrontation with police last year. Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation changing the law’s name after a different black activist was charged with lynching last year.

None of the protesters were arrested on the scene. Three days later, police arrested Richards on several charges relating to the incident, all of which were dropped except for the “Attempting to Unlawfully Remove a Suspect from Police Officers” charge.

Civil rights activists have contended that the law—aside from its bizarre former name—is used to punish people for participating in protests that target the police, and Richards’ attorney made a similar contention. “This was a political prosecution, not a criminal prosecution,” attorney Nana Gyamfi told Pasadena Now. “This was a jury that could not tell the difference between a loud Black person and a violent Black person.”

Business as usual.

 

[norm9]

That article was confusing as fuck. What a terrible writer.

ETA-

From what I gather, here's what happened.
Woman at a restaurant skipped out on the bill.
Owner chases after her.
She runs across the street where BLM is protesting.
Cops show up but wait until she separates from the crowd.
Cops try to arrest her.
BLM don't like the cops' handsy approach to catching woman.
They arrest the bill skipper.
Days later, they arrest BLM activist.

 

[Byakuya769]

That article was confusing as fuck. What a terrible writer.

If there's nothing else we take away from this...

 

[Miles Quaritch]

Um, did they really change the meaning of lynching or am I missing something?