Commentary by Black Kos editor JoanMar
One hundred years ago, some wise man wrote, “Justice must not only be done, but must also be seen to be done.” Whatever the legal complexities, the notion of someone facing 40 years in federal prison for “lying on a mortgage application,” especially as it has to do with accessing one’s own funds, seems far from just in my humble opinion.
In November 2023, a jury found Mosby guilty on both counts of perjury. A jury returned a split verdict in February, finding Mosby guilty of one count of mortgage fraud. Her sentencing is scheduled for May 23, at which time, she could face up to 40 years in federal prison.
The case:
In their sentencing memorandum, prosecutors argued that Mosby’s actions were particularly egregious because she took advantage of the health crisis to withdraw money from her retirement account and buy properties when interest rates were low.
Marilyn Mosby stepped on the national stage in the wake of the murder of Freddie Gray.
Freddie Gray suffered a fatal spinal cord injury on April 12 when he was tossed around the back of a police van. He was shackled by his hands and feet but unrestrained by a seatbelt, which meant he couldn't protect himself from the impact as he crashed into the interior of the vehicle. An autopsy report, which was obtained by the Baltimore Sun's Justin Fenton, found Gray likely received the injury when the van suddenly decelerated. He died a week later, on April 19.
After the malicious killing of Freddie Gray and the subsequent protests, the Justice Department conducted a year-long investigation into the Baltimore Police Department and the findings were downright horrifying.
The Horror of the Baltimore Police Department
A Department of Justice report finds widespread constitutional violations, the targeting of African Americans, and a culture of retaliation.
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The Baltimore report fills out a trifecta alongside similar documents from Cleveland and Ferguson. In each case, the Justice Department was brought in following the death of a black man at the hands of police that had resulted in outraged demonstrations in the streets: in Cleveland, Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams (though the shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice shortly before the Justice Department announced its findings overshadowed that case); in Ferguson, Michael Brown; and in Baltimore, Freddie Gray. In each of those cases, criminal prosecutions did not result in convictions, and, in fact, only the Gray case resulted in charges.
“[A]nd a culture of retaliation.”
Picture a young, Black, female district attorney going up against a system and a culture that hold Black folks in blatant contempt. What courage it took for her to refuse to be bullied. What fortitude it must have required for her to honor the oath she took to faithfully discharge her duties as “an administrator of justice, a zealous advocate, and an officer of the court.” Her unwavering determination would not be allowed to go unpunished.
"I've been accused of doing something that I have not done. I'm innocent. I'm facing 40 years for withdrawing funds from my retirement savings. The United States government, a global superpower, is actually coming for me," Mosby said Wednesday morning on the nationally syndicated "The Breakfast Club" where she personally called for a presidential pardon.
Ms. Mosby talks to Joy Reid about the case against her:
There is no doubt that the justice system was mobilized and weaponized against Ms. Mobley for her having the audacity to think that she could take on the plagues of police violence, over-policing, and the corrupt police unions of Maryland. The President, who was propelled to victory by the unwavering support of Black women, must come to her rescue. Marilyn Mosby does not belong in prison and President Biden holds the power to prevent it from happening. The pardon powers were designed for just this type of a case — a blatant miscarriage of justice. He can do this.
Attorney Marilyn Mosby is being punished for her relentless commitment to pursuing and upholding justice. DOJ is recklessly and irresponsibly continuing the Trump-era persecution of Attorney Mosby for accessing and using HER OWN FUNDS! In November 2023, Attorney Mosby was wrongfully convicted on two counts of perjury for withdrawing $40,000 and $50,000 from her own retirement account.
-Several people employed by the City of Baltimore withdrew from their retirement accounts during the height of the pandemic in 2020.
-739 people withdrew funds from their Baltimore Deferred Compensation retirement accounts.
-3 people worked in the same agency as Attorney Mosby.
-Attorney Mosby was the ONLY ONE prosecuted for withdrawing money from her own retirement account.
Thank you.
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News round up by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor
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Tiera Kennedy will always look back on the first half of 2024 as the start of an artistic renaissance ― thanks, in part, to a surprise boost from Beyoncé.
Last month, the Nashville-based singer-songwriter unveiled “I Ain’t a Cowgirl,” the first single from her forthcoming debut album, “Rooted.” The tender, guitar-driven ballad reflects her decision to forge her own path as a country musician, despite not adhering to the tried-and-true mode many associate with the genre.
“For a long time, I was masking a lot of my emotions because I didn’t want to come off as ungrateful,” Kennedy told HuffPost. “But this is a tough industry. I was at a place in my life and in my career where things were out of my hands, and that’s a difficult place to be. I felt more free putting that into a song, as opposed to trying to skim over the fact that I was unhappy.”
As to what listeners can expect from “Rooted,” due out this fall, she said: “Most of it stems from personal relationships. There are a lot of songs about my husband [Kamren Kennedy], but it also spans the grief process. We tap into a bit of anger. This is who I am, unapologetically.”
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I really miss Black Twitter. It felt like a real place to me. It was a space of community, joy, resistance and information. There were specific stars of Black Twitter — in no order, Michael Harriot, Questlove, DeRay Mckesson, Jemele Hill, April Reign, Melissa Harris-Perry, dream hampton, Marc Lamont Hill … I could go on. My sense memory of Black Twitter is that I was in a room or a field in the middle of thousands of Black folks who were talking as one giant group with thousands of voices.
I remember one night I got home and flipped through the channels and didn’t see anything on TV that I wanted to watch. Then I noticed a funny tweet about the NAACP Image Awards, which had already started. I turned on the Image Awards so that I could fully understand the tweets about it, and as I watched the show, it felt like my living room was overflowing with funny and smart Black people making quips about the show.
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As the cyclists wind through the mountains, team coach Tadesse Mikiele, trails in a blue minivan, making observations and discussing tactics with his staff. At one point, he beckons over the captain, Genet Mekonen, who has been trailing at the back.
“Why are you slowing down on the declines?” he asks her. “You need to be brave. Increase your speed, attack when you go downhill.”
Genet peels off to rejoin the group at the front. Two days before their next race, Tadesse says he is happy. “You can see, on the hills, they move up as a team. They do not separate, they support each other. We are in good shape.”
Eighteen months ago, tanks lumbered along this road in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region. Drones pummelled targets from above. At a roadside village, Eritrean troops allied to Ethiopia’s military massacred dozens of people. It was the final battle of one of the bloodiest wars of recent times, pitting Ethiopia’s federal government against Tigray’s rebellious regional rulers.
Today, Tigray’s cycling teams, including the women of coach Tadesse’s Mekelle 70 Enderta club, are competing on the road again, a small sign of the fragile normality that has returned after two years of devastating war. Hunger and insecurity persist in several areas but sport, at least, has resumed.
During the war, Tigray’s internet and phone lines were cut off. Aid was obstructed and the banks were shut, so people couldn’t access savings to buy food. The UN secretary-general, António Guterres, called the restrictions a “de facto humanitarian blockade”. A UN panel concluded that all sides had committed war crimes.
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A Florida sheriff publicly released bodycam footage from a deputy who fatally shot a Black airman in his home last week – and disputed claims from the victim’s family that the deputy had gone to the wrong apartment.
Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden showed the video during a Thursday news conference, shortly after an attorney for the 23-year-old airman’s family called for its public release, saying the victim’s girlfriend was FaceTiming with him and believes the deputy was at the wrong unit.
The victim was identified by his family as Roger Fortson, an active-duty senior airman, according to attorney Ben Crump, who held a news conference earlier Thursday. Crump and Fortson’s mother described him as a patriot who respected authority and hoped to buy his mother and younger siblings a house.
The sheriff, who met with Fortson’s family shortly before his news conference, said he asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Division to handle the criminal investigation, as is required. While that probe is ongoing, he said, “no determination has been made as to whether the deputy’s actions were justified or not.” The deputy has been placed on administrative leave.
“What we do know at this time is that the deputy did announce himself, not once but twice,” Aden said. “Mr. Fortson’s comments indicate that he did acknowledge it was law enforcement at the door and he arrived at the door with a firearm in his hand. The deputy knocked on the correct door, he did not cover the peephole or otherwise obscured its view in any way.”
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WELCOME TO THE FRIDAY PORCH
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