Charges Dismissed Against Black Lives Matters Pasadena Activist Jasmine Richards

Los Angles County Commissioner Steven Monette dismissed two remaining misdemeanor charges against Black Lives Matter Pasadena organizer Jasmine Abdullah Richards in a pretrial hearing in the Pasadena Courthouse Thursday morning after the Pasadena City Attorney’s office decided not proceed with prosecution.

“The cases were dismissed in the interest justice based on the totality of circumstances, including the terms and conditions that came out of Judge Lu’s sentencing on the felony matter,” explained Will Rivera, Chief Assistant City Prosecutor for Pasadena, referring to Richards’ conviction in June in an unrelated case.

Rivera said the felony conviction included anger management, formal probation for three years, and jail time, which was also credited to “on our cases, so there’s time served.”

After the dismissal, Richards’ attorney Nana Gyamfi said, “We are of course very pleased that the City Attorney heard the voices of the people who have been going to City Council meetings and signing petitions and sending in letters asking the City Attorney to dismiss the charges, and we are also pleased that the judge decided to terminate her misdemeanor probation cases, and we look forward to her continuing to do the work that she does.”

Gyamfi said she believed “it was public pressure on the City Council, the Mayor and the City Attorney” that resulted in today’s dismissals.

The charges arise from two separate incidents. Richards was charged with criminal threat and disturbing the peace in one matter, and battery of an officer and resisting arrest in another. Pasadena police had said they had video footage showing Richards attack and verbally assault a random person crossing the street.

Gyamfi maintained that none of the cases against Richards should have been filed.

“They’re all coming out because of her protest activity,” Gyamfi said at the time the charges were filed.

Richards caught national media attention after she was recently convicted and sentenced in a separate, widely-publicized felony case for “attempting to unlawfully remove a suspect from police custody,” which until recently was known as “felony lynching.”

Richards, 28, was reportedly the first African-American ever actually tried on this charge, said Gyamfi.

Black Lives Matter launched two petitions in support of Richards, the last one aimed at convincing California Governor Jerry Brown he should overturn Richards’ conviction.

Deputy City Prosecutor for the City of Pasadena Deana Chuang said, “Based on Ms. Richards’ felony conviction and time served we feel it is in the best interest of justice to dismiss the open charges.”