Free, After Serving 19 Years of a Life Sentence
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The LAPD is investigating detective work that put a Los Angeles man in prison 19 years ago — for a murder he didn't commit. We talk with him about his new life on the outside. Also, programs in Chinese culture and language at UCLA and LA Unified, paid for by China, and Reseda, in the San Fernando Valley, celebrates its 100th birthday. On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, Iran, Egypt and the UN General Assembly.
Reporter's Notebook
Reseda Turns 100 ()
Reseda may now be just another fading suburb in the San Fernando Valley. But it’s a place with a history. Reseda started out as a real town on the banks of the Los Angeles River, and on Saturday, it will celebrate its 100th birthday.
Reporter's Notebook
Confucius Institutes and Public Schools ()
UCLA and LA Unified have both established Confucius Institutes—programs in Chinese culture and language they get for free. There are 350 Confucius Institutes on campuses all over the world. Stanford University has one. So does the London School of Economics. But the University of Pennsylvania said, thanks, but no thanks. The catch is that they’re funded entirely by the Chinese government, which also controls what they teach.
Banter
Free, After Serving 19 Years of a Life Sentence ()
John Edward Smith stepped out of custody this week after 19 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. A jury based his conviction on the testimony of a single witness who now says LAPD detectives convinced him to lie. We’ll talk with Smith in a moment. Deirdre O’Connor is a former public defender, now Executive Director of Innocence Matters, which deals with wrongful convictions.
Guests:
- John Edward Smith: Exonerated and freed from prison after serving 19 years of a life sentence for murder
- Deirdre O'Connor: Chair & Executive Director of Innocence Matters, a wrongful convictions group
Main Topic
Iran, Egypt and the UN General Assembly ()
On Day Two of the UN General Assembly’s annual session, an unwelcome reminder of the major issue on the minds of 120 world leaders: Syrian rebels staged another deadly attack on President Assad’s military headquarters in Damascus today. In New York, the focus was on other developments in the Middle East: the new government of Egypt, Iran’s nuclear progress and relations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Guests:
- Stewart Patrick: Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, @StewartMPatrick
- David Kirkpatrick: New York Times, @kirkpatricknyt
- Barbara Slavin: AL-Monitor.com, @barbaraslavin1
- Patrick Clawson: Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Underwriters
Which Way L.A.? is made possible in part by the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation and the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation.
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