Managing Editor of State and Local News, Los Angeles Times
Managing Editor of State and Local News for the Los Angeles Times
PROFILE
Janet Clayton
Guest
FROM Janet Clayton
Which Way, L.A.?
Is Long Beach Hate-Crime Trial Getting the Attention It Deserves? Last Halloween night, the Long Beach Police say three white women were attacked coming out of a haunted house in the upscale neighborhood of Bixby Knolls. One victim suffered broken facial bones and the partial loss of sight in one eye. Ten black juveniles—nine of them girls-- are on trial. Police say they yelled racial epithets during the assault, including "we hate whites" and "white bitches." Because of that, the District Attorney has accused eight of the defendants of hate crimes. That could mean a "first strike" on their adult criminal records. It's a potentially sensational story, including claims of intimidation against witnesses. But there are questions about whether it's getting the attention it really deserves.
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To the Point
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To the Point
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?