Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

The festivities took place from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. and are part of month-long Pride activities taking place across Northeast Ohio.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher

EDITOR'S NOTE: Since the publication of the article below on Sun., June 8, 2025, President Donald Trump has begun to mobilize some 700 U.S. Marines to join the more than 2000 members of the National Guard that he has deployed to Los Angeles, California in the midst of ongoing protests there

LOS ANGELES, California - Protests in Los Angeles, California that began last week over President Donald Trump's immigration policies have reached the third day, with the president deploying more than 2,000 members of the federal National Guard to the city to quell what he says are violent outbursts and rioting in America's second largest city.

Protesters, however, claim they are not rioting but simply exercising their free speech rights and the right to peacefully assemble.

A local police convoy has stopped traffic on the major freeway in downtown LA as the protest gains national attention.

At issue are ICE agents who have converged on LA under Trump's deportation orders, due process be damned. White House officials say the intent is to get illegals off the streets and out of the country, while protesters argue that the sole intent is to tear families apart and destroy communities of color.

ICE is going into hospitals to steal newborn babies from their mothers and into public schools to snatch children and separate them from their families, not to mention attacking innocent immigrants at their place of work and elsewhere. All of it is cruel and unconstitutional, protesters say.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has called for calm and said protesters should be non-violent and not give "Trump what he wants." Newsom said the president's deployment of the National Guard to LA was not requested and is "illegal and unconstitutional."

Black leaders like California Congresswoman Maxine Waters and LA Mayor Karen Bass have also condemned the actions of President Trump relative to the escalating fiasco.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com are the most-read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio. Tel. 216-659-0473. Email-editor@clevelandurbannews.com.

Former East Cleveland mayor Brandon King and former East Cleveland councilman Ernest Smith

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio - A Cuyahoga County jury on May 29 found suspended East Cleveland mayor Brandon King and former councilman Ernest Smith guilty of public corruption charges.

The trial followed months of legal manoeuvrings and claims of corruption by judges and prosecutors from the defense team.

East Cleveland is a neighboring Black suburb of Cleveland of some 15,000 residents, and one of the poorest cities in the nation.

King, 57, was convicted of three fourth-degree felonies – theft in office and two counts of having an unlawful interest in a public contract – as well as misdemeanor offenses. He faces up to 18 months in prison on the felony convictions alone.

King was found guilty of steering $75,000 to family businesses, while Smith, 49 and recalled from office by voters in 2022, was convicted of misusing a city vehicle and gas card. Both are barred from office for seven years. They remain free on bond, at least until sentencing on June 8.

Their supporters say the case is politically motivated and racist since both are Black and County prosecutor Mike O'Malley has allegedly been targeting Black elected officials for prosecution and leaving White ones, including some corrupt common pleas judges, alone.

King had been the city’s mayor since 2016. He was indicted in late October on 12 counts, including theft in office, unlawful interest in a public contract and soliciting or receiving improper compensation. In short, prosecutors say he steered contracts and money to family members and friends, and handed favors to former councilman Smith, who is Black like King.

King was later suspended with pay by the Ohio Supreme Court at the urging of Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley, whom critics say is out to criminalize Black, male elected officials one by one, and any outspoken Black community activists he can railroad into prison with help from crooked and racist judges.

O'Malley bragged to the mainstream media on Thursday after the jury convicted King and Smith, saying in part that “Mayor King’s conviction was inevitable,” and that "the citizens of East Cleveland deserve better than what their municipal government has provided them."

Activists say that it is unprofessional for O'Malley to brag about his efforts to imprison Black elected officials with help from a debilitating legal system in the county that is plagued with racism and steeped in public corruption.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com are the most-read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio. Tel. 216-659-0473. Email-editor@clevelandurbannews.com

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher