news – The Resident Legal Diva

And just like that, 2023 has come to an end! It has been a nonstop year, and I look forward to getting some R&R this holiday season. But before I do, here are some quick updates!

Congratulations to Tanya Bhatt, who has been elected to the Miami Beach City Commission. She is someone I supported during her race, and I look forward to seeing great things from her in the coming year.

I was honored to provide input on the ongoing battle to get recreational cannabis on the ballot in Florida. The Miami New Times quoted me in a two-part series, that you can read here and here. I also weighed in on an awful case of police brutality for the Knoxville News Sentinel, which thankfully ended well under the circumstances. Lastly, with two high-profile rappers on trial in Atlanta and Broward County, I chatted with the Miami Herald about the use of hip-hop lyrics by prosecutors as evidence of wrongdoing. It’s a slippery slope since the lyrics may have been written way before any crimes may have occurred, and artists often brag about things they have no involvement in (often encouraged by studio bosses because it sells records).

Graphic with photo of Melba and text "If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together" African Proverb — *Quote of the Month!*

On the work front, our team at the Prosecutorial Performance Indicators at Florida International University has been doing a great deal of work in Maryland, with our work being featured in Maryland Matters. Using data for transparency in prosecution shouldn’t be feared by offices, it should be embraced!

ICYMI

Check out my recent appearance on CourtTV discussing the Young Thug case among others; I also weighed in on the Jonathan Majors and P. Diddy cases.

I had a wonderful #MondaysWithMelba with MaryKay, the owner of Your Alpaca Cottage! We managed to blend our love of animals and social justice.

Are you on TikTok? If so, see my recent video on the importance of supporting survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence in the wake of multiple allegations against P. Diddy.

Had a fun time with Erik Fleming on his podcast, along with Dr. Tracy Pearson (ironically, no relation!).

*Panel discussion hosted by Lexis Nexis on the changing legal landscape in Florida*

Call To Action:

We are soooo close to getting abortion access on the ballot in Florida, but we need more signatures — especially in Broward, Orlando, Osceola, Tampa, and Polk County. Ohio is proof of concept that this can happen, and the polling is consistent — the majority of Floridians (despite who they may vote for) support access to safe abortions. Keep in mind that what happened to a woman in Texas can — and has happened — in Florida. If you have not signed, please do so here.

You may recall the horrible case of AJ Owens, who was killed in front of her children by her racist neighbor. There is a collection and toy list to help them during this holiday season, so please join me in giving them a little joy during the first holidays without their mom.

*Enjoying a great Art Basel exhibit on the Harlem Renaissance with fellow members of the*
*Miami Beach Black Affairs Advisory Committee*

Candidates I’m Watching:

End-of-year giving is not just for charities — it’s for candidates too! The last quarter push is critical. Here are some folks to support locally for their elections in 2024:

Rodney Jacobs — I’m really excited about Rodney throwing his hat in the ring for the Florida State Senate. His military service, as well as working on police misconduct in the City of Miami, gives him a fresh, balanced perspective that is sorely needed!

Marisol Zentano — Marisol is taking another shot at becoming Miami Dade’s Property Appraiser. She ran in 2020 with me and did incredibly well with little name recognition plus a short runway to campaign. 2024 will be the year for her to win it!

Lucia Baez – Geller — Lucia served us so well on the School Board that she became a target for extremists who want to ban books in a willy-nilly fashion. She is now running for Congress, taking on an incumbent who voted to keep George Santos in Congress among other awful votes. She’s a public school teacher, a daughter of immigrants, and frankly, a breath of fresh air.

Monique Worrell — She is still fighting despite being wrongfully removed by the Florida Governor. She had her hearing in front of the Florida Supreme Court and is awaiting a decision regarding reinstatement. Regardless of the outcome, she is running for her second term as State Attorney in the Orlando area. The people should decide who serves in elected office, not anyone else.

Thank you for all of your support, comments, and emails this year. I’m doing a digital detox until January to reset for what we know will be an intense year in politics! Wishing each of you the happiest of holidays, and best wishes for the New Year.

In Solidarity,

*Happy Holidays from the Diva and the Cowboy!*

The funeral of Michael Brown today is another chapter in an ongoing tragedy. In moving forward from here, the discussion needs to be had regarding what do we tell our children about how to interact with police? How should we interact with police?

Essence.com published my tips this weekend:

In the wake of the Mike Brown shooting in Ferguson, Mo., as well as the chokehold death of Eric Garner in New York, and the others killed by police in questionable circumstances, the question is “What do we tell our children about interacting with the police?” It’s not about assigning blame on the victims’ actions. It’s about arming our young people with knowledge that could help save them in the future.

Pull right over. If your child is driving a car, and sees police lights in the rearview mirror, he or she should pull over immediately. If it is not safe to pull over immediately, slow your speed and signal that you are pulling over. Failure to pull over puts police officers on high alert that there may be a problem (even if there isn’t one). Think about it from a police officer’s perspective. Why wouldn’t you stop? Do you have an open warrant? Do you have guns or drugs in the car? Based on their occupation, police officers are trained to assume the worst in every situation.

Read the rest of the article here