Baton Rouge District Attorney Election: Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Thompson Challenges Incumbent Hillar Moore III, in Office for 18 Years
Voters in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, will elect their district attorney on November 3. Ryan Thompson, a Baton Rouge public defender and civil rights attorney, is running for the office as the first challenger to incumbent District Attorney Hillar Moore III since Moore was elected 18 years ago. WRKF Report for America corps member Alex Cox published an interview with Thompson on October 21. Thompson started as an investigator in the public defender's office, then became a public defender after passing the bar, handled thousands of cases, and has been part of legal teams on well-known civil rights cases, including suits surrounding the BRAVE cave, a warehouse where Baton Rouge conducted aggressive interrogations alleged to often include strip searches and brutality. Asked what justice means to him, Thompson said justice is elders being protected in the community, being able to drop your children off at the mall and have them return safely, and not having to worry about whether you are safe in the community; it is also equal justice, with all communities treated the same irrespective of race, color, creed, or what college you went to. Asked why voters should choose someone new over an incumbent with 18 years of experience and deep connections, Thompson criticized the community's safety and unequal justice under Moore and emphasized the new ideas and community engagement he would bring. Cox has also interviewed incumbent Moore. Louisiana's November 3 election also includes a U.S. Senate race and 10 proposed state constitutional amendments; early voting began October 20 and runs through October 27, excluding Sunday, October 25.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Wikimedia Commons（Chrismiceli，CC0）；图中为位于 Baton Rouge 的路易斯安那州议会大厦。
