Legal Defense Activist to Speak at Library
Ventura activist Alice McGrath, who served on the legal defense committee in the infamous Sleepy Lagoon trial in Los Angeles, will speak at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Oxnard Public Library.
McGrath, who was executive secretary of the defense committee, will discuss her involvement in the case that gained notoriety as one of the most racist in California history.
In the 1943 case, an all-white jury convicted 17 Latino youths in the beating death of a young Mexican national. The convictions were later overturned by a judge, who cited a lack of evidence and found that the defendants were denied full access to attorneys.
McGrath continues to work to obtain legal counsel for the poor and still heads Nicaraguan relief efforts.
For more information, call 240-7309.
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