Jasmyne Cannick, Contributor
LOS ANGELES – On Thursday, May 4, a woman was granted a one-year restraining order against community activist Najee Ali.
The restraining order, issued by Commissioner Laura Cohen and served Thursday on Ali, who was in court, came after the woman requested the order on Mar. 3 in an attempt to stop Ali from harassing, threatening, and bullying her and her boyfriend after she broke off their four-year extramarital affair in January.
Ali has been married for seven years to Dr. Felicia Banks-Ali.
In court filings, the petitioner (victim) said, “Mr. Ali became very agitated and aggressive after I ended the relationship and sent me a series of threatening messages, including sexually explicit pictures and a video of myself, which were taken without my knowledge or consent.”
In court, Ali admitted to taking the photos and claimed they were a gag because the woman snored.
She continued, “In two of the photos, I am sleep. I have never seen these pictures or video before. Additionally, Mr. Ali texted that I am a whore, he hoped I would die, and that my parents would be ashamed. He also began calling and texting my boyfriend incessantly. Moreover, he sent my boyfriend the above-referenced pictures and videos. He, again, attempted to provoke my boyfriend into a physical altercation.”
The hearing in downtown Los Angeles in Los Angeles Superior Court’s Dept. 94 took just about half an hour and was conducted in front of a full courtroom of witnesses.
To support her claim of harassment and bullying, the victim provided numerous sexually explicit and threatening text messages from Ali that were read aloud in court by the judge.
Ali admitted to sending the text messages.
“Everything she sent you, Your Honor, I did send,” admitted Ali.
In court documents, Ali’s victim told the court that, “Mr. Ali baseline nature is hostility and aggression. He is too easily provoked. He can be calm and then becomes enraged in seconds. During our first sexual encounter, he choked me so hard, I could not breathe.”
Commissioner Cohen asked Ali, “Did you put your hands around her neck during your sexual encounters?”
“Ah, yes, I did. I’m not going to sit up here and lie, but it was something that she enjoyed,” Ali replied to the judge.
The woman testified in court that the first time he did that to her, she became extremely fearful of him.
Najee Ali pointed out to the judge that the Nation of Islam’s security team was in court with his victim and that a “blogger” had written an article about him he called “hit pieces.”
Ali showed the judge a printed copy of an article he said was entitled, “Sexually explicit text messages detail blackmail attempt by activist Najee Ali.”
Ali held up his book and explained to the judge how a Congressmember had written the forward to his book and how he was the one who got up at 2 o’clock in the morning to hold the hands of families and pointed to his work with the family of 19-year-old Jazmin Green who was shot and killed in South Los Angeles on Apr. 24.
Commissioner Cohen asked Ali how any of that related to his victim.
Prior to making her ruling, Commissioner Cohen said that she believed that the victim did not consent to the way Ali had sex with her and that Ali himself acknowledged sending the text messages. She found that Ali was abusive, and that the victim had met her burden of proof to get a restraining order.
For one year, Ali has been ordered to stay 100 yards away from the victim, her home, her workplace, and her vehicle. He is not to contact the victim in any way or to have anyone contact her for him.