Cleveland activist charged with extortion asks court for records from accusers—NPR – WKSU Ideastream

A community activist accused of extorting protection money from two gas stations on Cleveland’s East Side appeared at a contentious hearing Wednesday over access to evidence in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

Antoine Tolbert is the founder and chairman of New Era Cleveland, a group that works with young people and conducts armed safety patrols in East Side neighborhoods to prevent violence.

His attorneys were in court seeking information from his accusers, including surveillance camera footage and employee records. …

It’s important to understand what this case is really about,” said Peter Pattakos, Tolbert’s attorney. “Our defendant is a community leader. He has received grants from the city. He has received commendation from city officials about the work that they do, being active in underserved communities.”

The use of the term “hostage situation” was a mischaracterization of a boycott, said Pattakos, and the surveillance footage should be produced to make clear what exactly happened. …

According to Pattakos, [a police] report includes a note that there was video and audio of [the] incident, which the defense has also not received. …

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