Daily Briefs

Wayne Law student organization to host Muslim model Jan. 26


The Muslim Law Students Association at Wayne Law will present “From Refugee Camp to Runway,” an event featuring the fashion industry’s breakthrough model Halima Aden, Friday, Jan. 26 at Wayne State University.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will be from noon to 2 p.m. in Room 285 of Wayne State’s Student Center, 5221 Gullen Mall. Parking is available for $7.75 (credit or debit card only) in Parking Structure No. 1.

Aden, a Somali-American refugee, is the 20-year-old model who took the fashion world by storm when she became the first contestant to compete in her Miss USA state pageant in a hijab and burkini. She went on to be signed by IMG
Models for worldwide representation and walked in New York and Milan Fashion Weeks for designers including Kanye West, Alberta Ferretti and Max Mara, and for leading brand Modanisa at Modest Fashion Week in London.  In 2017, she was on the cover of the June edition of Vogue Arabia and the July issue of Allure. Last fall, she became the face of American Eagle’s “I Can” campaign.

For more information about the event, contact Husnah Khan, president of the Muslim Law Students Association at Wayne Law, husnahk@ wayne.edu.

 

Man awarded $1M for wrongful conviction; is suing 2 retired officers
 

DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit man who spent 25 years in prison for murder before proving he was the victim of police misconduct was awarded $1 million on Wednesday under a state program that compensates the wrongly convicted.

Desmond Ricks was released from prison last May when new tests showed that bullets recovered from the body didn’t match the gun that was presented as the weapon in the slaying. He and the Innocence Clinic at University of Michigan law school made a remarkable claim, accusing Detroit police of switching bullets.

The Michigan attorney general’s office agreed that Ricks qualified for compensation. Judge Michael Talbot signed off on the payment, although Ricks believes he’s entitled to an additional $216,000 and plans to appeal.

Ricks, 51, told The Associated Press that he feels “blessed” to be free and plans to use some of the money to start a construction business and help boys who live without fathers.

“I love to fix things: sand wood, lay carpet, pour cement,” Ricks said. “I never had a male figure in my life. I want to teach kids you don’t have to go through bad things to learn that some things are bad for you. My mission is to leave the world a better place than I found it.”

Separately, Ricks is suing two retired Detroit police officers who were involved in the 1992 murder investigation. He alleges that he was intentionally framed for a fatal shooting outside a restaurant.

Ricks’ lawyer, Wolfgang Mueller, said yet another round of tests showed bullets taken from the victim didn’t match a gun that belonged to Ricks’ mother. Police seized that gun and said it was used to kill Gerry Bennett.

The prosecutor’s office has said too many years have passed for a criminal investigation of the officers.

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