Community activist and sometimes irritant to….well….all kinds of people, Najee Ali was just sentenced to four years in prison today after he pleaded guilty to attempting to bribe a witness in a criminal case against his daughter.

The LA Times Richard Winton and Andrew Blankstien have the story and they’ve done quite a very nice job in reporting so quickly.

Ali’s a funny character about which there is much, shall we say, controversy —both within the Black community and outside it. (As recently as Friday, I was arguing with folks about his worth—or lack thereof—as a community voice.)

He created himself as community spokesperson, not because he really represented any constituency, but based almost solely on personal chutzpah, and an ability to show up everywhere, Zelig-like, when there was a local conflict brewing. Then he would manage to have something quotable to say when reporters were looking for sound bites.

Yet, oddly it worked. (Certainly he was helped by his family connections people like Al Sharpton and others. He is married to Elijah Muhammad’s granddaughter.)

And, listen: in the years since I met Najee in the Spring of 2005 I’ve come to honestly like the guy, have often quoted him, and have had many conversations about this or that LA issue in which he provided a genuinely intelligent and thoughtful perspective.

Well, actions have consequences. If you do the crime, yadda, yadda, yadda.

I’m sorry you screwed up, Najee. Really bad move, friend.

But may you stay safe inside.

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AP Photo by Matt Sayles