Opinion: In Inglewood, accused pastor is suddenly the man nobody knows

CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles Wave

Posted: Wednesday, July 11, 2012

By Betty Pleasant, Contributing Editor

While the Rev. Gordon Solomon was busy last Friday pleading not guilty to charges that he “substantially” sexually abused a child, people who used to know him suddenly never heard of him and the Inglewood church he pastored became a Southland tourist’s mecca as everyone flocked to it to experience whatever Jerry Sandusky-esque vibes emanated therefrom.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, the 50-year-old Solomon, a native Belizean, was arrested on or about the Fourth of July and charged with nine felony counts of committing lewd acts on a 14-year-old girl who attended his church — acts which began in June 2010 when the child was 12 and did not end until July 1, 2012, when the child’s mother stumbled upon explicit text messages Solomon allegedly sent the girl. The mother immediately summoned police who…