Constituents Demand District Attorney Jackie Lacey Prosecute Killer Cops
An open letter to District Attorney Lacey.
District Attorney Lacey,
We write today to demand you meet in an open community forum with the family members of Los Angeles County residents killed by police and to respond to the Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles petition of over 10,000 signatures demanding that you prosecute law enforcement officers who kill (petition can be viewed online at bit.ly/BLMLA). During your tenure as Los Angeles County District Attorney, close to 300 people — mothers, fathers, sons, daughters — have been killed by law enforcement officers in the county of Los Angeles, and your office has yet to prosecute one officer.
On October 25 2017, a number of these family members, with the support of members of Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles and other allied social justice organizations, attempted to enter the public building at 211 W. Temple St. to request a meeting with you and to deliver the 10,000 petition signatures. After being turned away from entering this open-to-the-public Hall Of Justice by Los Angeles Sheriff’s deputies, Special Assistant Cheryl Gaines came out and spoke briefly with the family members. While she was incredibly patronizing, Ms. Gaines did promise Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles organizer and Cal State LA professor Dr. Melina Abdullah that she would deliver the petition signatures to you and that she would call Dr. Abdullah by the end of the day, presumably to set a time to meet with you. In her phone call later that evening, she told Dr. Abdullah that she called because she is a “woman of her word,” but then simply hung up the phone.
Your constituents have attempted to make appointments with you in person. When we were then told that we had to call in order to make appointments, we called. When we were then told on the phone that we had to write letters in order to make appointments, we wrote. Still there has been no response. These families who demand justice for their murdered family members hear nothing from you. This disregard for the grieving families is unacceptable.
Who do you serve if not the people who elected you and pay your salary? Who do you fight for if not the families of victims? We will continue to hold space outside of your office until you meet with these families. We will continue to call your office until you respond to the petition demands. In the memory of all of those killed, we will continue to demand justice.
We invite you to attend a community Town Hall Meeting on January 23, 2018 at Los Angeles Community Action Network, 838 East 6th St. Los Angeles, CA 90021 at 12PM to meet with all families and concerned constituents in a public forum to address the petition demands.
Until there is justice for the families.
We, the undersigned, demand full and transparent investigations into each police killing in Los Angeles County.
ACLU of Southern California Advocates Delivering Love AF3IRM National Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice of Southern California Bernie Sanders Brigade Black Lives Matter Los Angeles Black Community Clergy and Labor Alliance California for Progress Californians United for a Responsible Budget Centro CSO Church in Ocean Park Church Without Walls Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice: Building a Just and Sacred Society Committee For Racial Justice Community Coalition Courage Campaign Creating Justice LA Democratic Socialists of America Los Angeles Equal Action Fannie Lou Hamer Institute Gender Justice Los Angeles Ground Game LA Indivisible CA-43 Jewish Voice for Peace Los Angeles Community Action Network March and Rally Los Angeles National Queer Asian Pacific Alliance Santa Monica Coalition for Police Reform Sierra Club LA National Field Office Stop LAPD Spying Coalition Students Deserve SWANA LA VigilantLOVE Youth Justice Coalition White People 4 Black Lives
This letter is submitted by White People 4 Black Lives (WP4BL). WP4BL is a white anti-racist collective and activist project of the Alliance of White Anti-Racists Everywhere (AWARE-LA); WP4BL operates within a national network of white anti-racists called Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) and is rooted in acting in solidarity with Black Lives Matter: Los Angeles locally and the Movement for Black Lives nationally.