Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey must go. Ms. Lacey has served since Dec. 3, 2012.
She stepped into the history books as the first woman and first African-American to serve as district attorney since the office was created in 1850. Unfortunately, her tenure as D.A. has been a failure, marked with cowardice and a disaster for the African-American community.
Ms. Lacey has turned a blind eye to police abuse and the unjust murders of African-American residents in the city by law enforcement.
There are numerous examples of Ms. Lacey’s unwillingness to protect our people from these abusive and killer cops.
Marlene Pinnock, the mentally ill grandmother, was savagely beaten on the side of the freeway on July 1, 2014 by a CHP officer. Her beating was captured on videotape and made international news. The officer was fired shortly afterward. Ms. Pinnock was awarded over a million dollars in a settlement offer.
Fourteen months later, this officer is still walking around a free man because Ms. Lacey has refused to prosecute him. On Aug. 11, 2014, Ezell Ford, the mentally ill South Los Angeles young man, was stopped by LAPD officers Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas for no apparent reason and killed after a physical confrontation with them .
On June 9, 2015, the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners issued a ruling stating that Wampler violated Ford’s civil rights by detaining him. The commission also rejected Chief Charlie Beck’s conclusion that Officer Wampler had adhered to LAPD policy.
The investigation found Officer Wampler in violation of policy in four areas (tactics, drawing of weapon, use of non-lethal force, use of deadly force). The community is still waiting on criminal charges to be filed by Ms. Lacey against Officer Wampler.
The community is still demanding justice for Brendon Glenn, the unarmed Venice Beach homeless man who also was shot and killed by the LAPD, on May 5, 2015. Mr. Glenn’s death at the hands of LAPD Officer Clifford Procter was captured on videotape. To his credit, Chief Beck, who reviewed the videotaped killing, said at a news conference that he is “very concerned” about the shooting death of Mr. Glenn.
“Any time an unarmed person is shot by a Los Angeles police officer, it takes extraordinary circumstances to justify,” Chief Beck said. “I have not seen extraordinary circumstances at this point.”
Anytime you have Chief Beck stating publicly that he didn’t see a reason for his officer to kill Mr. Glenn that should be a clear sign that Ms. Lacey should be prosecuting this officer as well. Instead, she continues to fail to protect the African-American community.
On March 1, 2015, Charly (Africa) Leundeu Keunang, whose videotaped confrontation with LAPD officers resulted in his shooting death. That videotape was viewed by millions and also showed Trishawn Carey, a mentally ill Skid Row homeless woman, who was a friend of Africa.
Ms. Carey is currently in criminal court fighting for her life and freedom against Ms. Lacey. She’ is facing 25 years to life in prison for simply picking up and holding a police baton that was dropped by LAPD officers after they shot and killed Africa.
Ms. Lacey and her failure to protect us has demonstrated she is more concerned with protecting abusive and killer cops. Black lives don’t matter to her, but what does matter to her is continuing to be the black face and tool of a justice system founded and steeped in white supremacy.
Homeless Crisis
Mayor Garcetti last week announced the first steps of a comprehensive strategy to address the homeless crisis in Los Angeles, an effort that would invest at least $100 million annually in city funding to help house tens of thousands of homeless individuals to address immediate needs.
Mr. Garcetti also announced a critical short-term strategy to secure an additional $13 million in emergency funding to expand homeless services and housing. The bulk of that funding, $10 million, will be allocated to veterans and non-chronically homeless people in the form of housing subsidies to rapidly re-house individuals who need short-term assistance to get off the street and on with their lives.
Mr. Garcetti called for shelters to remain open 24 hours a day during the rainy season, and for winter shelter availability to expand by two months. The mayor proposed seed money to incentivize new storage and access centers across the city that would provide access to restrooms, showers, laundry and services, as well as providing safe storage for personal possessions.
This comes as Los Angeles City Council leaders declared homelessness in Los Angeles a “state of emergency.” They intend to allocate $100 million in one-time funding for homeless services.
“We all understand the urgency that this situation requires, and what is at stake,” Mr. Garcetti said. “I applaud the Los Angeles City Council for their action today in earmarking a necessary initial investment that helps launch my comprehensive plan to tackle homelessness. If we can lift up those in need and pick up those left behind, then we can live up to the best of our ideals.”
Councilman Curren Price, whose council district is hit hardest by the homeless crisis, stated “The truth is, Los Angeles has reached a state of emergency in regards to homelessness, and as leaders of this great city, it is our responsibility to act now.”
“With today’s announcement to commit $100 million to combat the issue head-on, the Council is putting its money where its mouth is. We have reaffirmed our commitment to solving this crisis, which knows no boundaries of ethnicity, age or gender and are taking a giant leap forward toward potentially ending homelessness in Los Angeles one day.”
Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, the co-chair of the Homelessness and Poverty Committee, demonstrated he is prepared to lead on this issue. “A substantial infusion of resources is the only way to deal with the emergency situation we face,” he said. “This investment, along with commitment and coordination with Los Angeles County, neighboring cities and the private sector can set us on a path to sustainable recovery.”
Good work and good luck to the mayor, Council President Herb Wesson and the rest of the Council as they all begin to fight the homeless crisis head-on. Our homeless population and city is depending on you.
On Behalf of Children
Attorney and child advocate Areva Martin is this week’s unsung hero. Known to audiences across the country from her regular appearances on “The Dr. Phil Show,” “The Doctors,” “Anderson Cooper 360,” “Nancy Grace,” “Good Morning, America,” and other daytime talk shows and cable news, Areva is a TV host, author and go-to on-camera expert and commentator.
She is consistently sought out to weigh in on breaking news with an emphasis on compelling legal, political, women’s and celebrity issues. Her unique ability to go to the heart of matters in a commanding, yet passionate, manner has gained her great popularity with the media and worldwide audiences.
Areva is a multi-award winning, Harvard-trained attorney and advocate. She has been featured on the pages of publications ranging from Redbook, Parenting and Ebony for her advocacy on behalf of victims and the underdog. Throughout her career, Areva has been a strong advocate in promoting diversity, inclusion and equity. She has been recognized for her distinctive work on behalf of women and children with many national and state awards, including the Los Angeles County Woman of the Year Award, L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth, KCET Local Hero Award, Ford Foundation Unsung Hero, Farmers Insurance Living Legends Award and the California Legislative Black Caucus Civil Rights Leadership Award, to name a few.
Areva is the founder and president of Special Needs Network, Inc., a Los Angeles based nonprofit organization created specifically to raise awareness of issues that impact individuals with autism and related disabilities living in underserved and marginalized communities.
She has raised millions of dollars for autism and is leading the organization on a campaign to build the state’s first-ever autism medical health home for kids as a part of the historic Martin Luther King Hospital health campus. She is also the author of two books, “Journey to the Top,” a popular career guide for professional women and “The Everyday Advocate: Standing Up for Your Child with Autism and Other Special Needs” (Penguin 2010), a regularly used reference book for parents and professionals.
Areva graduated with honors from Harvard Law School and the University of Chicago and is the founding and managing partner at Martin & Martin, LLP, one of L.A.’s premiere female and African-American law firms. Areva has been consistently identified as one of L.A.’s top attorneys, including being selected as a Southern California super lawyer for 2014 and 2015, a distinction reserved for the top five percent of the attorneys in the state.
On Saturday, Special Needs Network will host its 10th annual Evening Under the Stars Gala. Herb Wesson, Rep. Karen Bass, State Sen. Isadore Hall, Sony, Toyota, CBS 2/KCAL 9 and Google are coming together to help them celebrate 10 years of service to the greater Los Angeles community.
This year’s honorees are County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and Google for their contributions to people with autism and special needs. Following the awards show, there will be live entertainment and dancing featuring Grammy-nominated recording artists. This auspicious event will be held on the Sony Studios Lot at 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City. For more information, call 213.388.4747.
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