June 11, 2020
By Cora Jackson-Fossett
Contributing Writer
Erasing all doubt about actions needed following the killing of George Floyd, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced his unequivocal support for criminal justice and policing reform on June 5.
According to Newsom, his staff will work towards developing a statewide standard for policing peaceful protests and ending the carotid hold, the major factor leading to Floyd’s death on May 25.
Video footage and witness statements revealed that Floyd died during an arrest where Derek Chauvin, a White police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, kneeled on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.
The video went viral, sparking international protests and marches against police brutality, especially against African Americans.
As the demonstrations erupted, Newsom said he met with elected officials, community leaders, social justice activists and law enforcement members to discuss how to attain real reform during what he called, “a unique and special responsibility here in California to meet this historic moment head-on.”
He spoke with the L.A. Watts Times on June 8, to outline how he hopes the state can move forward by reimagining policing.
Explaining his vision for reimagining criminal justice reform, Newsom said, “One thing I don’t want to see happen is that we revert back to our original form; that somehow, we don’t recognize that people have lost patience and that people are demanding a sense of urgency at this moment. What they want is ‘real,’ not ‘rhetoric.’
“I think the foundational principle reflected is the commitment to advance reform, in real time, because people have lost not only patience, but they’ve lost trust and there is nothing more precious than trust,” Newsom said.
“We can meet this moment head-on and seize this moment of justice to the cries from millions of Americans, [who] for decades, have suffered with apathy and with neglect from people in positions like myself and others across this country. That’s the spirit that drove the comments and our pointed decision-making as it relates to making immediate reforms.”
His proposal will follow the strategy that Newsom and his staff joined with Assemblymember Shirley Weber to win approval last year of AB 392, the nation’s strongest standard for police use of deadly force. The bill redefined the circumstances that peace officers can employ to defend against an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury. The legislation resulted from collaborations with the California Legislative Black Caucus, the California Latino Legislative Caucus, national experts, community leaders, law enforcement and journalists.
“Last year, we proved that we can get something done despite a lot of opposition. This last year [there] was some progress in the state, but there is a deeper sense of urgency to move forward in the next weeks, months, and years,” said Newsom.
Another factor in reimagining policing lies in changing how culture views the issue of public safety, he said. The governor’s goal is to lead society towards making a phone call to the police a last resort instead of the person’s first action when confronted with social issues such as mental illness or homelessness.
“We’re having conversations on de-militarizing local and state law enforcement. This goes to a broader de-funding movement that I think goes to what we want from law enforcement and what can public safety look like without a law enforcement focus first,” noted Newsom.
“What can we do on the social service side canchange the worlds of responsibility, not just the worlds of engagement, so that law enforcement is not the first phone call, but the last phone call with someone dealing with the crisis of addiction and mental health.”
Admitting that some members of law enforcement may resist his plan, Newsom said that his staff would reach out to the various factions, which included police unions, involved in the passage of AB 392 to “bring law enforcement to the table and build a bridge of trust to work out those differences.”
Other objections may come from the Black community and their supporters, insisting the new reforms are not enough, and in response, Newsom wholeheartedly agrees with that opinion. “They’re likely to be right and that doesn’t make our efforts wrong, but it furthers the conversation,” the governor said.
“I have deep respect for people who say, ‘Good enough never is.’ When we passed these laws last year, we didn’t end the distrust in community policing or the use of force against the Black and Brown community, particularly the Black community,” noted Newsom.
“So, we have to change the culture. This is a long-term commitment, not just a passing interest - a commitment to resolve and aggressively apply our ideals. Program passing is not problem solving. We have to foundationally change the way we conduct ourselves.”
Also, Newsom acknowledged that more action is needed, noting that additional reforms around police practices, educational equity, economic justice, health equity and more must be addressed with urgency.
“All of these issues about disparities intersect, particularly in the Black community. All of these issues run concurrent. We cannot just focus on criminal justice reform. We have to deal with these foundational issues in a much more comprehensive manner. These are systemic issues that be have to met head-on as well,” he said.
In response to what he is expecting from African Americans to move these issues to the forefront, the governor insisted that the responsibility to change is not on the Black community.
“The Black community doesn’t need to change,” he said, “we need to change, our institutions need to change, and our leaders need to change the way we conduct ourselves.
So, I ask for nothing from the Black community except to hold us to account and a higher level of expectation. Nothing more.
“The Black community’s conducted themselves in such extraordinary ways that it would be demeaning for me to suggest that I expect anything from the community. I need to do better and to be more bold and all I ask from the community is to expect nothing less than that.”
Criminal justice reform has been a key priority of Newsom’s first year in office. He placed a moratorium on the death penalty, citing racial and economic disparities in how it was applied. He proposed to close the Division of Juvenile Justice and recommended closing two state prisons.
In his May Revision Budget, Newsom proposed expanding opportunities for rehabilitation and shortening prison time for offenders participating in treatment programs, in education programs and otherwise engaging in good behavior; as well as increasing access to higher education for young people who are incarcerated.
Managing Editor Brandon I. Brooks contributed to this report.
June 11, 2020
LAWT News Service
Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced today that she will not file charges against any protester for a curfew violation or failure to disperse.
She directed her legal staff to decline to prosecute these cases in the interest of justice.
“I believe whole-heartedly in free speech and support the right of protesters to demonstrate peacefully against historic racial injustice in our criminal justice system and throughout our nation,” District Attorney Lacey said. “I want to encourage the exchange of ideas and work to establish dialogue between law enforcement and protesters so that we may implement enduring systemic change.”
The District Attorney’s Office prosecutes all felonies in Los Angeles County and misdemeanors that occur in the unincorporated areas of the county and in most cities.
These 10 cities prosecute misdemeanors that occur in their jurisdictions: Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Torrance, Burbank, Inglewood, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach.
June 11, 2020
By Faith Petrie
Contributing Writer
Hordes of protestors have taken to streets all across the U.S. proclaiming that “Black lives matter” in wake of the death of George Floyd. Videos show that the Black Minneapolis man died after being pinned down beneath three police officers for several minutes.
Support for police and criminal justice reform have made recent headlines but, for Equal Justice Now’s Co-founder Tony Smith and national spokesperson Attorney Benjamin Crump, this fight has been long awaited.
As a civil rights attorney, Crump has represented the family’s of prominent figures of the Black Lives Matter movement including Trayvon Martin and more recently Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Floyd.
“Obviously with the cases I’m handling now… we’re advocating for those Black lives [that] mattered and that they deserve equal justice under the law to make sure that their deaths are not swept under the rug,” Crump said.
The Houston-based non-profit organization focuses on educating the public about issues such as wrongful convictions, incarcerations and false arrests. Smith noted that the introduction of Senate Bill 10, a law that would abolish cash bail in California, is another topic that Equal Justice Now emphasizes.
“We feel that bail is a right and that if we give up that right, you’re left with one person deciding whether you sit in jail or not and we feel that that’s detrimental to give up that right,” Smith said.
Racial disparities have riddled the U.S. criminal justice system since its inception. According to a 2010 American Civil Liberties Union study, Black people were 3.7 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than White people despite similar usage. Statistics like this are not uncommon for minority communities.
“We believe that someone with a traffic ticket should not have to go to jail, that’s just silly. It’s archaic,” Smith said. “We think that simple possessions of marijuana, nonviolent offenses, these are charges that we do not feel that individuals should have to go to jail for.”
Crump said his book, “Open Season: The Legalized Genocide of Colored People” discusses the U.S.’s slave owning history and its direct relationship with the present criminal justice system.
“I don’t believe America has [ever] divorced itself from the notion of having free labor or having slave labor,” Crump said.
According to a 2018 report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there were over 2 million people incarcerated in U.S. prisons and jails at the end of 2016. Smith said that there needs to be more comprehensive measures to assure people are treated fairly in court to avoid jail time as opposed to setting people up to “fail instead of succeed.”
“A lot of systems, what they’ll do is they’ll say, ‘Well take this deal and plead guilty and you won’t do any jail time,’” Smith said. “So now the person can’t get a job and they’re in a system where they have to pay all of these fees for probation and parole costs, you know before they can see the light.”
Equal Justice Now normally spreads its message throughout the nation by hosting various events from Super Bowl and NBA All Star weekend parties to award shows honoring people involved in reforming criminal justice. With the onslaught effects of COVID-19, this year’s agenda has been put at a standstill prompting other forms of educating.
“We’re going to put together a podcast that we’re working on right now and hopefully once this is over we’ll begin to set our agenda for the rest of the year so we can continue our work,” Smith said.
Despite the virus, individuals throughout the country have managed to congregate and protest the same issues Equal Justice Now fights for. With heightened civil unrest, more instances of police misconduct are being filmed.
Recently, two Buffalo police officers were charged with assault after a video showed them pushing a 75-year-old protester. Crump believes the treatment of protestors is another example of people’s rights being infringed upon.
“When you look at a lot of mostly people of color exercising their first amendment constitutional rights in the tragic killing of George Floyd, [the police] are shooting pepper spray, they are shooting rubber bullets, they are arresting them, they are calling in the National Guard,” Crump said.
Comparatively, Crump noted the difference in treatment to “mostly White people” who protested Michigan’s stay-at-home order while openly carrying guns and neglecting recommendations to wear protective face masks.
“It’s just a [physical] example of the injustices in every aspect. If you’re a person of color or you’re a marginalized person or you are disenfranchised in this society [by] how you’re treated versus if you’re [someone] who’s presumed to have privilege, whether that’s white privilege or economic privilege, and that’s what Equal Justice Now is rallying against nationwide,” Crump said.
Since the death of Floyd, there have been constant changes to the way police and criminal justice systems in America are functioning.
On Sunday, nine members of the Minneapolis City Council said they intend to defund and recreate the city’s police department, other cities considering similar options. Smith sees this as a positive start to change.
“I hope people are listening, I hope our leaders, politicians are listening to what people are saying right now because it’s important,” Smith said.
To learn more about the organization visit equaljusticenow.org.
June 11, 2020
By Antonio Ray Harvey
California Black Media
Shortly after members of the California legislature took a knee for eight minutes and 46 seconds at the California Capitol to protest racism and the death of George Floyd, Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) took the opportunity to call out some of her Latino colleagues.
“I have to be honest, I’m disappointed with our Latino caucus,” Gonzalez said at the event that Assemblymember Syndey Kamlager (D-Los Angeles), a member the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), organized.
Gonzalez said although some of the California Legislative Latino Caucus (CLLC) members have co-authored pieces of legislation with Black Caucus members, they have not been supportive enough of policy that can make a measurable difference in the lives of Black Californians.
“As a caucus, we’ve been woefully silent on some of the issues that the Black caucus has put out there on police reform,” continued Gonzalez, who is chair of the Latino caucus. “We’ve felt a little uncomfortable taking those positions. We’ve been elected to make change. We actually have that power.”
Last year, Black lawmakers championed AB 392, which Gov. Newsom signed into law last October. It is now being lauded around the world as one of the strongest laws against police use of force in the United States.
“I’m angry. This is nice, a very respectful showing of love for a human being who was murdered,” Gonzalez said after her colleagues participated in the symbolic kneeling gesture. “But if the hardest thing you do is kneel for almost nine minutes, then you’re not working hard enough. Because this is a show.”
Senator Steven Bradford (D-Los Angeles), the vice chair of the CLBC, who helped to organize and promote the rally, said the event was important to him because justice compels everyone to take action and it demands accountability and equality.
“The governor always states that California is the next coming attraction,” Bradford told his colleagues that attended and the press covering the event. “Today we have an opportunity to star and play a leading role. That’s by passing the legislative Black caucus’ agenda.
Gonzalez reminded her legislative colleagues that over the next two weeks there are some difficult votes coming up and each of them has an “opportunity” to make lasting change in California.
“What a privilege we’ve been granted by our constituents, who, right now, can only show their frustration by demanding more,” Gonzales reminded fellow lawmakers. “The only thing we can do is deliver. So, I hope this isn’t the end of it.”
The protest-slash-tribute took place in front of the California state Capitol’s West steps to honor the late George Floyd, who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer who pinned the unarmed Black man down during an arrest. The ex-cop, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck while the victim was handcuffed, crying out for help and his mama, with his face pushed down against the pavement.
Members of the Assembly, some Senators, constitutional officers, and representatives attended the affair where participants adhered to social distancing guidelines.
Attendees included members of the Black, Latino, Jewish, Asian-Pacific Islander, Lesbian-Gay-Trans-Queer (LGBTQ), and Women’s caucuses.
The sun was shining bright the morning of the rally, and the temperature in Sacramento had soared from mild to about 90 degrees by midday.
Kamlager looked to the weather and asked the audience to imagine what Black men, women and children, who were killed by former and current police officers, would be doing.
Kamlager said it would be a beautiful day to go jogging if you were Ahmaud Arbery, to ride a bike if you were Freddie Gray, read a book if you were Keith Scott, to cash a check if you were Yvonne Smallwood, to rest if you were Breonna Taylor, or to breathe if you were Eric Garner.
“This would be a day to do all those things without fear, except if you were Black,” Kamlager said.
The event was held the same day Floyd was laid to rest next to his mother in Houston.
Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), chair of the LGBTQ Caucus, shared how protests against police harassment of gays in New York City brought about policy change for the LGBTQ community.
“What some people forget when we celebrate Pride every year, is that Pride started as a protest,” Wiener said. “It started as a protest that arose out of not just one — but multiple riots — by LGBTQ people often led by Black trans women, Black trans women, who, by the way, continue to be murdered in this country at an absolutely astonishing rate.
Wiener also pointed to when mass incarceration of Black people began in California.
Wiener said in the 1970s, ‘80s, ‘90s, and onward, California went from 10 prisons to 30 penal colonies, and police brutality is a part of the equation, Wiener said.
“California helped to pioneer mass incarceration in this country. We built prison after prison and we still haven’t shut down a prison,” he said. “Mass incarceration and police brutality are not separate cancers. They are symbiotic cancers that feed off of each other and strengthen each other.”
Wiener, who acknowledged “notable wins” in policies addressing police brutality and unfair prison sentencing, also said that it’s been a fight to pass police and prison reforms at the State Capitol. Legislators have to step it up a notch to pass more bills, he said.
Gonzalez urged her colleagues to unite and support legislation that will benefit all Californians from all racial,, cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
“Unlike so many frustrated protesters, young people, people in the Black community, people in the Latino Community, and people who are facing this every day, we have the opportunity to immediately do something about it. And shame on us if we don’t,” Gonzalez said.
June 11, 2020
By Betti Halsell
Contributing Writer
On June 4, at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in L.A., the mayor of Los Angeles participated in “Justice Matters” which opened a dialogue about the current social climate. Pastor Edgar J. Boyd hosted the event and stood on the principle, “If there is equity in access, there will be equity in behavior and celebration.”
The purpose for the meeting is vocalize the vision to respond to the inequalities seen on May 25. The Publisher of the L.A. Sentinel Danny Bakewell attended the meeting, “I want to put what’s going on in our society, in our city in particular, in perspective. I’m happy to see all the people out, shoulder to shoulder…it sends a message to the world that they see us, and they hear our cry.”
Bakewell talked about moving away from a “one dimensional issue.” In addition to the physical brutality within the black community, there is hindrance within the financial growth and wellbeing of the collective community. There was talk about gaining access to “power centers” that run this country, that make the rules all residents must follow.
Among the panel were law enforcement, they encouraged the audience to report misconduct and joining local government in order to change the system within. Mayor James Butts of Inglewood shared his experience as chief of police and serving in law enforcement.
The mayor of Inglewood spoke about the social agreement between the haves and the have nots. There is blind prejudice that fuels the injustices amid law enforcement and the black community. Mayor James outlined the weight applied to chiefs of police,” The ultimate solution is to pick a chief of police, that is experienced, that is committed, that has values and is a leader.”
Senator Holly Mitchell focused on two things, as a proud member of the Legislative Black Caucus Mitchell talked about the legislative package that is going forth. This includes bills labeled ACA-6 bringing voting rights to those serving parole, ACA-5 affirmative action that will be beneficial economically, to prioritize underserved communities, and AB-31-21 that will cover the feasibility of reparations in California.
Mitchell recommended the audience to do research and study what it means to change the budget within the police force. The tool she used was through a book by Alex S. Vitale, The End of Policing. The reading material, according to Mitchell addresses the role of police, and why it has changed into them being sole proprietors of social issues.
Homelessness, foster childcare issues, and other socially charged events fall in the lap of the police, but as Senator Mitchell declared it is not their job. She invited the audience to look at the wider scope of reform for law enforcement.
Following Mitchell’s statement, Senator Sydney Kamlager Dove quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, “Our Survival is dependent on staying awake and staying vigilant even in times of uncomfortableness.” She also agreed with the inquiry of what the city is asking from the police force. The common agreement throughout the panelist so far is a system change is necessary.
Senator Dove shared inconceivable statistics within the black community such as 30% of black men made absolutely no money in 2014. Bringing the discussion full circle, to include the wide variety of discrepancies in fairness among black people.
Although there is grief and pain, this moment has brought on a new direction within the course of American History. The attention of the world is on this country, it is imperative to address the root of racism in all measures of society. Minister Tony Muhammed affirmed the spiritual energy surrounding this moment. Minister Tony spoke of injustice breeding insanity and anger, even among the founding fathers of America.
Speaking directly about looting, the minister of the Nation of Islam recollected that this country was founded on looting and violence and to break free of Brittan Tyranny. He shared strong feelings behind having a real conversation.
There are strides being made for human evolution and the quality of life, there is a need for intensive conditioning to eliminate the institutionalized racism. Borrowing the words of Capri Maddox Executive Director of the Civil and Humanity Department of Los Angeles, the world has seen firsthand, the black man’s inconvenient truth.
The message is clear, if the system does not change, the world will feel the consequence. The results of an imbalance system will infect the entire human population. Now that everyone is witness to the undeniable truth of the problem, it is everyone’s shared responsibility.
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