POLICING
Police in Los Angeles kill more people than anywhere else in the country, and thanks to our Judicial system, they do so with impunity. The world’s largest system of jails is right here in Los Angeles county, which also happens to serve as the county’s largest mental health provider - larger than any hospital or any other service provider.
Year after year the LAPD and LA Sheriffs take up the majority of our general budgets, with criminalization and cages being our local government’s answer to nearly every problem. We know from our first-hand experience and from empirical studies that this approach worsens individual health and well-being, and tears at the fabric of our communities. We know the answer to public safety lies in addressing poverty and the root causes of crime, and empowering communities to take care of each other.
Here’s what we’re doing about it:
Working with Black Lives Matter LA to end police violence and Fire Jackie Lacey:
Check The Sheriff coalition:
JUSTICE LA
In partnership with other organizations working with directly impacted communities, Justice LA was formed to reclaim, reimagine and reinvest what L.A. County could do with the $3.5 billion allocated to building two new jails. We’re calling for a moratorium on jail construction and expansion in order to fully realize the promise of diversion and re-entry through a justice reinvestment strategy for Los Angeles.
Black lives matter LA
Black Lives Matter came to life right here in Los Angeles, where the first chapter was birthed. We are guided by the fact that all Black lives matter, regardless of actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, economic status, ability, disability, religious beliefs or disbeliefs, immigration status, or location. We are unapologetically Black in our positioning. In affirming that Black Lives Matter, we need not qualify our position.
STOP LAPD SPYING Coalition
We reject all forms of police oppression and any policy that make us all suspects in the eyes of the State. Our vision is the dismantling of government-sanctioned spying and intelligence gathering, in all its multiple forms.
LA Public defenders union local 148
Resisting and Obstructing Injustice since 1914, our mission is to safeguard the future of the Los Angeles County Public Defenders office by making sure no lawyer, community, or client is left behind. We fight for respect, resources, and a resounding voice through representation.