Los Angeles, CA – Black and Brown activists, along with the families of people killed by the police, are uniting to demand Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey prosecute killer cops in LA County. At a press conference, Sept. 11, Black Lives Matter-LA members and Centro CSO of Boyle Heights announced a petition drive to pressures DA Lacey to investigate and prosecute the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), LA Sheriffs and other departments due the high number of police killings in Los Angeles. 300 have been killed in the last five years, with no police ever prosecuted.

Dr. Melina Abdullah, a Black Lives Matter (BLM) organizer, introduced the family members who have been victims of LAPD and announced the launching of the online petition – bit.ly/BLMLA

Dr. Abdullah pointed out that DA Lacey’s job is to prosecute criminals, but she has ignored the high number of police killings of mostly Black and Brown youth. Speakers included Mary Williams, Keith Bursey’s grandmother; Michael Williams of-BLM; Anya Slaughter, who is Kendrec McDade’s mother; Carlos Montes, Centro CSO; Jesse Romero Sr., Jesse Romero Jr. father; Antonio Rodriguez, attorney for Edwin Rodriguez family; Justin Marks, BLM LA; and Trisha Michael, sister of Kisha Michael.

Speakers called for DA Jackie Lacey to step up or resign and to prosecute the killer cops. The LAPD officers from the Hollenbeck station in Boyle Heights have killed seven Chicanos in the last 18 months.

The press conference was held in front of the old Hall of Justice, the location of the office of DA Lacey, and was widely covered by the media. This building was the location of the infamous Sleepy Lagoon trial.

Speaking at the press conference, Romero Sr., father of Jesse Romero, a 14-year-old killed August 9, 2016 by the cops, spoke, asking for justice. But he broke down crying due to the trauma. Carlos Montes, a Centro CSO organizer, denounced the killings and pointed out that LAPD cop Eden Median shot at the unarmed Jesse Romero just 12 days after killing another Chicano in Boyle Heights. Montes also noted that the LAPD killers of Jose Mendez shot him in the back, on Feb. 5, 2016, while he was strapped down by his seat belt, then dragged his body out of the car and down a hill to cover their guilt by tampering with evidence. Cops Josue Merida and Jeremy Wagner had killed another man two years earlier with the same fabricated story “he brandished a gun.”

BLM and Centro CSO are calling out to all of the community and supporters to sign the petition and promote it via social media. It will be delivered in person to DA Lacey to continue the campaign for justice and demand and end to the killing of Blacks and Brown people.

To contact Cento CSO: [email protected], or 323-943-2030 or http://twitter.com/CentroCSO.

#LosAngelesCA #AfricanAmerican #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #CentroCSO #BlackLivesMatter #JackieLacey