Los Angeles, CA – On December 7, 2020, newly-elected Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon on his first day in office announced sweeping reforms to the LA criminal justice system. This system has a long history of mass incarceration of Brown and Black men and women, so much so that the Police Protective League (PPL) of the Los Angeles Police Department and the Association of Deputy District Attorneys have started to attack him and the progressive reforms. The pro-police Association went so far as to file a lawsuit to stop these much-needed changes.

Centro CSO Community Service Organization in Los Angeles supports and welcomes the reforms to the criminal justice systems that disproportionally incarcerate thousands of Chicanos in the California state prison system.

Some of these reforms include eliminating cash bail, the racist death penalty, excessive sentencing penalty enhancements, and prosecuting juveniles as adults. The new DA also announced the reopening of investigations on several police killings. He has also announced the establishment of a new unit within the district attorney’s office to investigate police killings of Black and Brown men and women.

These reforms came after years of struggle in Los Angeles. The California prison system is full of young men from southern California, as the LA district attorney has jurisdiction for the entire Los Angeles County. Black Lives Matter-LA and allies conducted a three-year fight to demand the prosecution of killer cops. When former DA Jackie Lacey refused, weekly rallies were held outside the ‘Hall of Injustice’ with the demand “Jackie Lacey must go!” and the call to prosecute killer cops. Centro CSO supported and joined the get-out-the-vote campaign to oust Lacey and Trump. After three years of struggle including marches, rallies and a full campaign with large GOTV outreach, Lacey was defeated on November 3 by George Gascon.

Gascon has publicly stated and implemented several reforms of the criminal justice system in LA; we should support these new reforms.

On February 2, BLM-LA held a rally outside of Stanley Mosk LA Courthouse in support of progressive criminal justice reforms. Police associations, along with deputy district attorneys, have been pushing back against Gascon. The Association of Deputy District Attorneys filed a lawsuit to stop these progressive measures. Centro CSO and many organizations joined BLM-LA on February 2 to support the new DA’s measures and to condemn the Police Protective League of LAPD and the lawsuit.

#LosAngelesCA #InJusticeSystem #PoliceBrutality #GeorgeGascon

Los Angeles, CA – More than 3 million voted by mail and in person on November 3 in Los Angeles. District Attorney Jackie Lacey was defeated in a hard-fought race for district attorney of Los Angeles County, the most populous in the United States. Reform candidate George Gascon beat Lacey.

For the past three years, Black Lives Matter-LA has led weekly protest rallies at the ‘Hall of Injustice’ office demanding prosecution of killer cops and chanting, “Jackie Lacey must go! Jackie Lacey will go!” The weekly protests were attended by many Black and Chicano families whose sons and daughters have been killed by LAPD, LA Sheriffs and other local police departments. Many organizations joined this campaign including members and families from Centro CSO, based in Boyle Heights. Centro CSO members also organized a very successful rally and get-out-the-vote rally in East LA on October 25 asking voters to oust Trump and DA Lacey and vote for LA Measure J, which also won. Measure J will allocate 10% of the large LA County budget for human social needs, not more for police and jails.

In the past eight years, with over 600 mostly Black and Chicano young men killed, DA Lacey has only prosecuted one cop. She also pushed for the death penalty and led to the mass incarceration of Blacks and Chicanos. She was given millions for her campaigns by the LAPD Police Protective League, the Association Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs and the District Attorney's organization, which also threatened to not support winning candidate George Gascon. In fact, Gascon did win by calling for an independent department to investigate police killings and opposing the death penalty.

On Election Day, November 3, in Boyle Heights at Salesian High School and Boyle Heights Senior Center, the Chicano voters came in a steady stream. At the historic Salazar Park in East Los Angeles, lines of voters waited to enter the gym to vote. Centro CSO members handed out literature saying “Afuera con Lacey” and “Lacey must go” to warm reception.

Centro CSO united with BLM-LA since its beginning five years ago and to promote Black and brown solidarity. Centro CSO continuously supported the Jackie Lacey must go campaign. Lawn signs were put up in major street intersections of Boyle Heights and ELA with the slogan “DA Jackie Lacey must go.” The group White People 4 Black Lives put up giant billboards with pictures of young Chicanos killed by LAPD and LA Sheriffs like Jesse Romero and Anthony Vargas.

On November 4, an enthusiastic victory rally was held in front of the Hall of Injustice to shouts of “Jackie Lacey, you are gone.” Black and Chicano mothers spoke of their loved ones killed by LA-area police and celebrated the defeat of Lacey. BLM-LA activists Melina Abdullah, Akili, Jan, Tabatha, Joseph and many more greeted the joyous multinational crowd. BLM-LA asked Carlos Montes of Centro CSO to speak at the rally. He greeted the crowd with chants of “Jackie Lacey is gone, now Trump must get out now.” He urged the protestors to continue the struggle against racist police killings.

“We voted, we organized,” said Montes. “Now we will continue to build a movement in the workplace, in the community and schools to build a movement for revolution in this country while we support people abroad fighting against the U.S. empire.”

This is a victory for the Black and Chicano families, BLM-LA, WP4BL and the many groups that supported the long, hard campaign to oust the pro-cop, now former, DA Jackie Lacey.

Centro CSO is proud to be part of this struggle and will continue to fight and demand community control of police, jailing of killer cops and an end to police killings of Blacks and Chicanos as we fight for Chicano self-determination. As Black Lives Matter-LA leaders like Melina Abdullah proclaim, we are building a struggle for liberation! Join Centro CSO.

#LosAngelesCA #OppressedNationalities #US #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Antiracism #Elections #2020Election #LosAngelesDistrictAttorneyJackieLacey #GeorgeGascon