Dear Friend,

The 67-minute video of the murder of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police was
horrifying, but it also provided a transparent, honest view of what
happened to Nichols, resulting in the firing and arrest of the officers
involved.(1)

Releasing full body cam video footage is becoming the standard across the
country -- so why isn’t that the case for the Los Angeles Police
Department?

The Los Angeles Times just revealed that after an LAPD officer uses force,
the department routinely releases highly edited versions of body cam
videos narrated by media relations representatives.(2) These LAPD spin
jobs are the opposite of honest and transparent, and the practice needs to
stop.

We want California’s police departments to take the lead on reining in
violent police forces, especially the LAPD, and in order to do that, we
need to interrupt the funnel of money pouring into legislators’ pockets
from law enforcement unions and special interest groups. We’re building a
campaign to run Facebook ads calling out California legislators who are
taking police union money, and we still have $7,000 left to raise to meet
our goal.

[ [link removed] ]Will you donate to Courage California and help rein in the LAPD and
other violent police forces?

[ [link removed] ]Donate

LAPD body cam videos are the definition of following the letter of the law
but not the spirit.

California law requires the release of certain body cam footage within 45
days of an incident, but the LAPD isn’t really giving the public the
footage. They’re giving us some of the footage, edited to tell the story
they want to tell.(3)

No wonder the LAPD is one of the deadliest police forces in the country --
they are rarely held accountable for their actions.(4)

In fact, the LAPD’s biggest union is already trying to stop City
Controller Kenneth Mejia from monitoring officers in explosive situations
(like protests), just a few months after Mejia took office.(5) Special
interest groups pushed the California legislature to cut in half the
budget for the department investigating deaths of unarmed suspects.(6) And
these groups have also spent nearly $40 million to stop legislators from
passing laws to hold police accountable.(7)

We won’t see real change in the LAPD or any other police force in
California until legislators are held accountable for the dollars they
take from these police. We were able to defeat District Attorney Jackie
Lacey in L.A. by calling out her terrible record on defending killer cops
-- now, with your help, we can hold accountable other legislators
protecting them.

[ [link removed] ]Will you donate to Courage California today?

Thanks for your critical support.

–Irene, along with Angela, Annie, Isidra, Lindsay, Mai, Mai, and Scottie
(the Courage team) 

[ [link removed] ]Donate

PS: Courage California is fighting for equity and justice across the state
and country. [ [link removed] ]Will you become a monthly donor and help sustain our work?

Donations go to support all of Courage California's work for a more
progressive California and country. Follow us now on [ [link removed] ]Facebook or
[ [link removed] ]Twitter!

Footnotes:
1.
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2.
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3. Ibid.
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5.
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6.
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7.
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Courage California (formerly Courage Campaign) makes sure our democracy works for ALL of us by fighting corruption in California politics. We believe the solution lies in exposing and solving systemic problems through strategic organizing, enhancing coordination between progressive organizations, and mobilizing civic engagement from our communities, particularly voters of color, young voters, and self-identified progressives.

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