| 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. Will you donate to Courage California and help rein in the LAPD and other violent police forces?
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. 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)
PS: Courage California is fighting for equity and justice across the state and country. 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 Facebook or Twitter! Footnotes:  |
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