24 minute read
Commentary
The revelation that officers of the Torrance Police Department in California exchanged racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic text messages is further proof that police racism is widespread in law enforcement agencies across the country. This is not an example of a few bad apples spoiling the whole bunch. The whole apple orchard called American law enforcement is rotten to the core. So far, prosecutors in Los Angeles County and Torrance have dismissed a total of 90 cases involving the offending officers, with more than 1,800 cases under review, and state officials conducting an investigation.
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The L.A. Times revealed the details of the scandal, in which over a dozen officers shared racist texts involving the lynching of Black men, cops calling Black people “savages,” the N-word, and more. Over a dozen officers have been placed on administrative leave so far.
And yet, Torrance has been here before. The years of racist texts follow a longstanding pattern of racism. In 1995, the U.S. Department of Justice sued the Torrance Police Department for discriminatory hiring practices, including only three Black officers, six Asian officers, and 15 Latino officers in a 233-member force. And the police reportedly engaged in blatantly racist policies, including using racial epithets to describe Black people and stopping all Black motorists.
The problems coming out of Torrance are not limited to that city or California, but rather point to a systemic issue of policing across the United States. The racism and white supremacist violence reflected in text messages and online posts reflect the everyday misconduct, abuse, and brutality police officers commit against Black folks — in the streets and on a daily basis.
Last year, the San Jose Police Department placed four officers on administrative duty for posting racist and Islamophobic comments. One officer made death threats against Muslim women, posting “I say re-purpose the hijabs into nooses.” A current officer said “Black lives don’t really matter,” while a retired officer called BLM activists “racist idiots,” “un-American,” and “enemies” that the police “swore an oath against.”
In 2019, Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting identified nearly 400 police officers who are “members of Confederate, anti-Islam, misogynistic or anti-government militia groups on Facebook.” Of these, 150 were members of violent anti-government groups such as the Three Percenters and Oath Keepers. White supremacists waved Blue Lives Matter flags at the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Va., while Portland, Ore., police officers texted with far-right extremist groups.
Some police officers have used digital media to brag about their racially violent exploits. St. Louis police officer Dustin Boone was convicted of a federal crime for the 2017 beating of Det. Luther Hall, a Black undercover police officer he thought was a Black Lives Matter protester. Sentenced to a year in prison for a beating Hall said was like that of Rodney King, Boone was undone by his text messages.
“It’s gonna get IGNORANT tonight!!,” Boone texted two days before the attack. “But it’s gonna be a lot of fun beating the hell out of these shitheads once the sun goes down and nobody can tell us apart!!!!”
Meanwhile, Black police officers have used digital platforms to express their frustration over police racism. In February, a Black Louisiana deputy took to social media to decry police brutality and institutional racism before taking his own life.
“I’ve had enough of all of this nonsense, serving a system that does not give a damn about me or people like me,” Lafayette Parish Deputy Clyde Kerr III, 43, said in a video he posted on social media. “You have no idea how hard it is to put a uniform on in this day and age with everything that’s going on.”
Affected by the death of George Floyd, the Army veteran and father of two children later killed himself with a bullet to the head. “This is my protest against police brutality and everything else that comes along with it in this broken, wicked, worldly system that does not give a damn about people,” Kerr added.
When defenders of police brutality say we don’t understand the police have a tough job, they are wrong. Black people know that since the days of the slave patrols, hundreds of years of oppressively policing Black folks is hard work. Tens of thousands of enslaved Black people escaped America’s plantation police state to Canada and Mexico. During Jim Crow, law enforcement and Ku Klux Klan were often one and the same. This is why it is almost laughable to claim white supremacists have infiltrated police departments when they always were the police.
Today, police racism continues online, via text and social media. These are not a few rotten apples, but a nationwide orchard of rotten blue fruit, from sea to shining sea. David A. Love is a media studies professor, journalist and commentator who writes on politics and social justice. This article was first published in thegrio.com
From the Editor
“Stand Up!"
Lisa Collins, Publisher
Word is that L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez is set to provide leadership to the Tenth District with a recommendation for an appointment to serve out the rest of Mark Ridley-Thomas’ term. We know that many people with agendas are jockeying for the position, bypassing a process that ensured the constituents of CD10 the representative of their choice.
So, the question is how she will make that leadership decision and to whom is she listening. Has she reached out to the community?
My understanding is that she hasn’t even reached out to the only two Black members of the L.A. City Council–Curren Price and Marqeece Harris-Dawson–for their input.
What’s more, faith leaders–representing some of the top churches in the city –respectfully asked for a meeting to address the issue, to which (at least at press) there had been no response.
It’s funny how everyone seems to know the importance of faith leaders when they’re running for office or need a community buy-in for a project or measure that they’re supporting.
Ms. Martinez should have a little more respect for our community than that. At a minimum she could have had a townhall in the district to hear directly from its residents.
We really should stand up together to demand more. Just saying.
Meanwhile, it’s only befitting that in a month designated to celebrate the achievements of Black Americans that Biden is set to make history with the appointment of a Black woman to the Supreme Court.
My Dad rarely speaks of what he’s done in his life and it’s ironic given the number of milestone historical moments he’s been part of–be it as a confidante and close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King; as a Tuskegee airman (one of the few remaining) or as an uncredited cast member in the star-studded 1959 film version of “Porgy and Bess” featuring Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis Jr., Diahann Carroll and Dorothy Dandridge.
Of course, it didn’t take but a minute for conservatives to sully the moment with cries of discrimination and affirmative action. How ludicrous coming from a group of people who are adept at reserving such privilege for those who more often than not look exclusively like them. Those, I might add, who seem to be just fine with locking extraordinarily qualified and gifted Black women out of the highest court in the land. And for however foolish it would be to discount the seemingly growing number of their voices, rancor and nerve, the truth is we have overcome so much more.
But all those moments came at a cost.
Of his days as in Tuskegee, he recently recalled to a local journalist his role in the mutiny at the Freeman Army Airfield, near Seymour, Indiana in 1945 when members of the 477th Bombardment Group attempted to integrate an all-white officers' club. The mutiny resulted in 162 separate arrests of black officers, many of them more than once.
“I was one of those involved in the scandal, demanding equal privileges for black officers,” my Dad proudly recalled. “I was an agitator.”
Years later he would do the same as executive director of the west coast chapter of SCLC, then dubbed WCLC, coordinating Dr. King’s west coast schedules and meeting with donors to raise monies for the Civil Rights movement.
Sometimes it take being an agitator to move the needle and make Black history and there is still ground to make up as demonstrated by former Miami Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores, who–in filing his bombshell discrimination lawsuit against the NFL on February 1– said he felt it was his turn to step up and be an agent for change. Now, being dubbed by some as the “Rosa Parks of the NFL,” Flores wrote,” "I understand that I may be risking coaching the game I love…My sincere hope is that be standing against systemic racism in the NFL, others will join me to ensure that positive change is made for generations to come.”
Ah, did I mention that for the three airmen held over for serious charges following the Tuskegee Airmen mutiny and were subsequently fined, a collection was raised between all or the protesting airmen to pay their L.A. Focus/ February 2022 fines.
We’ve got to practice standing together for change or we will lose ground, perhaps like the ground we’ve lost in inner cities across the nation and here in Los Angeles as is addressed in our cover story on “Black Erasure” beginning on page 10.
Truth is history is made every minute all around us and with our own actions we determine whether or not we will be those agents of change or agitators that make it happen. Keep the faith.
SOUTH LOS ANGELES
CLERGY FOR PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY
January 28, 2022
The Honorable Nury Martinez Council President, City of Los Angeles 200 N Spring Street, Suite 470 Los Angeles, California 90012
The Honorable Mitch O’Farrell Council President Pro Tempore, City of Los Angeles 200 N Spring Street, Suite 480 Los Angeles, California 90012
Dear Council President Martinez and Councilmember O’Farrell:
As South Los Angeles faith leaders representing upwards of 50,000 Angelenos–many of whom live in the Tenth District–we prayerfully write to express our deep concern regarding the treatment of the constituents of the Tenth Council District (CD10) and its duly elected representative, Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas. Tenth Council District constituents were summarily denied their elected representative on important matters through an arbitrary, hasty, legally questionable, punitive and pernicious decision made at the sole discretion of a City Council majority under your leadership. In the process, your leadership has produced two irreconcilable issues: providing independent, credible and accountable CD10 representation and preservation of the seat to which Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas was elected with a 60% majority pending the outcome of his trial.
We are now concerned that the Council may make a precipitous move to appoint a “temporary” replacement for Councilmember Ridley-Thomas and/or hold a special election. We urge you not to take such an ill-advised and anti-democratic action, which would deprive CD10 of their duly elected representative, pending the outcome of the Councilmember’s trial.
Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas was indicted by the United States Attorney’s Office for activities that allegedly occurred in his previous capacity as Supervisor of the Second District of the County of Los Angeles on October 13, 2021. On October 18, 2021, the Councilmember wrote a letter to you expressing his shock at the charges, declaring his innocence, and confirming his commitment to continue representing a district to which he was overwhelmingly elected. “Out of respect” for his colleagues, and “in order for the activities of the City Council to proceed with minimal distractions,” the Councilmember offered “to temporarily step back from participating in committee and Council Meetings.”
It is our understanding that without the courtesy of a conversation with him to explore this option, the very next day, you introduced a motion to be considered the following day that called for the Councilmember’s immediate suspension, despite the fact that consideration of alternative action short of suspension was well within your discretion. Furthermore, the motion to suspend the Councilmember was considered a mere 24 hours after it was introduced, thereby discouraging opportunities for the constituents of CD10 to meaningfully weigh in. The very introduction of the motion appears to have provided the basis for City Controller Ron Galperin to terminate the Councilmember’s pay and benefits, including health insurance, during a once-ina-century pandemic.
Thus, your failure to consider the consequences of so hasty a decision disenfranchised CD10 constituents while simultaneously disregarding the Councilmember’s presumption of innocence, a right you extend to police officers and other City employees accused of wrongdoing. The City Charter does not specify that a temporary vacancy must be filled, particularly under circumstances such as this.
We write with the sober concern that the unseating of an elected official, especially an African American man with a three decade-long legacy of committed public service, however “temporarily” - should not be pursued at this time prior to the outcome of his trial. We are dismayed by the crass attempts of self-interested elected officials elsewhere to nullify the votes of people of color, dismiss our concerns, erode support for representative democracy, ignore appeals for equal protection and due process, and disregard application of the presumption of innocence when it comes to those of a darker hue.
If you move forward with an appointment, albeit “temporary”, that person will not be independent or accountable to CD10 constituents, nor is there any guarantee that there will be alignment with the motivating factors that drove over 60 percent of the electorate to vote for Councilmember Ridley-Thomas. Instead, the appointee will be beholden to the majority of the City Council who appointed him or her.
We respectfully request your timely consideration of our views and response to this matter. We would be happy to have a zoom meeting with you to discuss our concerns further. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Edward L. Anderson Charles E. Blake, Sr. J. Edgar Boyd John E. Cager Norman S. Johnson, Sr. Noel Jones J.M. Lawson, Jr. Mary S. Minor Thembekila Smart Xavier L. Thompson K. W. Tulloss Kenneth C. Ulmer
UpFront
L.A. Native Among Top Contenders For Supreme Court Pick
With the recent announcement of Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement, President Joe Biden is poised to make history with the selection of the first black woman justice to the nation’s highest court.
At 83, Breyer is the oldest justice on the court and has said he will stay in place until his replacement is confirmed.
His retirement clears the way for a liberal replacement and while a Black woman on the court won’t’ change the 63 conservative majority on the court, it will still be an impactful–as well as historical–choice
Democrats want to fast track the process to ensure it’s done by the mid-terms when the GOP could regain power in the house and Senate. With the Senate split 50-50, Kamala Harris would have the deciding vote, but all bets are off if the Republicans retake the Senate with mid-terms victories.
Biden has already nominated more Black women to the U.S. Court of Appeals (considered as a steppingstone to the Supreme Court) than any other president. One of them Ketanji Brown Jackson–who previously clerked for Breyer and was on Obama’s Supreme Court shortlist in 2016– is widely considered to a top prospect for the pick.
Also considered to be on the list of key contenders is Leondra Kruger, who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California. The 45-year old L.A. native formerly served as an Assistant to the Solicitor General and as Acting Deputy Solicitor General, during which time she argued 12 cases in the United States Supreme Court on behalf of the federal government.
The Harvard grad who served as Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law Journal clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens following her graduation from Yale Law School.
Others potential nominees include Candace Jackson-Akwumi and Eunice Lee, both appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals last summer; along with U.S. District Judges J. Michelle Childs and Wilhelmina Wright.
In its 232-year history, the supreme court has counted two African American justices, one Latina and just five women among its 115 justices.
Councilmembers Price and Harris-Dawson Seek Information on 16-year-old Found on Freeway
Los Angeles City Councilmembers Curren Price and Marqueece HarrisDawson have introduced a motion to offer a $50,000 reward in the murder of 16-year-old Tioni Theus.
On Jan. 8, Tioni was found dead, shot in the neck, after drivers reported seeing her body along the southbound 110 Freeway in South Los Angeles. The motion co-presented by Councilmembers Price and Harris-Dawson, seconded by Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, offers a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for the teenager’s death.
“Tioni was just beginning her life, with all the possibilities ahead of her, ripped away in an instant. It’s heart wrenching to think that someone who had so much promise and the world at her feet could be taken in such a cruel manner,” said Councilmember Price. “With her love of dance and golf, these God-given gifts and talents never had the chance to be shared with the world; so many unfinished dreams that will never be realized.
Until the person or people responsible for her murder are behind bars, the community will not be at rest. We need answers to provide closure for the Theus family. Only then will justice prevail.”
The case is currently under investigation but there is no apparent motivation. The suspect(s) has not yet been identified and presents a significant peril to the community at large.
“Far too many times, our news and media outlets make the choice to uphold conventional thinking when it comes to the devaluation of Black women and girls,” added Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson.” Some find it hard to locate the center of their humanity. Instead, they question their personhood and judge using their harshest lenses. The underlying subtext of their thinking is distilled into worthiness; a young Black 16-year-old can only be exploited and trafficked. Today my colleagues have joined me in introducing a reward motion that crosses county, city, and district boundaries to encourage anyone who knows the perpetrator to come forward and bring peace to Tioni’s family, friends, and our South Los Angeles community.”
Councilmembers Price and HarrisDawson will also be introducing legislation in the coming days seeking an equity analysis from the Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department, with the assistance of the LAPD, on violence fac-
Tiona continued to page 24
Autumn Burke Announces Surprise Resignation, Citing Family Reasons
KISHA SMITH / Staff
On Monday, after 7 years of serving the 62nd Assembly District, Autumn Burke announced that she would be resigning for family reasons effective Tuesday, February 1, 2022. Burke–who made the announcement to her constituents on social media in a letter co-signed by her 7-year old daughter, Isabella–called it one of the hardest decisions of her life.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives and consciousness of everyone, and I am no exception,” wrote Burke, whose election to the legislature marked the first time in California history that a mother and daughter have both served in the State Assembly.
“Over the last two years, we’ve faced unprecedented challenges as a state and as a people,” she continued. “After taking some personal inventory, I feel it is of the utmost importance that I have the flexibility and ability to spend more time with my family.”
Calling her service “the honor of a lifetime”, Burke said her hope was to have finished out her term, which ended in December, but that circumstances had recently changed. Instead, she said that her staff would continue to be of service after my resignation and will make sure that your needs are met, until you choose your next Representative.”
Though stepping down, Burke said her civic service would continue on some level, writing: “I look forward to continuing to work passionately for the issues most pressing to the state of California. At the forefront of my work, I will continue to focus on lifting African Americans by helping grow the black voice throughout the entire political process and at all levels of government.”
Burke was elected in 2014 to the 62nd Assembly District, which includes the cities of Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, and Gardena, the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Westchester, Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, Venice, and Del Rey, and the communities of Del Aire, West Athens, Lennox, Westmont, and Marina del Rey.
As a staunch advocate for children and families in California, Burke authored AB 1520, the Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Act in 2017, which directed the state to reduce deep child poverty by 50 percent. As Chair of the Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation, Burke successfully authored one of the largest tax credits in California state history for small business. She also authored the Transformative Climate Communities legislation, creating opportunities for communities of color to be at the forefront of the discussions on climate change; and served as principal coauthor of the groundbreaking Bruce’s Beach legislation, which created a pathway for Los Angeles County to return the stolen beachfront property to the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce.
“I want to thank Assemblywoman Burke for her years of service to not only the 62nd Assembly District, but to all Californians, said California Legislative Black Caucus Chair, Senator Steven Bradford. “As the daughter of the Honorable Yvonne Brathwaite-Burke, Assemblywoman Burke will leave as a trailblazer in her own right and on her own terms. It was an honor to watch her evolve as a legislator and fight beside her to improve the lives of Black Californians.”
The Numbers Are In: Bass Smokes Her Mayoral Rivals in Fundraising CA Attorney General Warns Against Fake COVID Testing Sites
GERALD BELL / Contributor
The numbers are in, making it official that Congresswoman Karen Bass has far surpassed her rivals in the 2022 L.A. Mayoral race with the most money raised. Bass’ campaign took in upwards of $1.982 million since the veteran legislator entered the race in late September, according to campaign filings submitted to the Los Angeles Ethics Commission.
That’s over $700,000 more than her nearest competitor, L.A. City Councilmember Kevin de Leon, who raised $1.226 million.
L.A. City Councilmember Joe Buscaino–who entered the race nearly a year ago– came in third, reporting $1.182 million in campaign donations.
City Attorney Mike Feuer–who has L.A. Focus/ February 2022 been in the race the longest having announced his mayoral bid in March of 2020– has raised $968,000. Rounding out the field of candidates is Jessica Lall, president and chief executive of the downtown L.A.-based Central City Association with $404,000, Tech entrepreneur Ramit Varma ($182,356) and former Metro board member Mel Hall ($141,000)7
Donors to Bass’ campaign include former Disney chair Jeffrey Katzenberg, Felicity Huffman, Tiffany Haddish, Donald Glover, Jennifer Garner and Mark Ridley-Thomas, while her list of endorsements boasts Senator Cory Booker, Congresswoman Lucille RoybalAllard, Labor and Civil Rights Leader Dolores Huerta, Los Angeles County Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Holly Mitchell, State Senators Steven Bradford and Sydney Kamlager, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
“Karen Bass is the leader that this city is calling for and the support she is receiving from every part of this city is proof," said Jamarah Hayner, campaign manager for Karen Bass for Mayor. “They are rallying behind the decisive leadership Karen Bass has always demonstrated. That's why we're seeing this momentum and it's only going to grow."
As the February 12 filing deadline for people seeking to run for mayor approaches, many are wondering if billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso will enter the race as rumored. The primary is scheduled for June 7 with the general election set for November 8.
CA Attorney General Warns Against Fake COVID Testing Sites
With the pop up COVID testing sites that are springing up around the county and across the state comes a warning from officials: “Beware”.
Numerous illegal, unapproved and unsanitary sites have become to pose a problem with people reporting the collecting of personal identification that could possibly lead to identity theft and the failure to provide tests results after receiving payment. So much so that officials in a growing number of states–including California–are investigating the scam sites and introducing legislation to streamline COVID testing operations.
Most recently, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued an alert warning Californians to beware of fake COVID-19 testing locations and websites.
“Throughout California, fake testing sites are sprouting up to exploit families and individuals seeking COVID tests. It is important to recognize the signs of sham testing sites to protect both your money and personal information,” said Attorney General Bonta. “I urge Californians to do their part to avoid fake testing sites by utilizing state resources, including the California Department of Public Health’s website, to find a verified COVID-19 testing site.”
Bonta also shared tips on how to avoid
Family of Drakeo the Ruler File $20 Million Wrongful Death Lawsuit
The family of Darrell Caldwell, 28, better known by his stage name Drakeo the Ruler, have announced that they will be filing a $20 million wrongful death lawsuit against Live Nation–and promoters Bobby Dee Presents and C3 Presents– in connection with fatal stabbing of the popular, L.A.-based rapper backstage at the Once Upon A Time In LA Festival on December 18, 2021.
Lawyers for the family contend that festival promoters were negligent in providing adequate security. At a recent press conference, the attorneys released a video showing the last moments of Drakeo’s life. The rapper is seen being assaulted by a mob of men who repeatedly strike blows before fatally stabbing him in the neck.
Said attorney James Bryant, “That video ran for a full minute and you didn’t see one security officer there.
“Mr. Caldwell was essentially lynched by over 40 to 60 people.... The concert Once Upon a Time in Los Angeles had 50 of the most iconic music artists in the industry, but ... you also knew there could be an element of danger. You had Bloods. You had Crips and affiliations amongst them. We all know those groups don’t go together.
“This was a preventable death.”
New Bill Would Ban Single-Use Cigarette Filters
Assemblywoman Luz Rivas, D-San Fernando Valley has introduced a bill that would authorize local governments to impose a $500 fine against each person who sells, gives or otherwise furnishes a single-use tobacco or cannabis product in the state. Assembly Bill 1690 does not specifically target tobacco or cannabis, but the waste they leave in their wake. “For over half a century, single-use tobacco products have been nothing but a blight on our public health and environment,” Rivas said. Our planet is at a critical tipping point — cigarette filters destroy our environment unlike any other discarded waste and the toxic chemicals found in electronic vapes seep into our fragile ecosystems, all while also damaging individuals’ health with hazardous smoke. Of the six trillion globally consumed cigarettes, approximately 4.5 trillion cigarette filters are littered into the environment each year. Los Angeles is estimated to spend $19 million a year in cigarette filter clean-up costs, with cigarette butts being the most common item polluting beaches and waterways. Said Assemblywoman Cottie PetrieNorris (D-Irvine), “Not only are these vape pens toxic for our bodies, they are toxic for our environment.” Effective January 2021, Beverly Hills and Manhattan Beach have banned outright the sale of tobacco products. In November, Californians will get to vote on whether or not to ban the sale of flavored tobacco in the state.
