Centro CSO & BLM-LA United

Centro CSO has united with Black Lives Matter – L.A. to demand that District Attorney Jackie Lacey bring charges against police who kill Black, Chicano, and Latino people.

During Lacey’s terms in office, nearly 300 Los Angeles County residents have been killed by police including: #JoseMendez #JesseRomero #CarlosGonzalez #ArturoYTorrez #FredBarragan #EdwinRodriguez from Boyle Heights and East L.A.

As well as #EzellFord #KendrecMcDade #JohnHorton #NephiArreguin #MichelleShirley #RedelJones #WikieshaWilson #JRThomas #KeithBursey #KennyWatkins #BrendonGlenn #BrotherAfrica #ZelalemEwnetu #CarnellSnell #TheDavilaFamily, and hundreds of others.

Developments:
The following five officers have been removed from the City of Inglewood’s police force after more than a year of intense public pressure led by families, BLM-LA, White People for Black Lives, Holy Faith Episcopal Church, and Inglewood residents: Michael Jaen, Richard, Parcella, Jason Cantrell, Sean Reidy, and Andrew Cohen. These five officers killed Kisha Michael and Marquintan Sandlin in Feb. 2016, as they slept in their car. We are pushing for D.A. Lacey to follow up the removals of these officers with charges.

The officer who killed Brendon Glenn was recommended for charges by the L.A.P.D. Unfortunately, NO OFFICER HAS BEEN CHARGED FOR GLENN’S KILLING.

One of the L.A. Police Commission members voted that the officers involved in the killing of 14-year-old Jesse Romero was not within policy.

Current Obstacles:
The L.A. Police Commission ruled shootings within policy for the officers involved in the killings of: Jose Mendez, Jesse Romero, and others. We are not surprised by this ruling but instead are angered.

Background:
Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriffs, and the policing units throughout the County lead the nation in police killings. For at least the last 5 years, LAPD and LA County Sheriffs have led the nation in police killings. Despite this, the District Attorney Jackie Lacey has not charged a single officer in any of these killings. The message sent to Los Angeles County law enforcement units is that they can kill residents and get away with it. Police cannot be relied on to hold themselves accountable, this is the work of the District Attorney. We are demanding that D.A. Jackie Lacey do her job and prosecute racist, abusive, and murderous police.