100 signatures reached
To: Mayor Karen Bass
Fire LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell
Jim McDonnell, the current Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department must be immediately fired. Community warned the mayor against his hiring a little more than a year ago when she sought a replacement for former Chief Moore. With a record of colluding with ICE, openly opposing California's "sanctuary state" bill, enabling deputy gangs, and documented patterns of racism and corruption during his tenure as Los Angeles County Sheriff, McDonnell was voted out of his previous post by Angelenos. It is baffling that the mayor appointed him in the first place and now is the time to correct that massive mistake. McDonnell has proven to be far worse than could have been imagined. Every moment that he sits at the helm of LAPD poses grave danger to Angelenos. His litany of harms includes:
- Overseeing a Department that has surged in police shootings of Angelenos by 70% in his first year as Chief, most recently with the horrific, on-camera murder of #EliasReal.
- Colluding with and covering for ICE as they terrorize migrants and wreak havoc in communities.
- Refusing to arrest killer ICE agent Brian Palacios after he murdered #KeithPorter, a Black father, on New Year's Eve.
- Enabling LAPD to terrorize and brutalize righteous protestors, including youth.
- Bankrupting the City with $150 million in lawsuit payouts so far.
- Blatantly refusing to enforce California law that bans ICE agents from using masks to hide their identities.
- Fostering a culture of racism, sexism, and homophobia that reaches the highest ranks of policing as evidenced by recordings.
- Lobbying for increased police budgets that gobble up half of the City's general fund even as crime has been driven to historic lows by the visionary work of community interventionists.
Mayor Bass made a huge mistake appointing Jim McDonnell over the stated opposition of organizations that include Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles, White People 4 Black Lives, Los Angeles Community Action Network, Democratic Socialists of America, National Day Laborer Organizing Network, and thousands of Angelenos who signed petitions, sent letters, and voiced their opposition. We are demanding urgent corrective action. Fire Chief McDonnell now!
Why is this important?
We must do all that we can to save Los Angeles from one of the most brazen, brutal, and corrupt police chiefs in the City's history. Angelenos never wanted McDonnell in the first place; that's why we voted him out as sheriff. Just over a year into his tenure as police chief, he's proven to be even worse than we anticipated. 48 people were shot by police in his first year on the job (a 70% increase from the year prior), and 2026 is set to outpace that number. The Chief is using LAPD to protect ICE in their murderous and gestapo-like tactics. He is bankrupting the city with massive lawsuit payouts and more money for a corrupt department. Now is the time for the people to demand the removal of LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell. Our City and the lives of our people are at stake.