George Gascón: Jackie Lacey’s Handling of Police Brutality Cases ‘Horrendous’ and ‘Immoral’
LOS ANGELES, CA — In the latest episode of the “Stonewall Spotlight” podcast, Los Angeles District Attorney candidate George Gascon talked about his contentious contest with embattled incumbent Jackie Lacey, blasting her increasingly aggressive ads as “a sign of desperation” and taking her to task for her numerous failures while in office, particularly her response to police violence.
“She is [a bad cop apologist],” Gascon said. “She’s had somewhere around 600 police officer killings of people in the community during her time in office, and time and time again she has turned the other way, and often has quoted an interpretation of the law that gives police officers a broader capacity to use deadly force under the law."
“The fact that she does that is horrendous and immoral,” Gascon continued. “She is to blame for her role in police violence.”
The comments come as Black Lives Matter protests have erupted across the nation, thrusting issues like criminal justice reform, racial justice, policing, and public safety into the limelight with a renewed urgency. Jasmyne Cannick of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles joined the episode to discuss Lacey’s failures and to challenge legislators and elected officials to reimagine the role policing plays in communities, stressing the need for increased funding of community-based services and programs that tackle issues of homelessness and mental health.
With less than 100 days before the November election, the Los Angeles District Attorney race has been called the most important D.A.’s race in the country, with the L.A. Times going so far as to say that it is the next most important race in the country after the U.S. presidential election. Gascon fell twenty points behind Lacey in the March primary election, but has since seen a sharp swell of support from progressive powerhouses like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and others. When asked about his style of governance, Gascon boasted his progressive stripes and endorsements.
“How do we want to see the world evolve?” asked Gascon. “I don’t want to live in the world of Donald Trump. It’s just not the world I want to live in.”
The Stonewall Spotlight podcast airs on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Anchor. Stonewall Spotlight is a production of the Stonewall Democratic Club. The series is executive produced by Marcus Lovingood and co-produced by Mackenzie Hussman. Alex Mohajer serves as writer and chief correspondent. For more information, visit www.stonewalldems.org.