LOS ANGELES, CA - Labor, activist, and community groups declared a "state of emergency" Thursday following a series of police shootings, including two this past weekend, that they say have resulted disproportionately in the deaths of black and Latino Angelenos.
The groups -- which include Community Coalition, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, Los Angeles Community Action Network, Brotherhood Crusade and SEIU 721 -- issued an open letter urging city leaders to "act with urgency to address the disproportionate use of lethal force against black and Latino residents."
"Time and time again, we see law enforcement exercise restraint when confronting white suspects, while not exercising the same care to avoid the loss of black life," the groups wrote. "When confronting armed and unarmed suspects, officers should use a variety of de-escalation tactics to prevent further loss of life."
They called on city leaders to take "comprehensive and immediate action," including requiring "open, transparent and independent investigation" into recent police shootings, make Police Commission meetings more accessible to the public, and to stop arresting peaceful protesters.
A poll conducted by Community Coalition, one of the signers of the letter, found that the majority of respondents say deadly force should be avoided even when a suspect is armed, and that their confidence in the police department has fallen over the last three years, according to the letter.
The signers of the letter also pointed to a Guardian article saying that in 2015, the Los Angeles Police Department "killed more people than any other law enforcement agency in the country," and that this year 18 people have died "at the hands of law enforcement in Los Angeles." According to the Los Angeles Times Homicide Report, law enforcement officers countywide have killed 39 people this year compared to 41 people in all of 2015.
The other letter signers include Strategic Concepts in Organizing & Policy Education (SCOPE), Los Angeles Black Worker Center, Dignity and Power Now, Children's Defense Fund California, Advancement Project California and SEIU 2015.
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