Join us Thursday, June 21, at 4 PM to help build out crucial next steps for DAAC. Email dajusticecoalition@gmail.com to RSVP.
This DAAC Community Conversation will be a discussion featuring individual survivors of violent crime and the criminal legal system.
Our panelists will discuss the ways in which calls for "victims rights" have been used to advance a tough-on-crime, pro-carceral agenda; offer more nuanced perspectives on what survivors of crime often want when it comes to accountability and public safety; and share what has helped them heal.
LEX STEPPLING is the Director of Campaigns and Policy for Dignity & Power Now. Lex has organized most of his life around issues pertaining to state violence from a criminal justice and public health lens. A native of Los Angeles, Lex is happy to be coming home after 7 years of organizing nationally to help push towards to future free from punitive punishment systems and towards a vision of healing and justice.
JODY DAVID ARMOUR is the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Law at the University of Southern California. A widely published scholar and popular lecturer, he studies the intersection of race, law, morality, psychology, politics, ordinary language philosophy, and the performing arts. His latest book, N*gga Theory: Race, Language, Unequal Justice, and the Law, looks at America’s criminal justice system – among the deadliest and most racist in the world – through deeply interdisciplinary lenses.
SUSAN HESS, MSW, LCSW-IL, is a Clinical Associate Professor at USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Hess is an advocate, consultant and relational organizer in the areas of trauma informed care, healing centered engagement and the intersections of intimate partner violence. Hess is the Co-Founder of Trauma Informed LA, and a founding member of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon’s first Crime Victims Advisory Board.
HELEN JONES was born and raised in Watts, California and is the mother of John Horton, a civil rights activist, and the founder of HeadHigh Entertainment. On March 30, 2009, Helen’s son John Horton was murdered – beaten to death by 10 sheriff deputies at the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles. His death was covered up by a staged suicide. Since the murder of her son, Helen has been fighting for justice and accountability for all and standing with other families demanding that District Attorney Jackie Lacey prosecute killer cops.
SUSAN BUSTAMANTE - I am a 65-year-old Hispanic woman who was a victim of child molestation from 12-18 and then married at 19. My husband was a Vietnam veteran with PTSD and my victim. After years of trauma I turned to my brother and things went from there. I had no defense during my trial. I went to prison with life without the possibility of parole. I lived healing myself and being the best me I could. I was incarcerated 31 years. On 12/23/17 I was granted commutation; went to board 6/8/18; paroled 9/12/18. I have been a member of the California Coalition for Women Prisoners for several years. There is so much wrong with the legal process that I will always continue to fight for change.
ALYESHA WISE is an award-winning, published poet, teaching artist & TEDx speaker from Camden, N.J. Wise is the co-founder of Spoken Literature Art Movement, an organization providing poetry education and extensive programming for poets - and the Director of Program Development for Street Poets, Inc., an organization mostly serving juvenile injustice-involved youth with mentorship and arts programming.
Coded Bias explores the fallout of MIT Media Lab Researcher Joy Buolamwini’s discovery that facial recognition does not see dark-skinned faces accurately, and her journey to push for the first-ever legislation in the U.S. to govern against bias in the algorithms that impact us all.
*this is not an official DAAC event.
The DAAC presents a Community Conversation: Steps Towards Decarceration - A discussion on the path forward for progressive reforms.
Join us for a conversation about the historical impact of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office on our communities and why progressive reforms are so important. We will discuss District Attorney George Gascón's recent directives and how to demonstrate community support for these policy changes in the face of ongoing pushback from anti-reform groups.
Join us as we kick off 2021 and brainstorm events for the upcoming year.
Open to the community and new members… register below to get sent the Zoom mtg info!
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office is the largest prosecutor's office in the United States. The D.A. oversees a staff of about 1,000 lawyers, 300 investigators and 800 support staff. The office prosecutes everything from misdemeanors to felonies in an area covering more than 4,000 square miles, from the Antelope Valley to Long Beach and from Pomona to Malibu.
This race has attracted national attention, because it's the latest—and largest—battleground in a national push to get reformists elected as district attorneys.
Incumbent Jackie Lacey is L.A.'s first African-American D.A., but she is being challenged by former San Francisco D.A. and Police Chief George Gascón. (He's also a former LAPD assistant chief.) Lacey is under attack from Black Lives Matter activists for not prosecuting more cops, but was Gascón's record any better in San Francisco?
Join us to find out more about the candidates and their plans to enact meaningful reform in the criminal justice system. KPCC/LAist Public Safety Correspondent Frank Stoltze and L.A. Times Criminal Justice Reporter James Queally will moderate the debate.
This event is presented by KPCC in partnership with L.A. Times.
Black Jewish Justice Alliance presents the 2nd Annual Heschel/King Forum on Reimagining Public Safety and Justice and Black-Jewish Relations.
Co-moderated by Pastor Cue Jn-Marie and Rabbi Sharon Brous, with panelists including Pastor William D. Smart, Jr., Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels, Dr. Melina Abdullah, Rabbi Sarah Bassin, and Gamal Palmer.
Join the LA County District Attorney candidates as they discuss reentry, law enforcement, and the major criminal justice reforms on the ballot:
Prop 17: Restores right to vote after completion of prison term
Prop 20: Restricts parole for certain offenses currently considered to be non-violent. Authorizes felony sentences for certain offenses currently treated only as misdemeanors.
Prop 25: Referendum on law that replaced money bail with a system based on public safety and flight risk
The League of Women Voters presents the 2020 - Los Angeles County District Attorney debate between the progressive candidate George Gascón, and incumbent DA Jackie Lacey.
Patricia Cummings, Supervisor, Philadelphia District Attorney's Conviction Integrity Unit
Marissa Bluestine, Assistant Director, Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice
George Gascon, District Attorney Candidate, Los Angeles County
Jackie Lacey, District Attorney, Los Angeles County (Invited)
Loyola Project for the Innocent – in partnership with the DAAC, present a 3 part Speaker Series on Reimagining Justice: Creating a New Vision of Policing, Prosecution, and Punishment.
“The criminal justice system is undeniably broken. Our system of mass incarceration does not serve justice, does not promote public safety, and disproportionately harms communities of color. Over policing, overly zealous prosecutions, the imposition of unnecessarily long sentences, and the longstanding culture of denying parole to individuals who have served their sentences have led us to this point. This symposium will bring together pioneering attorneys, forensic experts, activists, and formerly incarcerated people to discuss needed reforms and strategies for advancing toward a system that promotes public safety and addresses the system’s many inequities. Panelists will also address wrongful convictions and the role of forensics in the courtroom, from wrongfully convicting innocent people to helping set them free.” - LPI
*Artwork by @Tiger_Stepmom
Dr. Katherine Roberts, Executive Director, California Forensic Science Institute
Anna Vasquez, Outreach and Education Director, Innocence Project of Texas
Lynn Robitaille Garcia, General Counsel, Texas Forensic Science Commission
Jarrett Adams, Attorney, Author, and Exoneree
Moderator: Mehul Anjaria, Founder, MBA DNA Consulting, LLC
Amanda Knox, Exoneree, Author, and Journalist, in conversation with Jarrett Adams, Attorney, Author, and Exoneree
Register HERE
Keith Wattley, Executive Director, UnCommon Law
Robin Steinberg, CEO, The Bail Project
Adnan Khan, Executive Director, Re:Store Justice
Moderator: Sean Kennedy, Executive Director, Center for Juvenile Law & Policy, LMU Loyola Law School
Larry Krasner, Philadelphia District Attorney in conversation with Geneviéve Jones-Wright, Founding Executive Director of Community Advocates for Just and Moral Governance
Loyola Project for the Innocent – in partnership with the DAAC, present a 3 part Speaker Series on Reimagining Justice: Creating a New Vision of Policing, Prosecution, and Punishment.
“The criminal justice system is undeniably broken. Our system of mass incarceration does not serve justice, does not promote public safety, and disproportionately harms communities of color. Over policing, overly zealous prosecutions, the imposition of unnecessarily long sentences, and the longstanding culture of denying parole to individuals who have served their sentences have led us to this point. This symposium will bring together pioneering attorneys, forensic experts, activists, and formerly incarcerated people to discuss needed reforms and strategies for advancing toward a system that promotes public safety and addresses the system’s many inequities. Panelists will also address wrongful convictions and the role of forensics in the courtroom, from wrongfully convicting innocent people to helping set them free.” - LPI
*Artwork by @Tiger_Stepmom
LA District Attorney Practices in the Time of COVID-19: What Needs to Happen to Save Lives
Panelists:
Opening remarks by Greg Akili, Black Lives Matter-LA.
Two family members with incarcerated loved ones.
Dr. Shamsher Samra, clinical health care provider for LA Jail System.
Nikhil Ramnaney, president of the Local 148 (LA County Public Defenders Union) and public defender in Long Beach court.
Robin Steinberg, founder and CEO of The Bail Project.
Diana Zuniga, Regional Collaboration, Whole Person Care at LA County Dept. of Health Services.
Closing remarks by Pastor William Smart, Southern Christian Leadership Conference–SoCal.
Please register here to receive the Zoom link: https://bit.ly/3fkNnLS
Loyola Project for the Innocent and L.A. Coalition for DA Justice and Accountability have organized a town hall and panel discussion to address criminal justice issues on the final Friday before the March 3rd primary at Portfolio Coffeehouse. Antwan “Banks” Williams and Eric “Maserati E” Abercrombie from the Ear Hustle podcast will be performing after the panel, and at least one of the District Attorney candidates, Rachel Rossi, will be available to discuss the District Attorney’s role and power. The invitation to candidates George Gascon and Jackie Lacey to discuss their respective platforms still stand.
In addition, the panel will speak about on LBGTQ issues, the criminalization of homelessness, police shootings, and marijuana-related charges, among other issues.
RSVP required here: LACDA2020.eventbrite.com
Join us for a District Attorney candidate’s forum at Los Angeles Valley College.
Featuring candidates George Gascón, Rachel Rossi, and Jackie Lacey (not yet confirmed). Forum moderated by Andra Hoffman, President of the L.A. Community College District Board of Trustees.
Come meet and hear from all three candidates who are seeking your vote in the LA County DA primary election on March 3, 2020. Co-hosted by: The League of Women Voters - Los Angeles, the League of Women Voters - LA County, the LA Coalition for DA Justice & Accountability, and the National Council of Jewish Women Los Angeles.
Come meet the candidates seeking your vote for L.A. County District Attorney in the March 3rd Primary Election.
George Gascón (confirmed)
Rachel Rossi (confirmed)
Jackie Lacey (declined)
Moderated by Jacob Lawrence, Founder & Principal Consultant of I Make Work Fun
Schedule:
District Attorney Candidate Forum: 5:00pm – 6:30pm
Vendors and Entertainment: 12:00pm – 4:00pm
Voting Machine Demo Run by LA County: 12:00pm – 7:00pm
https://twitter.com/YouthJusticeLA/status/1222796595558617088
The LA County DA election on March 3 in only a month away! Want to know how you can plug in to efforts around the most important role in the criminal legal system — the district attorney? Attend our ENERGIZER on Monday, February 3, from 7-9 p.m. at the YJC Chuco’s Justice Center in South LA! We will have dinner, amazing partners, trainings, volunteer opportunities, and an original artwork poster by Ashley Lukashevsky to take home. You’ll leave empowered and knowing exactly what you can do to help.
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L.A. Coalition for DA Justice and Accountability Energizer
Monday, February 3, 7–9 p.m.
Youth Justice Coalition
7625 S Central Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90001
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Email to RSVP: dajusticecoalition@gmail.com
Please spread the word far and wide and hope to see you there!
The race for the office of Los Angeles County District Attorney will garner national attention. It will decide who runs the largest local prosecutorial agency in the United States, one that is grappling with justice policies for homelessness, mental health care, policing and public safety. KPCC senior politics reporter Libby Denkmann and LA Times editorial writer Robert Greene will moderate the debate. The primary is March 3; the debate comes just a few days before early voting begins on Feb. 3. The discussion will be designed to help voters better understand each candidate and informed in part by questions from members of the community.
Your district attorney has a profound impact on the criminal justice system. Early next year, you will have the power to decide who represents you. Join us to hear in person what the candidates have to say about justice and safety. More info & required RSVP at ACLUSoCal.org/DAForum.
