LOS ANGELES – The officers who shot and killed homeless, unarmed man Charly “Africa” Keunang in Skid Row last year did not violate deadly force policies, the Los Angeles Police Department Commission said in an announcement Tuesday afternoon.
“My hope is that we continue a candid, compassionate, and productive dialogue about how our officers interact with the communities they serve,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. “We can’t be a city that allows people to live on the streets in often violent conditions, with rampant mental health and drug abuse issues. We will continue working hard to solve this crisis, to make sure these tragedies are prevented.”
The LAPD Commission is a civilian oversight panel.
Activists representing Black Lives Matter, the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition and the Los Angeles Community Action Network attended Tuesday’s LAPD Commission meeting concerning the ruling on Keunang’s death to express anger over the department’s alleged lack of concern for minority communities. They gathered at 9 a.m. at the downtown LAPD headquarters to voice their concerns at the commission meeting.
One by one, activists lined up to express their anger to stone-faced board members to demand the board work more for the black community.
“Everybody wants you gone,” one activist said at the podium, speaking directly to Police Commissioner Charlie Beck.
Another activist used his two minutes of time to hold a laptop open and show the board the video of Keunang’s death, which went viral last year. He urged them to watch closely and see how unnecessary Keunang’s death was.
The activists also chastised the board for what one member said amounted to burying the board’s decision beneath other agenda items.
Melina Abdullah attended the Los Angeles Police Commission meeting to support and speak on behalf of Black Lives Matter Feb. 2. Abdullah is a professor and chair of Pan-African Studies at Cal State Los Angeles, as well as a Black Lives Matter organizer.
“We needed to show up to show them that they can’t keep burying what’s happening and thinking that we won’t catch on,” Melina Abdullah, an organizer of the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter, said. “We know that Beck leads the most murderous police department in the country. This body has the power to hire and fire Beck, and they refuse to do so.”
Abdullah said on social media they will continue to attend the LAPD meetings every Tuesday until further notice.
If this doesn’t violate deadly force, exactly what does?
Great photos!