Don’t Trip and Bust Your Face Running Up Behind George Gascón.
Tags: Jackie Lacey, BlackLivesMatter, District Attorney, Los Angeles, Election 2020

Don’t Trip and Bust Your Face Running Up Behind George Gascón.

I am pro-black lives. I am a descendant of slaves. I am an HBCU graduate. I believe in criminal justice reform, on ALL levels. I believe in investing in black and brown children.

And I believe in Jackie Lacey.

No District Attorney has all of the answers, nor all of the power. Jackie Lacey is not a politician. She is an attorney who has invested in the victims of L.A. County for decades. She is not campaigning to use the office as a political stepping stone.

Thus, Jackie Lacey cannot and will not sell dreams or miracles. Her integrity does not align with slogans or mud-slinging. Beware the candidate who promises things they’ve never done. Things they don’t have the actual power to do without cooperation from other agencies and officials.

Jackie Lacey is not a magician. She is a black woman who cares, listens, and ALWAYS has the well-being of L.A. County citizens at the top of her priority list. Those who believe Gascón’s baseless sales pitches are naïve OR in on the scam for personal gain.

Loss of black lives is hugely important. It’s disgusting how Gascón and his flunkies are using the issue as a political pawn. While it’s true Jackie has not prosecuted all of the police officers that people would like to see in prison, understand this:

Gascón has to follow the SAME PENAL CODE that binds Jackie Lacey from filing charges on every case that breaks our hearts. Watch him dance when he tries to explain to us later, black folks, why his slimy hands are tied if you keep drinking his Kool-Aid and allow him to slither into Lacey’s position.

If you play Jackie Lacey, you play yourselves. Mark my words.

Another thing, for anybody who might be confused about this: any criminal defense attorney- public or otherwise- who claims to do more for victims of crime than prosecutors is one of two things: a fucking liar, or an incompetent lawyer acting in conflict of interest. Ask them which it is.

Criminal defense attorneys must act in the best interests of their clients, or else they are in violation of all the codes and rules. One of their tasks is to DIRECTLY contradict any testimony of a victim, be it through confusion, red herring, or turning a blind eye to intimidation. That is their charge. To dismantle the evidence against the accused.

Many many MANY defense attorneys do their job ethically and with integrity. Most of the BEST ones are public defenders.

The policy of “incarcerating” victims is being used, again, as a soundbite to distract simpler voters from a very complex issue. Let me elaborate as clearly as I can:

That tool is very seldom used.

When it is used, it is heavily scrutinized through a chain of command.

It is not used against “special” victims.

It is not used to punish victims.

If you’re wondering why such a thing is even allowed by law, let me help you out:

Victims of abuse within the home- be it forceful violence, threats, or sexual offenses- are OFTEN likely to change their minds about testifying NOT because the allegations are false, but because they are systematically degraded by the offender.

Financial dependence, emotional manipulation (“gaslighting” and “mindfuckery” for example), actual threats of future abuse, personal guilt over the effects of a conviction on other family members AND their abusers are the most common factors that lead to recantation.

In gang cases, victims are often. silent due to a code- one that isn’t hard to understand, but contributes to the power that criminal enterprises have to intimidate entire communities. This is also evidenced in the refusals of independent witnesses to participate.

So, yes. The law gives the COURTS the power to maintain some level of control over witnesses, as a safeguard. To make sure that their testimony actually makes it into the record. So that juries and judges can actually make a decision based on evidence. It is regular practice for defense teams to play directly into the fear and trauma, nodding with concern. They do not want witnesses to testify. We all understand this, right? Even when their clients are obviously guilty. Even when their clients admit to them, in private, that they did it and can’t wait to do it again. How do I know this? I recall it vividly from my own interview with the L.A. County Public Defender’s office, years ago.

Is jail the right place for terrified witnesses and victims? Fuck no. Let me know when you have another idea. When you’ve built the safe and comfortable “Witness Protection Facility” that we’d much prefer.

I’d never malign the noble task of representing the rights of the accused. For all the problems this system has, justice is only achieved with effective attorneys on both sides. Sadly, the whining, social media-climbing, attention-starved lawyers yelping on about how great George Gascón is don’t appreciate the balance of scales. It’s only justice if their clients get to go on with their lives, leaving victims, witnesses, and communities worse off than they were before.

Every time a defense attorney (or an Adewale) claims that prosecutors only care about getting convictions, my blood boils.

I would never try to sell the idea that all defense attorneys do this or that. Generalizations are nonsense. If there are DAs out there who only care about statistics, and not at all about restoring victims’ feelings of safety in their neighborhoods, point them out. I’ll fight them myself. People’s lives are at stake. The lives of the victims AND the accused. There is no “winning” in this position: someone has already been hurt. We cannot undo that. All we can do is make sure they feel seen, and that their lives matter, too. We prosecute on behalf of black, brown, and white lives. Immigrant lives and citizen lives. Pink hair, blue nails, red Jordans. Purple hoodies, blue low-riders. Lives with criminal records. Lives with mental illness. Lives with debt. Lives with regrets. We do what we can to protect all of them. Yeah, even when they tell us to fuck off. Even when they hate us and love the one who literally stabbed them in the back. We stand up for the People.

Why are we painted with such a broad stroke? Why is it so important for you to believe that prosecutors are unethical and scheming and corrupt as a whole?

Because there’s an agenda, of course. If you know the truth about criminal justice in this county, then you’ll see that although imperfect, the District Attorney’s office is not monstrous. Your District Attorney hears you, and she remains the best person for the job.

People on social media often don’t have a clue what they’re talking about. That’s fine.

However, it is repugnant when actual criminal attorneys on either side (hi Spooky-Booky-Boo!) disrespect constituents by exploiting their lack of knowledge, blatantly lying about how things work.

They know that they are misleading you, L.A. County. They think that you’re too stupid to ask questions or fact-check. They want you to follow their bullshit soundbites right to the polls.

We are supposed to work together for justice, and you know what? Most often, we do. There are numerous defense attorneys that I hold in high regard.

But not these assholes who are treating you like morons. They are an embarrassment to the practice of law and to civil service.

Vote for whomever you want for District Attorney, L.A. County. Just don’t cast your vote based on lies, game-playing, and opportunism. Victims of serious and violent crime deserve better than that.

Jackie Lacey didn’t choose the death penalty, YOU did. At the polls.

Jackie Lacey didn’t write the laws that enable the court to secure witnesses. Sacramento did.

Jackie Lacey didn’t write the law that defines excessive force. The Judicial Council did.

And do understand that for every case that could not legally be filed against a police officer, there are 50 that could not legally filed against a civilian. Our sons, friends, cousins, sisters, mentees.

There are hallways full of reports that did not reach the filing standard. Had we followed our hearts and filed anyway, we’d have abused our power. Right?

We don’t pick the tragedies that occur in our world. We don’t get to script them or cast roles. We do what we can with what we are given. The same laws that they say “protect” police officers have also protected some of you. Is that a good or bad thing? Not today’s issue.

Today, the issue is that some of you have been misled to the point of turning your backs on the first black and/or female District Attorney of this county, who has busted her ass seeking justice for all of us for decades. Decades! You’re mad about systemic racism and injustice. I. AM. TOO.

You’re ready to throw Jackie away because you’re hurting, and you want to punish someone.

Then here comes George Gascón rolling into town, waving shiny objects in your faces, and telling you that he cares.

He just got here, and he doesn’t give a shit about you. The last time he worked here, he was one of the police officers everyone hates so much.

If Gascón wasn’t a political thirst-bucket, he’d tell you the truth: being the District Attorney ain’t easy, and Jackie Lacey is NOT the problem with the criminal justice system.

Is it really that easy to fool you, L.A. County?

Don’t humiliate yourselves this way.