Transcript:
Mayor Karen Bass’s Staff:
Taylor Marie Smith, are you there? We’ll go ahead and pull you in, and we’ll we’ll pin you and see your face as well.
Taylor Marie Smith | Community Activist:
Cool. Can you hear me okay?
Mayor Karen Bass’s Staff:
We can hear you. Yep, go ahead.
Taylor Marie Smith | Community Activist:
All right, well hi everyone. Hi Mayor Karen Bass. As Eddie said, we’ve been trying to get ahold of you for a while. This is exciting.
Thank you for taking the time, and as Alex mentioned, we have been down at the Metropolitan Detention Center, 535 North Alameda Street, really since June, since June 6th. But we’ve been there every day since like early July, and we’re not just protesting, but we are documenting.
We’re documenting the women and children in chains. We’re documenting the masked men. We’re documenting all seeing the evil that’s happening within our city, and so my question is, I know a lot of people have spoken about how LAPD is not assisting ICE and DHS; however, they are.
The level of prior restraint that we’ve seen as protesters at 535 North Alameda Street is egregious. The level of brutality and force, and you know Alex mentioned before 4118, just level of intimidation, and it’s clear that DHS makes a phone call and then LAPD shows up.
So why is that happening?
Shouldn’t the priority of the Los Angeles Police Department be to uphold the law and protect the residents of Los Angeles?
If it’s about public safety, then why, you know, why are they, why is LAPD not checking for, you know, taking off the mask, checking the checking the warrants, checking the badges?
There’s a lot of crazy things happening right now and no one, LAPD is not stopping that. However, they are attacking Dodgers fans celebrating in the middle of the street, not even protesters, just taxpaying citizens who are celebrating the Dodgers winning, and LAPD is tear gassing them on horses, beating them with sticks, and it was a family event. Everyone was there, so that was a very long question, but that’s my question.
Mayor Karen Bass:
Chief Tingerese, are you gonna respond to that? I will too, when you’re finished.
LAPD Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides:
Yes, thank you, Mayor. Hi, Taylor, it’s Chief T. Hi. And I know we’ve had this discussion, and I clearly understand the frustration and the concern. What I will tell you, Taylor, and hopefully you’ve seen a difference, is the calls from DHS to that location have almost subsided for LAPD to come and respond to any type of help call or assistance from DHS. And I’m hoping you see a reduction in that. Secondly, we have discussed the 4118 and some of the action that had taken regarding taking down some tents early on in the summer. And I prepared something that I gave to our mutual friend and specifically for Daniel, because I know he had a lot of questions centered around the 4118 enforcement and the tents up, tents down enforcement.
As it relates to the Dodgers, you’re right; it was a family event and it was celebratory. And on the other hand, we do recognize that the officers are responding to large crowds, full beer cans being thrown at them, high-grade fireworks, exhibition of speed, and donuts in the crowd. And they had to respond to that as well. And although it was something celebratory, it did turn towards nightfall into something unacceptable for public safety. And there was a response by LAPD.
Every single use of force will be investigated. Every body-worn video will be reviewed, and LAPD will ensure that every angle and every concern is looked at from that regard. I will say that it’s unfortunate that the nightfall turned into something that was absolutely unacceptable for public safety, including some of the young kids who were at bus stops with cars doing donuts, where a car could go out of control and go up on a sidewalk and hit someone.
So our biggest concern was public safety. And I appreciate those questions, Taylor, and you keeping me real and honest in the critical dialogue that still needs to happen, centered around these concerns.
Mayor Karen Bass:
Well, and I will say that I have seen several tapes that are very concerning to me, and you might not see me having press conferences about it, and that might frustrate you, but I am very concerned about it. I’ve raised it and want it to be investigated. And I will tell you the one that I saw from the other night where the mounted patrol officer was using his horse to nudge the crowd and then pulled out a stick or something and was hitting protesters.
I have met with the chief about, and I am very concerned about that, but there are other instances like that as well.
Taylor Marie Smith | Community Activist:
Thank you. And I am another person calling for Jim McDonald’s removal as someone who has been at the L. A. Commission Police Commission meetings and as someone who has been very vocal at City Council. I do think it’s time. He’s not what we, the people, need for Los Angeles right now.
Mayor Karen Bass Staff:
Okay. Thank you, Taylor.
