Amid Rising Scrutiny of LAPD Tactics, Activists Plan Dec. 13 March
A pattern of “I wasn’t aware” from Mayor Karen Bass fuels community distrust over LAPD leadership — while the Mayor refuses to answer press inquiries.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing escalating pressure from activists who accuse her administration of ignoring or downplaying documented police misconduct — pressure that is now turning into coordinated street action on Dec. 13. The march, organized by a coalition of grassroots groups, follows a summer of violent police encounters and a series of public exchanges in which Bass admitted she was concerned about major allegations surrounding LAPD tactics, was unaware of federal involvement in personnel decisions and disagreed with ballooning liability costs.
The protest is being organized by 50501_socal, (local arm of the 50501movement) an organization formed during this summer’s protests. According to its website, 50501_socal is a decentralized, youth-led volunteer network focused on civil rights, jail support and police accountability. The group has been tracking incidents of excessive force, assisting injured demonstrators and archiving eyewitness video — work organizers say has been crucial because “official accounts frequently contradict what is happening on the ground.”
One such incident involved Alexandria Augustine, a 25-year-old protester who was arrested and charged with assaulting a federal officer with a 15-ounce umbrella she used to shield herself from bear mace, pepper balls and rubber bullets. Eyewitness video contradicted the official account and the arrest report, leading a jury to find Augustine not guilty.
“We’re organizing a little action,” Augustine said in a social media post announcing the march. “But first, I want people to see what has been happening on the ground — the violence, the detentions, the tactics that the mayor claims she somehow didn’t know about.”
A Town Hall That Deepened Distrust
The upcoming march follows a November virtual town hall with Mayor Bass where activists accused LAPD of working with ICE and called for the removal of LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, who took office in November 2024.
“I know a lot of people have said LAPD isn’t assisting ICE and DHS — but they are,” one activist said. “The level of brutality, the intimidation — it’s clear that DHS makes a phone call and LAPD shows up.”
LAPD Chief Emada Tingirides, who was present at the meeting, did not dispute the claim.
“We are caught in the middle,” Tingirides said. “There are times when a radio call comes out — whether it’s a kidnapping call or federal immigration requesting help from LAPD for public safety reasons — LAPD does respond.”
A Familiar Response: “I Wasn’t Aware”
During the town hall — first reported by The Inclusive Voices Network — Augustine asked Bass if she was aware of an LA Times article outlining how Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli had allegedly influenced LAPD personnel decisions and protest-response strategies.
Bass responded:
“First of all, I’m not aware of the LA Times article that you’re talking about, and I would have no idea as to what personnel decisions that Bill Essayli could be influencing.”
When Augustine asked if the Mayor was aware of the public campaign to remove Chief McDonnell, Bass again said:
“I am not aware, but I’m not shocked that there are people who are not happy with him. I did not know there was an organized response to that.”
Pressed on whether she would support the community’s call for McDonnell’s removal, Bass declined.
“No, I do not support his removal.”
Why?
“Because I don’t think that his tenure over a year warrants his removal.”
For many activists, the exchange cemented a pattern they say defines the mayor’s handling of LAPD oversight. Earlier in the same town hall, Bass denied knowledge of nearly $384 million in LAPD liability payouts over six years — a figure drawn from the city’s own budget.
“She is never aware of anything,” Augustine said afterward. “All her responses are: ‘I wasn’t aware of that. I didn’t know about that. We’ll look into that.’ You aren’t aware that thousands of people have been brutalized at the Metropolitan Detention Center, right around the corner from your office?”
City Council Expands LAPD’s “Less-Lethal” Arsenal
Compounding tensions, the Los Angeles City Council voted 8–4 last week to continue authorizing LAPD to deploy 40mm foam bullet launchers and tear gas — weapons repeatedly used on protesters this summer.
Under California’s AB 481, police departments must publicly track and justify the use of military-grade equipment, including tear gas and projectile launchers. The law also requires annual approval by the City Council, which took place on Dec. 2.
Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, who introduced an amendment to ban the weapons, argued LAPD has repeatedly violated state restrictions and federal court orders.
“In recent months, we’ve watched this equipment deployed in ways that echo the same intimidation tactics we condemn in ICE raids — tactics that erode trust and violate basic legal protections,” Soto-Martínez said. “Our residents should be able to exercise their rights without being met with [foam] bullets or tear gas.”
LAPD Chief McDonnell defended the weapons as:
“a de-escalation tool, short of using deadly force.”
Yet Los Angeles has paid over $384 million in liability claims in six years — more than $50 million in LAPD-related civil rights settlements and use-of-force settlements in 2024 alone, according to the city controller.
Witnesses and video show LAPD deploying less-lethal munitions at crowds who were fleeing, not resisting, and at people who did not appear to be participating in protests at all. Journalists were also struck, prompting the Los Angeles Press Club to sue. A judge issued an injunction prohibiting the use of force on credentialed media; LAPD attempted to overturn the order, calling it “operationally impracticable.” The judge refused.
A Mayor Silent: An Investigation Into Questions She Would Not Answer
What the mayor knew — and when — has become central to the growing distrust between City Hall and Angelenos demanding accountability. So when The Inclusive Voices Network set out to verify the Mayor’s statements, we did what any newsroom would do: we asked.
What followed revealed as much as the unanswered questions themselves.
On December 8, we sent Mayor Bass’ office a detailed list of inquiries. They were not unusual, nor complicated. We asked:
What became of the investigation she said she ordered after watching videos of LAPD use of force, firing foam rounds, tear gas and pepper balls at protesters and bystanders who appeared to pose no threat?
What if anything is she doing to ensure that LAPD is held accountable for actions she said were concerning?
Why the department resumed using tear gas for crowd control after nearly five decades without it?
Whether she supports LAPD’s expanded use of 40 mm launchers, especially after the City Council vote?
Whether she had reviewed allegations that U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli may be influencing LAPD personnel decisions?
Why she continues to back Chief Jim McDonnell despite lawsuits, injuries and community campaigns calling for his removal?
If she plans to meet to issue any public statement or meet with organizers before or after the Dec. 13 march?
And why the city has refused to release the recording of her November town hall — a recording activists have requested repeatedly. Would they release it to the press?
These were questions born directly from her own words and from documented public concern. We gave her 48 hours to respond.
She did not.
We sent a second request which also went unanswered.
We called the Mayor’s Office — not for a statement, but simply to confirm that the emails were received. A man answered, the switchboard operator. When we asked whether the Mayor’s communications staff had seen our inquiry, he said he could not tell us. We asked if he could connect us to someone who could. He could not.
“We just need to ensure the Mayor has the opportunity to respond,” we explained, “because the story will be published.”
There was a pause, then:
“Please hold.”
When he returned, the answer was the same as before:
“No one from the communications office is available. You should resend the email.”
So we did which also went unanswered.
The silence now raised a new set of questions — ones not about LAPD, but about the mayor herself.
Is Mayor Bass refusing to answer questions? Or does she view The Inclusive Voices Network — and its readers — as unworthy of a response?
Her office’s lack of response stands in sharp contrast to her appearance on local radio and TV during the same period, where she spoke in detail about the plan to hire more officers — a proposal that would cost the city an additional $4.4 million..
A Coordinated Three-Site Demonstration
Organizers say the lack of transparency mirrors a broader pattern of unanswered questions surrounding LAPD oversight — one reason 50501_socal is spearheading a three-site action on Dec. 13. Rallies will launch simultaneously at multiple parks before converging on City Hall in what organizers describe as a march against “systemic indifference to police violence.”
“All roads lead back to Bass,” Augustine said. “The people deserve a mayor who is informed, active and present. I am tired of political clip-farming. I am tired of begging for her attention. She works for us.”
Organizers expect a significant turnout, including volunteer medics, legal observers, jail support teams and community groups who have collaborated with 50501_socal since the summer.