LASA considered law and justice this month. We visited LAPD Rampart and welcomed
Isaac Bryan, Director of Public Policy of UCLA’s Million Dollar Hoods Project. Instead of reflecting on the day after we gather, this month LASA reviewed Million Dollar Hoods’ website and mapping room and framed questions for LAPD and Isaac that they shared in advance our of Saturday together.
LASA’s questions for LAPD included:
“[W]hat could police do to change their role from the protectors of the status quo for the privileged to one that would protect and serve all communities in Los Angeles?”
“What community building programs do you have and what do you think the purpose of incarceration is and does it succeed at that and why are there disproportionate percentages of people of color in our prison system? What measures have you taken to clean up your act in relation to targeted policing and brutality?”
“When a colleague is in an officer involved shooting, how does it affect thedepartment? Also, in cases where use of force is needed, how does an officer determine that? In the heat of the moment, an officer may use excessive force, but how can officers use avoid doing so?” LASA raised many of these and others during our visit to Rampart. Thanks to Sergeant Marcela Garcia of the Community Relations Office for coordinating with us and for sharing her journey to and within LAPD. After returning to The Huntington, Isaac joined us to share about his path to his current work.
Based on their review of the data and website, LASA wondered:
“[I]n what ways could the money wasted on needless incarceration be
repurposed to rehabilitate inmates as opposed to throwing them behind bars?”
“What are the effects of unequal incarceration in Los Angeles on the cities that surround us?”
“What manifested Los Angeles into becoming the capital of incarceration?. . . How come 1 billion dollars is being put in annually into the prison system, but there’s not much news about reform programs post-incarnation or instead of it?”
Our conversation with Isaac covered much of the above as well as policing/criminalizing homelessness, LAUSD policing of students, the justice costs of bail, and moving towards freedom dreams. LASA students took home copies of Kelly Lytle Hernández’ City of Inmates and our warmest wishes for the rest of 2019. We are grateful for this time together and for all that we have learned so far. LASA will reconvene in January to consider transportation in the LA of today and tomorrow.
