WitnessLA—which in this case means me—is interviewing Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón tomorrow, Monday, Aug. 15.
I’ve got a long list of questions already. But if any of you have a query that feels pressing, please get it to me tomorrow, Monday, before 10 a.m. by emailing me at celeste@witnessla.com.
You may also put something in the comment section below.
Thanks in advance for any and all wise thoughts.
I’ll let you know how it goes!
C.
Photo at top courtesy of GeorgeGascón.org
Mr. Gascon, you are always referencing the “research has shown” whenever challenged about your views regarding the failings of the criminal justice system and more specifically the abuses by law enforcement of people of color. Could you provide references to this research? Many would be interested in reading these papers themselves to understand the methodology and conclusions drawn.
Why are you so doggedly rigid when it comes to not adapting your views when it comes to the criminal justice system when real world data conflicts and refutes your research data? Good science require you be willing to continuously adapt and change as new data as gathered.
Why do believe you as a prosecutor can change the life learned behavior of juveniles and adults by not holding them accountable for their crimes? If these individuals come from broken homes or weren’t raised with a sense of morals, values and responsibility isn’t it naive to think you and your policies can right a wrong that was years in the making without any viable options to fix it (i.e, mandatory substance treatment, counseling, accountability etc)?
Where do you see the Los Angeles criminal justice in the next decade based on the current trajectory?
Jonathan Hatami???☝
What sanctions do believe are appropriate for prosecutors that have violated RPC 3.8 and Business & Professional Code 6068.7 with regard to refusing to distribute known Brady material?
What remedies will your office automatically support for those subject to wrongful convictions due to new evidence of Brady material? New trial?
What remedies will your office automatically support for those subject to wrongful convictions due to prosecutorial misconduct [failure to distribute] known Brady material? Dismissal?
Will your office conduct a Conviction Review Unit [CRU] for EVERY case affected by this plethora of Brady material?
Will your office cooperate in a Conviction Integrity Unit [CIU] investigation of all prosecutors and judges that were complicit in the years worth of wrongful convictions?
Why have you not published your Brady List [as required; and, (campaign) promised]?
What is your long term plan for the safety of Los Angeles County and how are you partnering with law enforcement execute that plan? How shall we measure your success?
We get it. Jail alone doesn’t make safe cities but other than refusing to prosecute for laws and punishment set forth BY THE PEOPLE via legislature, what programs or bills are you spearheading as an alternative to prosecution? How do you support that infrastructure?
Letting those who commit violence run the street freely is not the answer. Probation can’t keep up, mental health services can’t keep up, and the mental and physical security of our society cannot keep up with the damage being done. Where is your care and concern for victims? What statements do you have for them?
When’s the last time you sat with a grieving mother?
What is your definition of justice?
Appropriate photo selection, his back turned away from the student really captures his time in office.
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/effort-to-recall-l-a-district-attorney-george-gascon-fails-to-make-ballot/
Gascon avoids recall!
Just like the recall of Governor Newsome (well almost as that was cast as an anti -Trump campaign) the feckless, hand-wringing and devoid-of-realty Los Angeles California voters allow themselves to be pissed on and believe it when they are told it’s raining.
SMH
Maybe Newsome will pull a DeSantis? Better yet, when the voters approve the amendment to allow the LA County Board of Supervisors to remove any LA County public elected officials they will seize the opportunity to remove DA Gascon and pivot away from their grotesque fixation on removing Sheriff Villanueva?
500K voters did vote to remove the DA Gascon. The results don’t lie.
Surprise, not surprised. I also believed that Gascon should have been recalled, but I can’t help but note that this 2nd failed attempt to recall him can be easily traced back to the numerous failures of none other than Charlatan Sheriff Alejandro Villanueva as he proudly jumped at the opportunity to be the frontman in this effort in his blatant and desperate attempts to deflect attention from his own inept & pitiful failures. As has been his career long history, it appears that everything Alex touches goes to $#!T!
Chalk up another failed effort to incompetent Alex and his minions.
The irony is Gascon will be laughing and waving bye bye to Alex & Bibi in a little more than 3 months from now.
Adios Alex & Sweatpee
Alex, is that you?
https://www.google.com/search?q=alex+villanueva+calls+out+gascon&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:545e39ef,vid:P-n0hqfWOes,st:0
Judicial reform is what WE need. Do you know mostly all of the Judges in our Criminal Justice System in Los Angeles County are former District Attorneys who worked with and have casual connections to police, police detectives and prosecutors that they worked with on cases and worked with in the same office? These Judges protect their formal colleagues and intentionally prevent prisoners from filing complaints and many times the Judge refuses to conduct an inquiry into the allegations against their former colleagues.
In a directive DA Gascon recognized and addressed this conflict, but the LA County machine is deeply rooted with Judges in LA County who are former LA County prosecutors protecting their friends instead of upholding justice and making sure EVERYONE receive a fair proceeding.
Case in point the Honorable Craig Richman is a former LA county DA. In the case of Stevie J. Stevenson (case number BA011908(02)) serving life without parole for a 1990 kidnap ransom crime, who filed a 1054.9 motion for discovery and obtained evidence that the DA in his case Patricia Wilkinson former Head Deputy of the Los Angeles Major Crimes Unit, withheld documents that showed the lead detectives in his case tortured, battered, assaulted people they arrested. They were sued (BC002201 & BC020272) and found liable just weeks before Stevenson’s trial but Wilkinson did not disclose this info. Despite Stevenson’s numerous attempts to file his discovery request and a pitches motion Judge Richman not only prevented him from doing so but would not allow Stevenson to attend any hearings or have any participation in the proceedings. Stevenson filed a peremptory challenge under CCP 170.6 for Judge Richman to recuse himself because of a conflict of interest but Richman refused to remove himself.
Stevenson filed multiple writ of mandates to the Appellate and Supreme Court and has been ignored. There is a deeply rooted culture that’s been here since peter j pitchess. DA Gascon is a former cop who recognizes it because he was a part of the culture, but he has come back to make it right but those like Steve Cooley Jackie Lacey and every single DA that opposed him doesn’t want reform. Gascon is sending people to prison but he is making sure they have their rights to discovery and a fair trial. The ones who don’t care and want to rid of Gascon are the reason why there are so many people being paid for unlawful convictions because of their misdeeds.
If Gascon is given the chance WE feel he will not only clean up the most largest and diverse county in America but leave safer streets and hold those in law enforcement accountable as well as punishment those who commit crimes.
Everyone has their right to a self-fulfilling fantasy (delusion) and to believe DA George Gascon is a “White Knight in Woke Armor” holding the shield of criminal justice reform. The problem with this belief is that all of Gascon efforts such as Prop 47 and trail of past jobs (Mesa PD Police Chief, San Francisco Police Chief, San Francisco DA) have not lead to a “reimagined criminal justice utopia” but only helped to cause a decline in the overall quality of life of average law abiding people. It’s all fine and dandy to keep people out of jail IF you have programs to help with their drug addiction, violent behavior, criminality, etc., etc. If not, it’s CRIMINAL to catch and release someone in need of “restorative justice” without taking any steps to actually “restore them”.
As the current DA of Los Angels County ,George Gascon’s policies have been an abysmal failure for protecting the citizens of LA County and emboldened criminals to continue down their chosen path of lawlessness unabated. When are his so-called criminal justice reforms going to bear fruit? What are the positive results and data to back up his reforms. DA Gascon is very quick to point at data to support his vision. Where is this data? For the average law abiding individual who is just trying to go to work, support a family and keep themselves and their family safe what has George Gascon and his policies done to achieve that goal? Does he care about the “People” or is he like most of his fellow Soros disciples and more concerned with protecting the rights of criminals over those of victims.?The citizens of San Francisco supported Gascon as their Chief of Police and District Attorney and they clearly were fed up with the decline and decay in their city and not buying into former DA Chesa Boudin’s vision for a dystopian future inspired by the legacy left by Gascon/Soros.
Gascon has survived two recalls in LA County and God only knows how bad it will be once he comes up for actual re-election once his term is up.
But hey, elections have consequences unless people don’t like the outcome and are convinced otherwise.
I’m sure Alex with blame this on Gascon.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-01/mistrial-sheriff-department-jail-conditions
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