‘We’re terrorized’: LA sheriffs frequently harass families of people they kill, says report [by ACLU, BLM-LA, NLG, others]

Manchester Guardian ^ | Tue 4 May 2021 17.07 EDT | Sam Levin

[Olog-hai]

Los Angeles sheriff deputies frequently harass the families of people they have killed, including taunting them at vigils, parking outside their homes and following them and pulling them over for no reason, according to a new report from the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

The LA sheriff’s department (LASD), which has faced national scrutiny for its corruption scandals and killings of young Black and Latino men, has routinely retaliated against victims’ relatives who speak out, the groups said in the report released on Tuesday.

The authors collected detailed accounts of alleged harassment from the families of Paul Rea, an 18-year-old killed during a traffic stop in 2019, and Anthony Vargas, a 21-year-old shot 13 times in 2018. The report, also produced by Black Lives Matter LA and Centro Community Service Organization, alleges:

• LASD deputies regularly drive by or park in front of the Rea and Vargas families’ homes and workplaces and at times have taken photos or recorded them for no reason.
• Deputies have repeatedly pulled over relatives, searched their cars and detained and arrested them without probable cause, allegedly in retaliation for their protests.
• Officers have shown up to vigils and family gatherings, at times mocking and laughing at them or threatening to arrest them, and have also damaged items at memorial sites. […]

LASD, the largest county police agency in the US, has faced increasing backlash in recent years for alleged misconduct and abuse by organized gangs of deputies engaged in violence and civil rights violations. The NLG report alleges that stations with officer gangs have been responsible for some of the harassment. …

[BenLurkin]

Probably because the deceased thugs came from criminal families, and investigating criminal activities is NOT harassment.

[Altura Ct.]

ACLU, BLM-LA, NLG, others

Those are certainly groups I trust...NOT

[PGR88]

If you are investigating criminal gangs, you try to understand their associates and networks. Its not hard to understand.

[BenLurkin]

Just my opinion.

[Uncle Miltie]

The NLG are full communists.

[Paved Paradise]

I absolutely do not believe this.

[BlackAdderess]

Well, that all sounds terrible, but given all the gaslighting that deplorables like myself have and continue to receive, we need proof. The police we know in reasonable non-West Coast states don’t do things like that. We did have one Caliweird sheriff’s office import who was batshit crazy, so who is to say? But people can literally say anything, there needs to be proof.

[ETCM]

Yep. Just because a scumbag criminal is killed, doesn’t mean the scumbag criminal’s family members get free reign.

[TankerKC]

Probably...

Maybe.

Or maybe the LASD has some bad apples.

Probably both.

[reasonisfaith]

But the ACLU and the NLG are communist organizations.

[reasonisfaith]

So there’s no good reason for any American to consider them valid organizations.

[Chaguito]

Juxtapose this article with the video of the black teacher acting the fool with a deputy, and ask yourself who you believe.

[Seruzawa]

The LA County Sheriffs have had a bad rep for decades. But not anything like this. But if you follow Chris Rock’s rules you’ll probably be okay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj0mtxXEGE8

[Bob434]

Yep- I’m sure cops are intentionally antagonizing a powerful violent movement by going after black folks ‘for no reason whatsoever’, knowing full well that movement will scream and get them fired and cancelled so they can’t get jobs anywhere- maybe 1 or 2 might be numb enough to antagonize blm ‘for no reason whatsoever’, but if it were going on, the whole force would know about it, and the force isn’t stupid enough to allow it to go on

[sport]

I do not believe that for a second.

[Steve_Seattle]

I don’t believe a word of it.

[Mouton]

Maybe they should be harassing them with flamethrowers.

[Olog-hai]

That’s why I pointed out its authors: the American Communist Litigation Union, Black Lies Murder LA, the National Liars’ Guild and the Centro CSO (community organizers).

[SaxxonWoods]

If they are so terrified maybe they should stop being criminals.