Demonstrators are expected to gather in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon to protest Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey, who has come under fire for not prosecuting more police officers for misconduct.
The planned protest follows weeks of marches across the region, expressing outrage at police brutality and the killing of George Floyd. Lacey, who is locked in a runoff for reelection, was targeted by protesters last week.
Lacey survived a heated primary against former San Francisco Dist. Atty. George Gascón and former public defender Rachel Rossi, but now faces a November runoff against Gascón.
Lacey, who has described herself as among the first district attorneys in the country to champion a diversion program that routes certain offenders to mental health treatment rather than criminal prosecution, would serve a third term if reelected.
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Activists criticized the longtime district attorney earlier this year for backing out of candidate forums and limiting public appearances after protesters disrupted a debate.
Then on the eve of her primary election, a video showing Lacey’s husband pointing a gun at unarmed Black Lives Matter protesters during a confrontation outside the couple’s home in March went viral.
Video from the scene shows her husband, David, who is a former investigative auditor for the district attorney’s office, standing in the doorway of their Granada Hills home pointing a gun and shouting, “I will shoot you. Get off of my porch.”
The incident prompted an LAPD response, but no one was hurt or arrested.
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Lacey offered an apology on her husband’s behalf but also derided protesters for what she said was repeated harassment and threats throughout her two terms in office.
“His response was in fear, and now that he realizes what happened he wanted me to say to the protesters, the person that he showed the gun to, that he was sorry, that he’s profoundly sorry, that he meant no one any harm,” Lacey said, her voice swelling with emotion.
