Today I, alongside my colleagues, will introduce a motion to replace LAPD officers with unarmed, non-law enforcement agencies who will be responsible for responding to non-violent calls for service.
The Los Angeles City Council has just approved the first step in our plan to replace LAPD with a community-based, unarmed emergency responders for non-violent calls for service. This is the dawn of a new era of public safety in Los Angeles.
Figueroa St. will soon be Kobe Bryant Blvd. between Olympic & MLK.
Kobe’s legacy is bigger than basketball.
#KobeBryantBlvd
will be a reminder to everyone, young and old who drive down it, there is no obstacle too big and that with the
#Mambamentality
, anything is possible.
The presenters from
@BLMALA
,
@WeBldPwr
,
@LAVoice
with
#PeoplesBudgetLA
were absolutely right, we need to reimagine public safety in the 21st century. One which reduces the need for armed police presence, especially when the situation does not necessarily require it.
We have gone from asking the police to be part of the solution, to being the only solution for problems they should not be called on to solve in the first place.
My colleague
@C6Nury
& I are calling for a systematic crisis-response plan to replace police presence in non-criminal situations with unarmed service providers including medical professionals, mental health workers, homeless outreach workers and others with specialized training.
We’ve given this responsibility to law enforcement but, more often than not, in non-emergencies they may not be best equipped to safely handle the situation. These calls need to be directed to workers with specialized training who are better equipped to handle the situation.
#NipseyHussle
created a legacy that will last long after his life on earth. Thanks to the leadership of
@mhdcd8
, Angelenos will remember the impact he made on so many whenever they drive through the intersection of Crenshaw and Slauson.
The bottom line is that the way things have been going is not working for our communities. This last month has made that crystal clear. We have a responsibility to listen to our people, and our people have spoken.
I look forward to continuing this work alongside
@BLMLA
.
This won't solve all of our problems right away. But this move marks a sea change in our city's approach to public safety and I'm optimistic cities and counties across the nation will follow our lead.
Some of the greatest
@Dodgers
of all time stopped by City Hall for the unveiling of the team's 60th anniversary logo! It was an honor to meet
#baseball
legends
@SteveGarvey6
, Fernando Valenzuela, Ron Cey and Steve Yeager.
#DodgersLoveLA
To the people who peacefully protested to change our community for the better, thank you. To the agitators looting our neighborhoods, we see you for who you are, using this moment as a cover to sow terror. We won't allow you to destroy what we’ve built. We won't tolerate it.
We need to cancel rent. We need to forgive mortgage payments. We need debtless health care for every American. We need a New Deal-style jobs initiative.
Jay Rock's got the key to
#Watts
! This is a man who's achieved some of the biggest accomplishments possible in music but has never forgotten where he came from. He's a true role model for the youth of Watts and
#SouthLA
.
Get your beards on — today is officially Justin Turner Day in Los Angeles! Through their work on and off the field,
@redturn2
and
@court_with_a_K
have made our city a brighter place. Their hearts couldn't be bigger, and they both embody the best of the
@Dodgers
spirit.
Today in
@LACity
is
#MustardDay
. We have watched
@mustard
grow from a Dorsey High Schooler to a Grammy Award winner - no matter how successful he has become, he has never forgotten his
#CD10
roots. We honor him for his generosity in giving back to the community that raised him.
Tomorrow LA's Ad Hoc Committee on Police Reform will meet to review many of the proposals put forward over the last several weeks, including our plan to develop an unarmed model of crisis response to divert non-violent calls for service away from LAPD.
A few weeks ago, we met two middle-aged white men from
@SORONC
who said they were planning on doing “landscaping” under this underpass at Cattaraugus/10 where unhoused neighbors were living.
Today, we returned to find this.
Care to comment,
@HerbJWesson
?
To
@BLMLA
,
@CoCoSouthLA
,
@LACANetwork
,
@WeBldPwr
and the
#PeopleBudgetLA
, I will do whatever I can to enact bold, structural change. It’s time that we abolish an economic and cultural system reliant on the suffering of black and brown bodies to exist.
We have had enough of that.
We've just been informed that
@LACityPets
is assisting in the evacuation of animals affected by the
#WoolseyFire
. Aid their efforts by fostering or adopting pets from the East Valley, West Valley and West L.A. shelters. Your help will save lives.
We need an immediate investigation into the incident with Dr. Melina Abdullah (
@DocMellyMel
) this morning at her home. This appears to be an illegal act of swatting (a prank call to bring armed officers to a particular address) and we need to hold whoever did this accountable.
It’s here! Join us May 4 for the Obama Blvd. naming ceremony and street festival! The event is FREE to the public but tickets are limited, so sign up to reserve your spot today ➡️
#ObamaFestLA
#ObamaBlvd
It’s official - Rodeo Rd. is now
#ObamaBlvd
. For every child who will drive down this street and see the name of the first Black President of our country, this boulevard will serve as a physical reminder that no goal is out of reach and that no dream is too big.
Congratulations
@LAFC
on earning a spot in the
@MLS
playoffs! Only a handful of teams have accomplished this in their inaugural year. Let's keep making history.
A big thank you to all of these local icons for getting behind my campaign! These people inspire so many people to be the best version of themselves, and I’m honored to have their support.
#WessonForSupervisor
Happy
#LAFC
Day, LA!
A year ago
@LAFC
played their first home game at
@BancStadium
. We’re celebrating LA’s newest soccer team and their successful inaugural year by encouraging Angelenos to go out and engage with their community. So find your cause and do some good today!
Very excited to welcome Chris Pine to City Council this morning as he wanted to see how city government works. Council is open to the public Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday - come by and see for yourself!
RIP Nipsey Hussle. He inspired so many people and loved the community he came from. His legacy will live on through his children, his music, all those he positively impacted, and his work on
#DestinationCrenshaw
. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones.
#SouthLA
The City of Angels got another today. We named August 24 Kobe Bryant Day in honor of the greatness he achieved not just on the court but off. The pride of our city and a role model to children around the world. Mamba Mentality will live forever. Praying for Vanessa and his girls.
Tomorrow Rodeo Rd. will officially become
#ObamaBlvd
, and we're celebrating the only way we know how to in LA: food trucks, vendors and great music. The lineup has been finalized and we’re excited to see you all there! Please review the
#ObamaFestLA
Do's + Don'ts before arriving.
In 2017,
@DodgersFdn
contributed over $1.5M to local organizations -- impacting over 1M young Angelenos. Funding projects from literacy programs to Dreamfields, these grants empower communities. Thank you
@Dodgers
for everything done in
#CD10
and beyond!
I won’t be a Councilmember forever, but I’m always going to be a black man, a black father, a black son, and I’ll do whatever I can to make sure my people get free.
Thank you to my bros
@chadgoesdeep
and JT for stopping by City Hall today to present me with this epic gift. My Hawaiian shirt game has never been stronger.
Los Angeles continues to bring our world closer together. Travelers will soon be able to fly nonstop from
@flyLAXairport
to West Africa on
@flyethiopian
, making our airport one of only two in the world to serve nonstop flights to 6 continents.
At this time of Thanksgiving and gathering loved ones together, I wanted to share a personal story about addiction and homelessness. This issue affects our family like so many others. We have to do more.
#SearchingForDoug
28 years ago today, LA descended into chaos as four LAPD officers were acquitted for the beating of Rodney King. It led to deep suffering for our city and in particular our Black and Korean communities. While we’ve come a long way since then, we still have much work to do.
The
@ASPCA
has awarded
@lacitypets
a $200,000 grant to facilitate adoptions for our city's homeless cats. This means you can now save a cat's life for FREE in
@LACity
. Stop by one of our 6 shelters or learn more at .
Our only path forward is to dismantle the systems that are designed to harm people of color. A preliminary cut to the LAPD budget will not solve everything, but it’s a step toward to being the city we aspire to be.
To the man who gave this city his all, who taught us how to be better with
#MambaMentality
, who gave back to his community more than we even realized, we miss him everyday. Los Angeles isn’t the same without you. Happy birthday Kobe.
Excited to introduce our grandson Lincoln Alexander Wesson! This little angel came into the world yesterday morning and brought an unbelievable amount of joy with him.
Today I joined my fellow Angelenos to make sure their right to peacefully protest was protected and to hear directly about what a
#PeoplesBudgetLA
means to them. Change happens when leaders listen. Thank you all for taking the time to speak with me.
Today we celebrate
#LarryItliongDay
, one of the fathers of the West Coast labor movement. His leadership during the Delano Grape Strike was instrumental in gaining higher wages for farm workers. Thank you, Larry Itliong, for your tireless work for the labor movement.
The goal of Bridge Housing is to be just that - a bridge to help our unhoused residents get back on their feet & have the basic dignity of a roof over their head while they transition to permanent housing. The SEZs don't further that objective nor make our neighborhoods safer.
Congratulations to a phenomenal Laker team bringing the championship trophy back to where it belongs. What an incredible tribute to Kobe and the Bryant family. I can't wait to celebrate this championship and many more to come on Kobe Bryant Boulevard.
#MambaForever
April 26, 1928 ➡️ April 26, 2018
Wow! Today marks 90 years of Los Angeles City Hall. We're feeling extra grateful for this building, the many Angelenos who have walked its halls and how it embodies the best of our city.
This weekend is going to be one of the hottest of the summer, and it’s crucial our most vulnerable neighbors have a place to go to beat the heat. The Lafayette Park Recreation Center will be open as a cooling center from 12pm-7pm today and tomorrow. All are welcome.
I'll be at City Hall on Friday standing alongside community members who are committed to
#endhomelessness
through rapid, compassionate action. Join us as we send a strong signal that while this crisis may be bigger than each of us, it will require all of us to find solutions.
While she’s known to all of you as an activist with
@BLMLA
,
@DocMellyMel
is the mother of three children and to put her family through this is unacceptable, no matter where your politics may lie.
Today Councilwoman Nury Martinez became the first Latina elected to be President Pro Tempore of the Los Angeles City Council. She continues to pave the way for women in our city and beyond.
@CD6Nury
, it was an honor to cast my vote for you and help make this history.
Welcome to
#LosAngeles
@KingJames
! I, like yourself, moved here from Cleveland and made this city home. If you ever need a fellow Ohioan to sub for you, I’ll be here practicing my jumpshot and attempting to grow 16 inches. - Herb
A huge thank you to the more than 23,000 people who came out and made our
#ObamaBlvd
dedication such a special event today. President Obama had a few words to share with us...
Chadwick Boseman showed the power and beauty of Blackness. He often played a hero, we rarely get to see on a movie screen, and in doing so proved to the world we are Kings and Queens.
Wakanda Forever,
#RIP
Chadwick Boseman.
In 1936 Victor Green created a guide to help African-Americans travel safely. His book listed thousands of places and created a network for people of color. Thank you
@CurbedLA
for reminding us of the role these L.A. landmarks played in history.
Welcomed
@Tonysuniverse
to City Hall for a special celebration: his 25th anniversary with
@FOXLA
. Mornings in L.A. wouldn't be the same without him. Thanks Tony for doing right by our city, one broadcast at a time.
Also
#OTD
in 2008,
@BarackObama
became the first African-American presidential nominee from a major political party. Today our council gave final approval to our motion to rename Rodeo Road to Obama Boulevard. Proud to take this next step on a day that meant so much to so many.
The change required won’t happen with one piece of legislation and it won’t happen overnight, but this preliminary budget cut of at least $100m-150m is a step in the right direction.
I proudly stand with the people of Armenia around the world against the flagrant and unprovoked attacks in Artsakh. The images coming out of Artsakh truly shock the conscience of anyone who stands for peace.
Thank you to the officials in Washington DC, Governor
@GavinNewsom
and all the others who were instrumental in getting the USNS Mercy Hospital Ship to the Port of LA. This will become the largest hospital in LA once it docks in port with 1000 beds.
These numbers are not an accident. The time is now to treat systemic racism like a public health crisis. We're seeing the same thing in LA County that we've been seeing across the country and it shines a light on a broken healthcare system that does not work for “we the people.”
Powerful statement by the NBA teams today. Black men are valued when they play for your favorite team, but these men are standing up for those who aren't on your tv screen. For those of us facing systemic racism & oppression daily. For Jacob Blake, Breonna Taylor & too many more.
Today we rallied not for ourselves, but for the families sleeping on our streets hoping for a place to start their journey back to a home. As Angelenos with compassionate hearts and focused minds, the fight to
#endhomelessness
doesn't stand a chance.
There is not enough that can be said about John Singleton and the profound impact he made in his 51 years of life. To honor his legacy today will officially be known as John Singleton Day in Los Angeles.
Rallied with
@flyLAXairport
TSA officers today in calling for an end to the federal government shutdown. These Angelenos work tirelessly to keep us safe, and it is a disgrace that they are not being paid.
We're at 10,000 responses for our survey! If you haven't already, please take time to fill out the survey below. We will be hosting “Reimagining Public Safety: An Unarmed Crisis Response” virtual town halls starting Aug 13. More details to come.
Survey ➡️
A few thoughts on the signs put up around our city recently:
1) Govt. assistance is a federal program administered by the state NOT city
2) "Illegal aliens"... seriously?
3) Potholes can be easily fixed by calling
@MyLA311
Friends don't let friends fall victim to
#fakenews
.
The moment for community-led change is now. I’m proud of our Ad Hoc Committee on Police Reform for moving our plan to divert non-violent calls away from LAPD one step closer to reality this morning. This may be uncomfortable for some of my colleagues but we cannot waver.