Jackie Lacey Concedes in the Race Against George Gascón for L.A. District Attorney
Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey conceded the election to her opponent George Gascon on November 6, 2020 at the Hall of Justice in Los Angeles, California. Lacey's office has drawn the ire of activitsts claiming that she refused to prosecute law enforcement officers in cases involving use of force. (Maxim Elramsisy/The Corsair)
Jackie Lacey gave her final speech as District Attorney (D.A.) of Los Angeles today, November 6, to a room of masked reporters inside the Hall of Justice. After holding her position for eight years, Lacey has officially conceded to opponent George Gascón.
“I congratulate George Gascón and his team on their expected victory,” Lacey said. “There are still about 791,000 votes to count, but my consultants tell me that while I may close the gap between the two of us, I will not be able to make up enough based on the trending of the ballots to win this election.”
As of Thursday, November 5, former District Attorney of San Fransicsco George Gascón was leading Lacey with nearly 54% of the vote.
Over the course of Lacey’s 10-minute speech, she listed off the accomplishments of her tenure as D.A., including her efforts to reduce jail populations at the onset of COVID-19. Lacey’s voice cracked with emotion as she elaborated on the current state of the nation and what she feels her loss may represent in the future.
“The circumstances of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery gave breath to an in-progress discussion of racism, policing, and criminal justice reform. These incidents were painful, and exposed an issue that existed in this country for years -- racism,” Lacey said. “Our nation is going through a reckoning, and what happened in my election may one day be listed as a consequence of that. It may be said that one day, the results of this election is a result of our season of discontent and a demand to see a tsunami of change.”
George Gascón acted as the San Francisco D.A. from 2011 to 2019, and ran as a progressive candidate seeking criminal justice reform. This worked to his advantage in the race against Lacey, as she has been heavily criticized over the past several years for her hesitancy to prosecute police.
Lacey made overarching statements during her speech about the need for unity amongst all demographics, regardless of “skin color or occupation.”
“Looking at how we go forward, we must commit ourselves to appreciating the humanity in each other,” Lacey said. “The failure to see the humanity in each other is what causes us to stereotype a black man with sagging pants as a gang member. Or to wrongfully assume that all law enforcement officers are abusive.”
Representatives from Black Lives Matter (BLM) Los Angeles congregated outside of Lacey’s office at the Hall of Justice to celebrate her defeat. The same location has been the site of BLM’s ongoing weekly protests against Lacey over the past three years. Activist Rahje Branch with BLM said the protests began as a way to shine a spotlight on Lacey’s mishandling of the death of Kisha Michael, who was murdered in 2016 by five Inglewood police officers.
“I know Jackie Lacey credits this loss to this summer, this bloody summer that we just had in 2020, but BLM has sustained three years of protests in front of D.A. Jackie Lacey’s office. It first started off with the demand that she prosecute killer cops,” Branch said. “In her tenure since 2012, there have been 626 people in Los Angeles murdered by police, and so I find it disgusting and disrespectful that Jackie Lacey would call the names of George Floyd and think of those like Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, but not mention those like Kisha Michael and Ryan Twyman and all of those who have been murdered - and even more recently this summer, Dijon Kizze.”
Branch calls Lacey’s defeat a victory for the families of those who have been murdered by police, and for organizers and activists across Los Angeles.
“I’ve watched people like Lisa Hines, the mother of Wakiesha Wilson, weep thinking about the murder of her daughter. I’ve watched Helen Jones, the mother of John Jordan, cry over the murder of her son. When I saw [Lacey] crying, she’s losing her job. Anybody would be a little upset about losing their job. But I am more so concerned about the families who have been denied justice for so long.”
Branch says BLM has their first meeting scheduled with Gascón on Monday, which she considers a hopeful sign that he will do better to hold police accountable. She says that Jackie Lacey spent three years refusing to meet with BLM and the families of those who were murdered at the hands of LA sheriffs and police officers.
Black Lives Matter Los Angeles activist Rahje Branch at the Hall of Justice in Los Angeles, California after the concession of Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey on November 11, 2020. The group organized weekly protests to voice displeasure with Lacey for her reluctance to prosecute police officers. (Maxim Elramsisy/The Corsair)