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LA City Attorney Wants Curfew Violators To Talk It Out With The Police
People arrested by LAPD officers are led aboard an L.A. Metro bus amid protests in downtown L.A. on Saturday, May 30, 2020. (Frank Stoltze/LAist)
Activists and the plaintiffs filed a lawsuit calling on L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer to dismiss charges against peaceful protesters arrested for curfew violations or failure to disperse. Today he gave his response: They won’t face jail or fines, but I want them to talk it out with the police.
While Feuer will not file charges, his office said in a statement that it "will be creating opportunities for violators to participate" in a “non-punitive” process outside of the courts that in some cases would bring protesters together with police “to directly share their experiences and views.”
This “restorative approach” will “foster the mutual empathy, understanding and respect that are essential to building a better version of our City,” Feuer said in the statement.
The city attorney said his office will work with the community and law enforcement to develop the “menu of programs,” and that he expects to start rolling it out later this summer.
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LAPD Chief Michel Moore endorsed the move, calling it “productive and appropriate.”
Meanwhile, L.A. County District Attorney Jackie Lacey sent a memo to her deputy DA’s stating that her office will not prosecute anyone for violating curfew or failing to disperse, because doing so “could be considered punishment for people exercising their First Amendment constitutional rights.”
Lacey’s office is responsible for cases in unincorporated L.A. and in cities that don’t have their own prosecutors.
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