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Ezell Ford protesters deliver 'wake up call' at LA Mayor Garcetti's home
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A boy plays a video game outside the locked gates of Mayor Eric Garcetti¹s official residence. Posters attached to the gate commemorate Ezell Ford, who was killed by police in August.
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Sharon McNary/KPCC
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Artist Foremost begins a chalk portrait of Ezell Ford, killed in a police shooting in August.
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Sharon McNary/KPCC
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Black Lives Matter, a group that protests police shootings of unarmed civilians, posted demands on a palm tree in front of Getty House, the mayor¹s official residence.
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Sharon McNary/KPCC
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A police cruiser passes by participants of a protest outside the mayor's house in Hancock Park.
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Sharon McNary/KPCC
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A poster by artist Foremost
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Sharon McNary/KPCC
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About a dozen demonstrators gathered outside the L.A. mayor's home in Hancock Park this morning in what they said was a wake-up call for Garcetti.
They held up pictures of Ezell Ford's face, sung hymns and chanted slogans including "Beware the day we change our minds."
"We’re here to hold Mayor Garcetti accountable," said protester Evan Bunch. "Because obviously, the police can’t hold themselves accountable."
Protesters are calling on the mayor to come out and speak with them and are threatening to remain out front of the mansion until Tuesday, when the police commission meets.
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The crowd is upset at unsourced reports that LAPD Chief Beck has found the officers justified in their use of force against 25-year-old Ezell Ford, who died last August after a struggle with police. Ford was unarmed and neighbors said he suffered from bipolar disorder. Police said he was wrestling with officers and attempted to grab one of their guns.
Jasmine Richards, founder of Black Lives Matter Pasadena, was one of those protesting Sunday. He said demonstrators are demanding that Garcetti fire Chief Beck and are calling for reparations for L.A.-area families that have been the victims of police shootings. Finally, he said, the group wants the police commission to make decisions about police-involved killings in public, not in private.
A couple of the demonstrators said they saw Garcetti drive by, but Police Captain Dave Storaker said he was told the mayor was not home Sunday.
Storaker added that police will allow protesters to stay overnight, so long as they follow certain guidelines.
"As long as they don’t breach the inner wall of the residence, they can be out here and have their protest and that’s their First Amendment rights," he said.
The police commission is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to discuss the report. It has final say over whether the shooting was justified.
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