Nearly A Third Of LAPD Shootings Since 2017 Involved A Person In A Mental Health Crisis
The Los Angeles Police Department has said for decades it was doing more to de-escalate confrontations with people struggling with mental illness, but an LAist analysis has found little change in recent years. Since 2017, 31% of people shot at by police were perceived by officers at the scene to be struggling with some kind of mental illness, according to LAPD annual use-of-force reports. And that percentage has remained largely steady for years, even as initiatives to reduce those encounters have been funded and deployed. In many of its own reports, LAPD officials cite “tactical de-escalation training” and specially trained response teams as ways to reduce the potential for violence and better serve the community. The department was one of the first in the nation to pair mental health workers with police. But L.A. leaders, including City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who has been vocal about the shootings, acknowledge the city’s investments so far aren’t nearly enough to meet current needs. Joining us to discuss are Robert Garrova, LAist’s mental health reporter and Jeff Wenninger, recently retired LAPD lieutenant with expertise in use of force. He served in the LAPD’s Force Investigation Division.
With files from LAist. Read the full story here.
Ultra-Processed Foods: What To Know About This Common Product In Our Diets
According to data collected by the Global Food Research Program, ultra-processed foods make up 58% of Americans’ energy intake, meaning we at least consume some completely manufactured products. Ultra-processed food (UPF) might not be a term we’re familiar with, but products that fit under that term include cereal, instant soups, and lunch meats. Recent data centers on UPFs have found that these foods are associated with increased health problems, although no definitive conclusions have been made on whether they directly cause said issues. Given the lack of evidence on whether they cause health problems, there’s been no consensus among American nutritionists; that could be set to change, with the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee looking into health outcomes on ultra-processed foods.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll explain the basics of UPFs, why research has only been able to offer correlations, and what 2025 guidelines could mean for their relation to our diets. Joining us for this conversation is Joan Salge Blake, clinical professor of nutrition at Boston University, Kevin Hall, nutrition and metabolism researcher at the National Institutes of Health.
Rescue Animal Stories: Do We Save Them, Or Do They Save Us?
If you're thinking about adding a furry friend to your family ranks, the phrase "adopt, don't shop" is likely one you'll hear or have heard already during the process. For many people seeking animal companionship, rescuing offers an opportunity to not only bring that four-legged friend into the family circle, but to also do some good in the process. Many animals at county shelters and humane societies are brought in from the streets, never knowing what a loving home is like, or are saved from an abusive or neglectful situation. And still for other rescue animals, their backgrounds are unknown. This brings some risk with it in the adoption process -- animals that have experienced neglect or abuse sometimes have behavioral issues that will require new owners to spend time and resources evaluating and training the animal to alter its behavior. This was the situation for Washington Post editor Marisa Kashino, who in a recent article for the paper detailed the challenging process of adopting a dog they named Bexley, who at the beginning of their time with Marisa and her partner was aggressive towards both of them because of what an animal psychologist they consulted believed was past abuse. Marisa and her partner were able to access the expertise they needed to train themselves and Bexley how to co-exist and in the end, Marisa writes, their time with Bexley taught them a lot about the patience and perseverance required to start a (human) family. This is a refrain you’ll often hear from people who rescue an animal: “Sure, we saved them. But they also saved us.” Today on AirTalk, we want to hear your animal rescue stories. What has the experience and process of adopting and adapting the pet to your home taught you about yourself? If you adopted an animal with behavioral issues, how did you address them? Join our live conversation by calling us at 866-893-5722 or by emailing us at atcomments@laist.com.
CA Supreme Court To Decide Gig Workers' Fate In Prop 22 Debate
California voters approved Proposition 22 four years ago, and now the long-running controversy takes center stage in the state's high court. The ballot initiative, sponsored by companies like Uber, Lyft and DoorDash, allowed for gig workers to continue being treated as independent contractors. It came after the state passed AB 5, which required those companies to reclassify workers. Although gig workers are split on its future, many say Prop 22 must go in order to ensure better pay and working conditions. Joining to discuss is Nicole Moore, part-time driver and president of the California grassroots organization Rideshare Drivers United, Molly Weedn, spokesperson for the Protect App Based Drivers + Services Coalition (PADS), and Brandon Stracener, senior research fellow at California Constitutional Center, a nonpartisan academic research center at Berkeley Law.
The Case For Choosing Friendship Over Romance As Criteria For Life Partnership
American society is undergirded in many ways by the concept of lifelong partnership through marriage -- we meet someone and decide we want to be together for the long haul, we make a public and legal declaration of our commitment to that person and then we merge and build the rest of our lives together. But why is it that we center our worlds around and expect so much out of these romantic relationships while putting friendships in a secondary role, often expecting too little from them? It’s this core question that NPR’s Rhaina Cohen investigates in her recent book The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center. Cohen’s book examines the lives of people who have chosen a friend as a life partner rather than someone with whom they’re in a romantic relationship, and in doing so shakes up the conventional idea that sex defines partnership and that people in romantic relationships should be the ones to raise kids together.
Today on AirTalk, Rhaina Cohen joins Larry to talk about her new book.
