Ambrose Brooks of Justice LA spoke during Public Comment at City Council’s Monday night meeting to address the controversial recommendation to reduce the number of Sheriff’s deputies by the Public Safety Commission:
I just want to talk about fiscal responsibility.
West Hollywood’s contract with the sheriff’s department has increased from 8 million to 20 million since 2012. Adjusting for inflation, that’s still an 100 percent increase according to the reports from Civilytics and even LASD’s own reporting.
Violent crime rates in West Hollywood between 2012 and 2020 are relatively flat. Tonight is about just $3.4 million out of the $20 million contract. WeHo’s social services budget is only $5 million. Let that sit for a second. $20 million to the sheriff’s department, $5 million to social services.
What does that say about city priorities?
It’s proven that investing in services will actually reduce crime. Investing in punitive policing does not. Reallocating $3.4 million would increase the social services budget in a very meaningful way. It is critical for community-based organizations to be sufficiently equipped to provide services.
Ask an unhoused person today if they’d rather receive services from the sheriff’s department or outreach from a community-based organization. CBOs can provide long-term supportive services for harm reduction and interim and permanent supportive housing to help address the housing crisis in the city.
The sheriff’s department cannot provide those services. Instead we hear tonight of the surveillance and arrests of our unhoused neighbors. It is the most logical choice to redirect these funds into services that have the potential to transform the city. Thank you.
MAYOR LAUREN MEISTER: Ambrose, I have a question for you. If we’re able to fund $3.4 million or $4 million to social services without reducing the sheriff’s, are you OK with that?
AMBROSE: No, because I believe that as we’ve seen today actually from the Civilytics presentation and the explanations around the contract cities, there’s a lot of vagueness left. I think that I would be able to answer that question and say yes — I would be comfortable with that if there was actually more transparency and we had serious accounting for how deputies are spending their time.
Lack of accuracy is always the fly in the ointment. Reports and surveys can be artfully compiled to represent whatever conclusions they deem useful. Understanding and knowing how to evaluate that condition is important. Independent unbiased research gives a clear picture rather than supporting a particular agenda. Common sense enables one to analyze this rather than having dueling opinions circle the table.
This guy needs to get a life. Do something productive.
Take your own advice, Ham.
Remember when you insulted and bullied people over the mandates?
You mean when I encouraged people to get vaccinated?
Encouraging people to take a vaccine is bullying to you?! LOL
Keep going with that drip of Fox News and Tucker Carlson propaganda.
REALITY ✅ the nonpharmaceutical disease containment methods during the COVID-19 Pandemic ☣ including masks 😷 , social distancing and, lockdowns; likely saved millions of lives especially before vaccines💉 were available❗ They may be needed again if we have another outbreak.
When I watched them last night, I actually felt kind of bad for them, I could sense pain and sadness. That being said, I think they represent what isn’t working, in that people are presenting their ideas in a way that doesn’t allow any room for others. It’s not inspiring anyone to have compassion for the people from underserved communities that they’re trying to help, it’s only inspiring anger. I think if Nika hadn’t come in so hot, we could have had the discussion that occurred last night much earlier. Good intentions, awful strategy. Maybe, also, if the caller representing… Read more »
I agree; this conversation should have and could have been so much more constructive and engaging if the proponents had not been so self righteous and ideological. All the Republicans need to do is broadcast last nights Council meeting and we will lose both the House and the Senate.
I was thinking the same thing in terms of national politics, everyone is so impatient to get their way, supported with blurbs from Twitter. This means that no one is going to have a discussion, since everyone is tweeting “I did a thing”, and “I’m right because my identity says so”, or “this smug drawing/pie chart proves I’m right” Everyone ends up frustrated, and a good portion of those people reluctantly turn to Republicans, because they feel left out, unheard and want stability.
All anyone needs to do is broadcast Councilmember Shyne reciting her poetry while people were waiting to discuss the increase in crime and the Public Safety’s Commission’s recommendation to reduce law enforcement as a response, and WeHo would turn into an SNL skit long before the midterm elections.
Yes, it would be nice if they would do the people’s business first and save the self-laudatory performances for the end of the meeting.
So true.
The exact moment West Hollywood jumped the shark.
Yup.
Grow up.
It is extremely sad how the LASD is holding the city of West Hollywood hostage.
The contract cities have contracts. We can choose to contract with LASD or give it a go without them. How are we hostages? You’re letting your “poor me” victim show. Make a recommendation or stop whining.
‘Extremely sad’. You’re always trying to be a victim.
“Ask an unhoused person today if they’d rather receive services from the sheriff’s department or outreach from a community-based organization.”
Most would say neither and would yell at you to leave them alone and not come back unless you bring some dope or fresh needles.
Well that’s an unwarranted and biased comment. You only say that because you assume that people are homeless because they use drugs. For the vast majority of homeless people, mental illness is the issue. If there is substance abuse it’s to self medicate. Many homeless people have simply had a bad run of luck and are just trying to survive. Before you go around assuming things, do some actual research, and not from reactionary opinionated sources. The problem is far more complex than your quip suggests. It also shows a definitive bias against those who’ve you deemed unworthy of help.… Read more »
good grief
I don’t disagree with you that a lot of unhoused live with mental illness, and I don’t like the tone of the comment you responded to. I think drug addiction has to be a big problem, remember that Yale graduate, who was all over the news a few years back? Despite help from friends, he still struggled.
“Ask an unhoused person if they’d rather…” they’d answer with either a beer or a joint.
I watched most of the West Hollywood city council meeting until 10 PM last night and then continued viewing another hour and a half this morning.Some of the talk was how the city would reallocate funds from the sheriff to the new MED teams that everybody say do good work while most of it was residents appalled at the idea of cutting the deputy work force in the city. While I appreciate the new MED teams, there still is a need for deputies to patrol the city regardless.The one thing I have not heard mentioned is the option to have… Read more »
You are so right. It is like we are being forced to make decisions based upon several false or at least faulty premises. We all agree that the MED outreach teams have real potential for helping homeless people and even WeHo residents. But their existence will not decrease 18% of the Sheriff’s work load as the Public Safety Commission and their out of town supports claim.
Please feel free to cite some credible sources to support that position ❗
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department has been caught overbilling the City of West Hollywood, so they’ve enlisted local media to help push FALSE CRIME narratives blaming nonwhites (mainly African Americans) and, viciously slandering Public Safety Commissioner Nika Soon-Shiong 👩🏽💻 for exposing it. In the 80’s and 90’s it was the LASD that joined white supremacists in Gay Bashing in West Hollywood and, now side with the neonazi proud boys & antivaxxers when they come to town to do their harm. YES, our funds would better spent on community-based mental health and homelessness service❗
God you nasty queen don’t you have some frivolous suit to go file against someone instead of promoting some silver spoon diva trash?
Pull in your claws, honey.
💝 you to Stevie and am currently working on an amicus brief that I’m hoping will be cited by the Court. Always standing up for Civil Rights Activists ❗
People who write and file amicus briefs are people no one hired to represent any of the parties to a case. Kinda like what you do here. No one cares to hear from you, but you talk anyway. LOL!
Actually I get serious job offers from conservatives wanting me to work on projects to undermine the rights of oppressed minority groups like the LGBTQ community all the time. Notice the flood of anti-LGBTQ legislation ❓
LOL. Thanks for the laugh. Funny guy.
Seems it takes surprisingly little to amuse you.
The solution is simple. Sacramento has a sizable budget surplus this year, could be in excess of $30 billion. Have Lauren or Lindsey call the Governor and invite him to The Abbey for dinner, make sure he’s not pickpocketed, and ask for couple million for more mental health professionals. But don’t take away our police force, us seniors need them all.
Or have Lindsay call on the Roman Catholic Church to subsidize it. They have billions, even after paying $4 billion out because of their pedophile priests, and ask them for the money to help West Hollywood. If they refuse, say they are anti-gay! Like all organized religion in the United states, the sky God believers pay absolutely no taxes. While the rest of us have to pay a tax to go to the movies, the believers don’t pay to sit in their churches synagogues or mosques.
Lock het up!
This woman is not even close to being credible on this topic. She’s paid by an organization founded in 2017 to fight the jail system. That’s what she does for a living. Why believe anything she says?
Really ❓ She is a Highly Educated Attorney who has worked for the ALCU who has clearly demonstrated her understanding of how the system works and, successfully brought about change. Clearly those against her fear her capability & success, this is likely to get the support of many oppressed minority groups. Though the article should have cited sources with links, the Civilytics report shows violent crime rates in West Hollywood between 2012 and 2020 are relatively flat. Even LASD’s own crime charts show that violent crime in WeHo has NOT risen.
Really? She? Her? So much outrage while misgendering one of your comrades.
Alan, I thought you were much more articulate than them, so glad you were there. I would expect more from someone who has worked for the ALC…wait a minute, that’s not right. Isn’t it the ACLU?
Clearly you are unable to find any substantive errors, so go for the typos!
If I misgendered that individual, I offer a genuinely apology ❗ The admirable work clearly diverted my attention, that NOT being the case with you rest assured that such a mistake would never happen.
You mean the same ACLU that fought for the rights of Nazis to march through Skokie, IL, the neighborhood of a large community of Holocaust survivors? The same ACLU that routinely lobbies against crime victims in Sacramento because they’ve decided to go to bat for criminals in the name of civil liberties rather than stand up for the civil rights of crime victims? That’s the organization you’ve cited to bolster this individual’s credibility? Try again.
AND I’ll stand by the ACLU ❗ I routinely take on Holocaust deniers and, those even seeking to deny systemic racism with their attacks on Critical Race Theory. A serious problem with middle class whites is that they live sheltered lives to the point that they really believe that racism, antisemitism and, Homophobia/Transphobia is a myth (WEST HOLLYWOOD). Sometimes letting them know the hate agenda is very real straight from the hate groups is very helpful.
“Middle class whites?” Sounds like you’re the one with the problem. It’s that kind of bargain basement rhetoric that’s led to low class gangster thugs to prey on West Hollywood residents through armed robberies lately. Because they think “whites” deserve violence. Let that sink in. YOU are the problem. You and your Nazi defending idols at the ACLU.