Los Angeles – Rev. Zach Hoover, Executive Director of LA Voice, today released the following statement in reaction to Councilmember Herb Wesson’s announcement that a motion will be introduced to scale back and replace LAPD with social service providers and other trained professionals who will be responsible for responding to non-violent calls. “Today’s announcement by Council Member Herb Wesson is an affirmation that our prayers, organizing, and protests are working. We have long believed that most of the situations LAPD is called on to resolve would be better handled through non-violent, non-law enforcement interventions. The City Council should swiftly adopt this proposal. In partnership with so many, and led by BLM-LA, LA Voice will continue to organize and march and pray to build the momentum that tens of thousands of Angelenos have created by taking to the streets to demand our leaders show the kind of moral courage to embrace these long-overdue reforms. We are grateful that Council Member Wesson and Council President Nury Martinez have begun with this step. Now is the time for our leaders to genuinely commit to real change. That means dramatically reducing the police budget and using those funds for the kinds of community improvements that our people have long asked for: health care, housing, education, and the social support systems that communities design for their own thriving. And it also means having the courage to refuse campaign contributions from the police unions that protect abusive cops and spike any efforts at reform. We know change like this doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Black Lives Matters-LA and People’s Budget LA in particular have spent years opening eyes and lifting up a different vision of public safety. Black leaders and their allies throughout Los Angeles have worked for this moment for years, and in some cases, decades. Today’s announcement is a testament to the work they have done and the movement they have built, and LA Voice is proud to stand with them in solidarity.” | 
