Protest to bring awareness of police brutality

Lancaster, CA - On June 24th there was yet another incident of unconstitutional, racist, and violent policing by Los Angeles County Sheriff Deputies, who are contracted by the City of Lancaster to provide policing services. Fortunately there is a video (https://www.facebook.com/artisticdesignz8/videos/1475259163213529/?mibextid=v7YzmG) showing an older Black couple being harassed and severely mishandled by LA sheriff deputies at the local WinCo Foods in response to the retailer calling for service. The video shows an older Black man sitting calmly in the parking lot with his hands on his knees before deputies surround him and roughly place him in handcuffs without giving any reason. Meanwhile an elderly Black woman who had been with him began filming, a right enshrined in California’s Penal Code Section 148 (g). The woman was not obstructing the actions of the deputies, but is instead clearly shown as standing back from the deputies and in no way attempting to interfere with the deputies’ actions. One of the deputies is seen approaching the woman, grabbing her by the back of her neck,  violently throwing her down to the asphalt, pepper spraying and handcuffing her. You hear the man call out, “don’t do that to her, she has cancer.” 

This is nothing new to the Antelope Valley, as one example, the LA Sheriffs made 39,232 discretionary stops in 2019, averaging over 100 unwarranted stops each day of vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians, the vast majority Black and Latino residents. In 2015, the US DOJ entered into a Settlement Agreement with LASD and the County (http://www.antelopevalleysettlementmonitoring.info/) for violating the constitutional rights of Black and Latino AV residents. Eight years into that Settlement Agreement and LASD does not yet have an approved “Use of Force” policy on the books, among hundreds of measurements of noncompliance. 

“We are more than tired of this conduct from those we pay to ‘protect and serve’ us,” said Waunette Cullors, Keppel School District Trustee and Cancel the Contract Director. “While we are encouraged to see that the Sheriff’s Department removed the deputies from the streets and is promising an investigation, his deputies lack training and common decency, and are not being held to any standards. As Black residents of this community we are tired of living in fear of the police.” 

Community leaders, churches and local organizations are coming together and calling for: 

1) the termination of the involved officers

2) the removal of Lancaster Captain John Lecrivian 

3) an Independent investigations by the US DOJ and the County Office of Inspector General and Civilian Oversight Commission

4) for WinCo to adjust it’s customer treatment policies

The community and press are invited to join us for a protest against racist and violent policing in the Antelope Valley, and an opportunity to share Know Your Rights information for people of color, youth, immigrants, the unhoused and all those harrassed by police. 

When: Wednesday, July 5, 2023 @ 5:00pm 

Where: WinCo Foods 740 W. Ave K-4, Lancaster, CA 93534 (https://www.google.com/maps/search/740+W.+Ave+K-4,+Lancaster,+CA+93534?entry=gmail&source=g)

About Cancel the Contract Antelope Valley:

CTCAV is a coalition of community organizations and leaders from the Antelope Valley calling for the end of law enforcement violence and racism in their commun

ities. They are calling on their cities and schools to cancel the contracts with the LA Sheriff’s Department and reinvest those dollars in a new vision of community safety and meaningful services for their students and the community.