VIDEO STILL: David Lacey, husband of Los Angeles District Attorney, Jackie Lacey, points gun at activists (Source: Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles)

By Felipe Vera

On Monday morning, David Lacey, husband of Los Angeles County District Attorney, Jackie Lacey, pointed a gun at Black Lives Matters-Los Angeles (BLM-LA) activists who were protesting in front of the Lacey’s home and threatened to shoot them. Jackie Lacey would later hold a news conference that afternoon, claiming she was “profoundly sorry.”

As seen in video posted to their twitter account, around 5:00AM, BLM-LA activists approached the door and rang the bell. Upon opening the door, David Lacey trained a gun on them, stating “I will shoot you.” In the face of death, these activists kept their composure, and after he went back inside, they continued on with their demonstration, with nearly 50 protesters outside on the sidewalk at one point. Police brought several cars to the block as protection for the Lacey’s, although it was David who clearly posed a threat to the people fighting for their loved ones.

Lacey was elected into her position in 2012 and in a span of six years the Los Angeles Police Department has been responsible for the death of at least 200 people. For two years, there has been an effort to put pressure on Lacey for failing to press charges against police officers who have murdered working class Black Angelenos, and the activists have visited Lacey’s office multiple times.

In a press conference soon after the morning demonstration, community members such as Sherlyn Haynes, the mother of Christopher DeAndre Mitchell, spoke. Haynes shared how Christopher, her only child, was killed by the Torrance Police Department, and directed comments at District Attorney Lacey, stating, “I’m glad you didn’t kill none of our Black Lives Matter people, like they murdered my son, and the rest of our kids.”

Jackie Lacey held her own news conference where she claimed that “[David] meant no one any harm.” As an attempt to downplay her position, she stated, “All of this is because I chose to do my job” and “I’m a human being.” The Lacey’s feel that activists demanding justice for their loved ones should relegate their protest to ‘proper channels’ and bourgeois servants should be able to separate their personal lives from the unjust system they uphold.

While the video surfaced rapidly only minutes after the confrontation, opportunists of every stripe running for Lacey’s position have come to the forefront condemning her in order to trick the masses into voting for them instead. Rachel Rossi, who is campaigning for the District Attorney position stated, “I will never run from the community. And I never thought I’d have to say it, but I will also never threaten to shoot community members protesting for change. What kind of leadership is this?” The fact of the matter is that the DA will still continue to uphold the bourgeois legal system and Rossi’s statement is nothing more than campaign rhetoric as LA’s primary election takes place.

While BLM stood courageously in the face of an imminent death threat, it is important to remember that regardless of who fills in the DA’s position, that person will be an enforcer of the reactionary state, upholding the police’s role as the enforcers of bourgeois order. Progressive and revolutionary forces should support the 2020 election boycott for many reasons, including for the fact that racist police violence under capitalism against oppressed groups cannot be reformed or solved by bourgeois politicians. Only when communities are organized in a militant manner will they be able to withstand police repression and challenge it as well.