Protecting Rights, Public Safety - Mayor Eric Garcetti

Posted by Mayor Eric Garcetti on July 16, 2013 ·

Last night, we saw an unfortunate few commit crimes that threatened the peace of our communities and threatened to overshadow the peaceful majority who were gathered to exercise their First Amendment Rights.

As Mayor, my most important duty is to protect people's safety and their constitutional and civil rights. That is what we will do tonight.

Together with the community and the LAPD, we are calling on Angelenos to practice peace and to not let the dialogue sparked by Trayvon Martin's death be silenced by violence. We are united in making sure that our neighborhoods -- and the people who live and do business within them -- are safe and secure.

We are prepared and we all agree: no cause is advanced and no good is accomplished when a window is broken, when traffic is blocked, or when someone is assaulted. So we are united, too, in maintaining peace on our streets. LAPD will respond quickly to any criminal activity. We will not let a few troublemakers keep the rest of us from living our lives and expressing our voices.

I spent today in a dialogue with community members. I met with and listened to a group of teenagers -- about 100 of them -- to make sure they know that their mayor respects their voice, hears their frustration, and wants to work with them to make a positive difference. I stopped for lunch on Crenshaw to let people know that we are going to make sure communities are open for business. I met with a couple of local teachers I know about how we can better help our kids and keep them on the right track. And I spoke to local residents who said they disagree with the violence they saw last night most of all because it affects them the most.

So let us stay united as a community and as a city and make Los Angeles a place where rights and public safety are protected.

The Zimmerman Verdict - NAACP

Edward, A jury in Sanford, Florida has found George Zimmerman not guilty of murdering Trayvon Martin. I know I am not alone in my outrage, anger, and heartbreak over this decision. When a teenager's life is taken in cold blood, and there is no accountability for the man who killed him, nothing seems right in the world, but we cannot let these emotions alone rule. In these most challenging of times, we are called to act. There is work left to be done to achieve justice for Trayvon. The Department of Justice can still address the violation of Trayvon's most fundamental civil right — the right to life, and we are urging them to do so. Sign our petition to the Department of Justice. Tell them to file civil rights charges against George Zimmerman. We continue to grieve the loss of Trayvon with his parents, his family, and all who loved him. Do not forget what brought us to this day. George Zimmerman was arrested and charged because we would not back down when he was initially released. The Sanford Police Chief was removed from his post because we voiced our disbelief that he would overrule his detectives and block George Zimmerman's arrest. And, perhaps most importantly, not a single state has passed a "stand your ground" law in 2013 — the first time in eight years — because we refuse to let the memory of Trayvon fade from the hearts and minds of America. So, now we have a choice: We can be felled by our sorrows over the jury's decision, or we can turn our frustration into action. We can demand the Department of Justice address the travesties of this tragedy. We can take a step forward in our efforts to finally end racial profiling in America once and for all. What will you do, Edward? For Trayvon Martin, for his family, and for all parents who suffer the horror of burying a child, sign our petition to the Department of Justice: http://www.naacp.org/sign-the-DOJ-petition Thank you, Ben Benjamin Todd Jealous President and CEO NAACP