George Floyd’s murder in May expanded this nation’s racial justice movement. A recent poll reported that 85% of Los Angeles County voters were concerned about race relations, and two-thirds had a favorable view of the Black Lives Matters movement.
Policy change happens fast with those kinds of numbers. In June, the Los Angeles City Council approved a model that would replace police officers with unarmed, community responders for non-violent 911 calls. In July, Mayor Eric Garcetti created the Community Safety Partnership bureau to foster relationships between neighborhoods and police officers. And Los Angeles County voters approved Measure J, which dedicates 10% of local tax revenues to investments in community counseling, youth development programs, small businesses and job creation.
