LOS ANGELES – Today, former District Attorney George Gascón, San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, and San Joaquin County District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar issued a joint statement in response to the California District Attorney Association’s (CDAA) attempts to pressure the National Football League into pulling a public service announcement giving a voice to the family of Stephon Clark. The PSA is part of the NFL’s multi-million dollar anti-racism campaign.
Stephon Clark was killed by police in a controversial police shooting in Sacramento in 2018. That shooting led the legislature to pass AB 392 which limited the circumstances in which police could use lethal force. George Gascón strongly supported the legislation while District Attorney Jackie Lacey did not. Notably, DA Lacey is a member of the Board of Directors of CDAA, which voted to authorize sending the letter to the NFL calling for them to pull the PSA.
In response to CDAA’s letter, DAs Gascón, Boudin and Salazar said:
“Prosecutors take an oath to seek justice and give victims a voice, and that makes CDAA’s attempts to silence the family members of those touched by police violence particularly harmful and troubling. The National Football League has taken steps to foster awareness and dialogue on an immensely important, painful, and difficult topic at a time when reform is the consensus position, and at a time when trust in law enforcement is at a low. In order to restore faith in law enforcement, build bridges, and enhance safety in our communities–and for the many officers that patrol them–this is a conversation that we must have. We urge the NFL to continue its public education and applaud them for giving these victims a voice.”
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George Gascón is the Democratic Party’s nominee. He is endorsed by the LA Times, the LA Daily News, U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Black Lives Matter cofounder Patrisse Cullors, former Chief of the LAPD Charlie Beck, and many more.
Mr. Gascón grew up in Los Angeles after his family immigrated from Cuba. An army veteran, Gascón served as a Los Angeles Police Department Officer for 30 years, rising to the rank of Assistant Chief of Operations. In 2006 he became Chief of Police in Mesa, Arizona, where he stood up to the hateful and anti-immigrant policies of then Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. In 2009, then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed Gascón Chief of Police. Newsom turned to Gascón again in 2011 when he tapped him to be District Attorney to fill the seat vacated by an outgoing Kamala Harris who had been elected Attorney General. During his tenure Gascón implemented reforms that are being duplicated across the country while overseeing violent crime and homicides drop to rates not seen in 50 years. After being elected to two terms, Gascón returned to Los Angeles to care for his elderly mother and to be closer to his two daughters and grandchildren in Long Beach. Gascón is married to Fabiola Kramsky, a three-time Emmy Award winning journalist and recipient of the “Premio Nacional de Periodismo,” the highest recognition given to journalists in Mexico.