LOS ANGELES – Today, progressive prosecutors from around the nation came together to announce their support for George Gascón for Los Angeles District Attorney. They include Chesa Boudin of San Francisco, John Chisholm of Milwaukee, Satana Deberry of Durham, Mark Gonzalez of Nueces, Larry Krasner of Philadelphia, Marilyn Mosby of Baltimore, Karl Racine of the District of Columbia, Rachael Rollins of Suffolk County (MA).
“These are prosecutors working to implement reforms that recognize that the ‘tough on crime’ era and incarceration-driven practices failed to make our communities healthier or safer,” said former District Attorney and Assistant Chief of the LAPD, George Gascón. “Their elections and others have ushered in a new generation of prosecutors committed to changing office culture, enhancing transparency and accountability, and embracing prevention-oriented approaches to public safety that are rooted in local communities, based on data and evidence, and that are less punitive where possible. I am honored to have their support.”
“This is an important moment in history,” said Chesa Boudin, San Francisco District Attorney. “George has been a pioneer in progressive prosecution, and this movement is spreading like wildfire because it’s safer, more equitable, and far less costly than what we’ve been doing for decades. George gets that, and that’s why he’s LA’s best choice for DA.”
“As a beat cop, Assistant Chief of the LAPD and then District Attorney, George has a level of experience in our criminal justice system that is second to none,” said John T. Chisholm, Milwaukee County District Attorney. “It’s that depth of experience and insight into what works and what doesn’t that makes George stand apart, I’m proud to support him.”
“George Gascón was sounding the alarm on the injustices that define this country’s dated approach to criminal justice long before the progressive prosecutors movement began,” said Satana Deberry, Durham County District Attorney. “Lawyers as a breed tend to be risk averse, so seeing the reforms he’s implemented accompany historic declines in violent crime showed many of us what was possible. He’s been a trailblazer in this field, and I look forward to his continued success for the residents of LA.”
“He has a record of standing up for everyone, not just the wealthy and well-connected,” said Mark Gonzalez, Nueces County District Attorney. “We hear a lot of people talk about justice being blind, but in order for that to ring true we have to take a hard look at the racial disparities that pervade the criminal justice system. George has fought to restore the promise of fairness and equity in our system, and I’m proud to support him for Los Angeles DA.”
“A good prosecutor doesn’t necessarily make the popular decision,” said Larry Krasner, Philadelphia District Attorney. “A good prosecutor makes the decision that is in the interests of justice and the community they serve. Sometimes that means holding the powerful accountable, even if it comes at personal cost, and sometimes that means giving someone who’s been disadvantaged an opportunity and a second chance. George isn’t a good prosecutor, he’s a great prosecutor.”
“George escaped communist Cuba as a young man where he saw the implications of unchecked police power,” said Karl Racine, Attorney General for the District of Columbia. “That has shaped his views and made him a better prosecutor. He understands that public safety is fundamentally about reducing violence in order to make our communities safer, and he’s thoughtful and respectful with the power of his office. George doesn’t use the authority of the state simply because he can, he wields that power when he should.”
“The criminal justice system is at the front-lines of our nation’s dialogue on race,” said Rachael Rollins, Suffolk County District Attorney. “Whether he was using artificial intelligence to reduce the threat of implicit bias, or pushing initiatives that have successfully reduced the sentencing disparity between African Americans and Caucasians by half, George hasn’t just been a passenger to this necessary conversation – he’s been driving it.”
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George 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 outoing 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.