Black Lives Matter activists claim they went to Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey’s Granada Hills, Calif., home to invite her to attend a community meeting, but instead they were met by a man with a gun who informed the activists that he didn’t care who they were, he was going to shoot them if they didn’t get off his porch.
Activists told the Los Angeles Times that the man, who was recorded making threats and waving a black handgun, was Lacey’s husband. Police were called to the scene of the Los Angeles County’s top prosecutor but there was no report of an arrest being made.
One of the activists told the Times that they were there to protest the incumbent district attorney for her lackluster record of prosecuting police officers involved in deadly shootings of black people. Video of the interaction was posted by activists on Twitter and has been shared thousands of times.
One activist can be heard, off camera asking the man if he was going to shoot her to which the man replies, “I will shoot you. Get off of my porch.” The man then points the handgun directly at the group.
The Times notes that “Protesters were still outside the home more than an hour later, holding signs reading ‘#ByeJackie’ and ‘Honk if you think DA Jackie Lacey should prosecute cops who kill.’ Officers stood a few feet away watching the activity.”
From the Times:
The incident comes a day before Los Angeles County voters are set to cast their ballots in what has become a fierce race for district attorney.
Lacey, a two-term incumbent, is trying to fend off a pair of challengers — former San Francisco Dist. Atty. George Gascón and former Los Angeles County public defender Rachel Rossi — who embody a nationwide push to elect more progressive prosecutors.
The three candidates have engaged in a hotly contested campaign that included a combative January debate marked by protests, which Lacey later cited as a reason to turn down further public debates.
Gascón’s campaign declined to comment on Monday’s incident.
Lacey, is reportedly beloved by the law enforcement community, and as such, her time as the Los Angeles County district attorney has been marred by her inability to charge “powerful figures and police officers who use deadly force, earning her the scorn of local activist groups.”
“For clarity for folks outside of Los Angeles who don’t know the history, [Black Lives Matter Los Angeles] has been trying to meet with their elected District Attorney for years,” Jasmyne Cannick, an activist, wrote on Twitter, the Times reports. “She hasn’t met with the Black community since 2016.”
Activists outside Lacey’s home on Monday said they want a meeting with the top prosecutor.
Lacey’s campaign did not respond to the Times request for comment.