Pasadena NAACP to Host Virtual Town Hall with Judy Chu

The Pasadena branch of the NAACP will host a virtual town hall with Rep. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena) at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Chu will address police brutality and the Coronavirus impact on small businesses.

The new calls for oversight come as departments across the country appear to be struggling with how police have treated African Americans for centuries.

The death of George Floyd in Minnesota has led to protests, and some riots, across the country. There have been a handful of protests in Pasadena.

A bill co-sponsored by Chu (D-Pasadena) would ban chokeholds and require body and dashboard cameras, remove barriers to prosecuting police misconduct from officers who have violated civilians’ rights and end qualified immunity by law enforcement. The bill would also demilitarize police departments by limiting the transfer of military weaponry to state and local police departments. It also improves transparency by mandating reports on the use of force by state and local law enforcement agencies.

The Pasadena Police Department has suspended carotid sleeper holds, requires dashboard and body worn cameras and releases use of force reports twice a year.

In 2014, the department returned an MRAP, an armored personnel carrier like vehicle, after the Pasadena Weekly reported the police department had acquired two of the vehicles.

The city obtained the MRAP vehicle through the US Department of Defense’s Excess Property Program, also known as program 1033, which allows police departments to obtain military equipment.

“Connecting with our local elected officials and ensuring that our voices are heard is essential” said Allen Edson, President of NAACP Pasadena “During these unprecedented times it is important for us as a community to rise up and continue to advocate for the changes that we demand to see”.

Floyd, who was African American, was killed on May 25th in Powderhorn, Minnesota during an encounter with police. Minneapolis police placed a knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes during the arrest.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, has been arrested has been charged with second degree murder and manslaughter. Three other officers at the scene have been arrested.

Police officers around the country have also been arrested since that time in Buffalo, New York, Philadelphia and Atlanta.

Although many young people believe that things are moving forward two incidents this weekend served as grim reminders of the nation’s past.

Two black men were found hanging in trees in Palmdale and Victorville.

Sheriff’s officials have said there are no signs of foul play in the death of Robert Fuller last week in Palmdale Angeles, or the death May 31 of Malcolm Harsch in Victorville, but investigations continue.

Fuller, 24, was found dead near Palmdale City Hall on Wednesday afternoon by a passerby, a Sheriff’s official has said, and his death was initially ruled an apparent suicide.

Harsch, 38, was found hanging from a tree near a homeless encampment late last month in Victorville. The two communities are 53 miles apart.

The town hall will take place on Thursday, June 18th at 6:00pm and will be held on zoom.

Please email the NAACP Pasadena Branch at info@naacppasadena.org or visit naacppasadena.org for more information and access to this virtual event.