The LA city council, totally Democrat, has decided NOT to protect the Jewish community or Jewish houses of worship. We have already seen the LAPD unable to protect them, now the Council, lead by a Jewish member, has been convinced not to defend these citizens.
“A motion set to come before the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday, seeking $2 million in grants to provide private security for faith-based organizations, was withdrawn in light of expedited state funding, officials said.
The motion came in response to a violent clash between Palestinian and Israeli supporters outside a synagogue in the Pico-Robertson district on June 23.
A joint statement from council members Katy Yaroslavsky and Bob Blumenfield, who introduced the motion, and the Jewish Federation Los Angeles, noted that Gov. Gavin Newsom has expedited the deployment of more than $76 million in nonprofit security grants.
So now Newsom admits government law enforcement can not protect our citizens? What are we paying taxes for? Why do we have an LAPD if the Governor has declared them ineffective for crime control? This is how a fascist government operates. ”Private” security instead of government police. Sounds like how fascist nations operate.
Yaroslavsky Motion for $2 Million in Grants for Faith-Based Security Withdrawn Ahead of Expedited State Funding
Westside Current, 7/31/24 https://www.westsidecurrent.com/news/yaroslavsky-motion-for-2-million-in-grants-for-faith-based-security-withdrawn-ahead-of-expedited/article_55066e00-4faa-11ef-b1ae-0fe104b4f40c.html
LOS ANGELES – A motion set to come before the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday, seeking $2 million in grants to provide private security for faith-based organizations, was withdrawn in light of expedited state funding, officials said.
The motion came in response to a violent clash between Palestinian and Israeli supporters outside a synagogue in the Pico-Robertson district on June 23.
A joint statement from council members Katy Yaroslavsky and Bob Blumenfield, who introduced the motion, and the Jewish Federation Los Angeles, noted that Gov. Gavin Newsom has expedited the deployment of more than $76 million in nonprofit security grants.
“Given the state’s accelerated timeline, the motion is no longer necessary and will be respectfully withdrawn,” the joint statement read.
“This decisive action, following the recent violence at Adas Torah Synagogue, will greatly improve safety at Jewish institutions across Los Angeles, ensuring our communities can gather in peace. We are grateful for the governor’s leadership and commitment to protecting our faith communities during these challenging times,” the statement said.
In a unanimous vote, the council supported Yaroslavsky’s request to withdraw the proposal.
Yaroslavsky said officials are looking at offering technical assistance to local institutions seeking state funding, as well as consulting with the City Attorney’s Office on the feasibility of creating “buffer zones” around the entrances to religious institutions and other sensitive sites like Planned Parenthood. Council members are also looking at clarifying Los Angeles Police Department protocols related to managing protests.
“As we work together to protect all of our communities in Los Angeles during what are incredibly challenging times—as we’re seeing right now, the polarization is incredibly intense and we shouldn’t be seeing that playing out on our streets,” Yaroslavsky said.
Yaroslavsky and Bob Blumenfield originally introduced a motion seeking to allocate $1 million to fund nonprofit security services to protect Jewish places of worship, community centers, and schools. However, that proposal was later expanded to include other faiths with funding increased to $2 million.
The council members proposed that the funding would go toward the city’s Civil and Human Rights Department, which would facilitate a similar program to that of the state’s nonprofit security grants program.
At the time, Yaroslavsky said the proposal received support from Mayor Karen Bass, the City Attorney’s Office, and interfaith leaders across the city.
On July 2, the council voted to continue the item for further consideration upon return from summer recess. Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez attempted to send the motion back to the council’s budget and civil rights committees for further deliberation.
Her request was initially approved in an 8-6 vote with council members Yaroslavsky, Blumenfield, Heather Hutt, Tim McOsker, Curren Price, and Traci Park voting against it. Moments later, Councilman John Lee, who had voted to support Rodriguez’s request, then voted against it, and with his vote, denied the request.
The council members intended for the $2 million to fill in a “stopgap” and accelerate the state’s effort..
“It was an escalation of tension felt across the country and we need to take it seriously, and act swiftly. The threats are real and the fear of a proxy war for what’s happening in the Middle East spilling onto our streets here in L.A. is real,” Yaroslavsky said on July 2. “I’ve said this many times, but I think it is important to reiterate that everyone has a right to peaceful protest … but that doesn’t mean there’s a right to violence and all of us deserve to feel and to be safe, and to live without fear of hate.”
In their statement responding to Governor Newsom’s announcement, Councilmembers Yaroslavsky and Blumenfield said they would continue to identify ways in which the city can increase security at houses of worship and strengthen the partnership between law enforcement and religious institutions.
The LAPD is more than capable of keeping order on the streets. It is the courts and the prosecutors who won’t lock them up and keep them off the streets. It is the politicians, and the bureaucrats who prosecute the cops for doing their jobs. Will private security be given more latitude than the cops? KGB vs local police?