Global Courant 2023-04-16 08:23:32
Relatives of people killed by sheriff’s deputies criticized the department and demanded change at an emotionally charged town hall meeting Saturday in East Los Angeles.
The meeting, hosted by the Civilian Oversight Commission, was convened to give community members a chance to tell Los Angeles County officials about the fallout from so-called gangs — violent groups of inked deputies — working with the Sheriff’s Department.
“To me, they’re punks,” said Lisa Vargas, whose son Anthony Vargas was killed by deputies in 2018. “Our communities need to step up and take this issue to the streets.”
Several other speakers called for community action, with some questioning whether change was likely or even possible. Others echoed long-standing complaints about the sheriff’s harassment of the families of people killed by deputies.
Still others – including one of Vargas’s aunts – drew attention to the fact that Sheriff Robert Luna was not among the county officials present.
‘Where’s Robert? Where’s Robert Luna?” said Stephanie Luna. “He’s the one who should be here to adopt these recommendations and he’s the chair that’s missing from the room — and that’s the problem.”
The Sheriff’s Department has long faced allegations of secret aid groups running amok in certain stations and jails, monitoring command personnel and promoting a culture of violence. A Loyola Marymount University report released identified in 2021 18 such groups that have existed for the past five decades, including the Executioners at Compton station, the Reapers at South LA station, and the Little Devils at East LA station, which was a particular problem.
“Unfortunately, as far as I know, the East LA station is the breeding ground for vicarious gangs — the devils started here,” said committee chair Sean Kennedy.
“There have been more,” he added, “most recently the Banditos.”
In one particularly violent incident in 2018, a group of suspected Banditos attacked several new deputies at a party. Two of the targets were knocked unconscious and the brawl led to several investigations.
The East LA station is also at the center of an extensive lawsuit filed in 2019 by eight deputies who alleged they were regularly harassed by Banditos members who refused to send backup on dangerous calls and pressured them to stop.
In January, another lawsuit alleged that a new “gang” had formed at the East LA station.
And last week, deputies in East LA. station came under scrutiny when Lisa Vargas and her family finally got their day in court.
The Vargas family sued the county in 2019, seven months after two deputies shot Anthony 13 times as he tried to get away from them. The lawsuit accused the station’s “gang culture” as the “moving force” behind the murder. But just before the case went to trial, a federal judge banned any mention of the Banditos or other Sheriff’s Department cliques. Closing arguments in the case are expected to begin next week.
Whatever happens in court, Saturday’s town hall could be the first of many. In a comprehensive report released earlier this year, The Civilian Oversight Commission’s special counsel made more than two dozen recommendations to root out deputy “gangs,” including firing captains who don’t support anti-gang policies, requiring deputies to hide gang-related tattoos at work, putting prosecutors on the when a gang- The concerned deputy will testify as a witness in court and hold community meetings – just like the one organized by the oversight committee this weekend.
Unlike his predecessor, Luna has acknowledged the existence of vicarious “gangs” and said publicly that he wants to end them. However, he has not yet formally accepted the report’s recommendations.
“He’s considering that one,” Kennedy said. “We don’t have an answer yet, but I expect that soon.”
