Black Lives Matter protesters rally in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles on Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018. Family, friends and community activists held the rally and a march for the recent deaths of a few homeless Black men, according to Black Lives Matter. They were also gathering for the death of another man killed in a shooting earlier in the year. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Things got ugly Monday morning outside the home of Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey.
According to NBC News, a Black Lives Matter group protesting outside Jackie’s home — in the words of CSU Pan-African Studies Professor Melina Abdulla — “rang her (door)bell to invite her” out to talk.
It was 5:40 a.m.
I’m front of DA Jackie Lacey’s house for that community meeting she promised with the @BLMLA crew. Rang her bell to invite her.
Her husband pulled a gun, cocked it, pointed it at my chest and said “I’ll shoot you. I don’t care who you are.” @WP4BL @RealJusticePAC @shaunking pic.twitter.com/WtazUWSJIC
— Melina Abdullah (@DocMellyMel) March 2, 2020
The door opened, and Jackie’s husband, David, appeared.
He was holding a big handgun, and it was pointed at the protestors.
“We heard the gun cocking, and I thought I was being paranoid,” Melina told NBC.
“But then he opened the door, leading with the gun. He saw me and lowered it, pointing it at my chest.”
Protest organizer Justin Marks didn’t believe it at first, either:
“I thought it was someone dropping keys and Melina said, ‘Well that doesn’t sound good.'”
Clearly-not-a-morning-person David was curt:
“…Right now. Get off. Get off of my porch.”
[Sidenote: When someone points a gun at you and says to leave their porch, it’s best to do exactly that.]
Apparently, Justin couldn’t believe the pre-dawn rudeness:
“There was no hello, no face, just a gun pointing out.”
Dang it, man.
Instead of swiftly exiting the situation, Melina asked, “Are you gonna shoot me?”
The armed homeowner took time to address that very question:
“I will shoot you.”
Ya got your affirmative; time to leave…
Oh, wait — nah. Just hang around…
David repeated, “Get off of my porch.”
The gang was undeterred by a close-range lethal weapon accompanied by the threat of deadly force.
Melina:
“Can you tell Jackie Lacey that we’re here?”
David wasn’t interested in receptionist work:
“I don’t care who you are. Get off of my porch right now. We’re calling the police right now.”
In the clip, you can hear the professor…
“Wow. He pulled a gun and pointed it at my chest.”
She yells:
“We’re here for the community meeting, Jackie Lacey. Maybe you’ll shoot me in the back.”
A drum pounds in the background, with chants from the 30-member crew:
“Jackie Lacey must go! Jackie Lacey will go!”
As per NBC, the DA went to work flustered.
Hours later, a visibly shaken Lacey told reporters at the Hall of Justice in downtown L.A. that she and her husband were the only people inside their house — and they were justifiably afraid when a large group arrived before the sun was up.
Mrs. Lacey explained to reporters:
“This morning my husband and I were at home asleep when we began to hear noise outside of our home. We immediately jumped out of bed and I called the police. I wasn’t sure what was going on and I let them know I thought there were protesters outside of my house.
“My husband David and I have been married for almost 40 years and while I was upstairs he ran downstairs. I could hear him talking to somebody. He came back up later and he said, ‘There are protesters outside the house and I pulled my gun and I asked them to leave.’”
The protestors were at her house due to the D.A.’s handling of certain racially-sensitive cases.
Melina claimed Jackie and David could see them all outside via security cameras. So no reason to open the door?
She noted her concern:
“We don’t know how crazy he is, we didn’t know if he’d actually shoot me so we did back up. I’m a mother of three kids, and I really don’t want to get shot.”
On Twitter, many users were Team David:
Do you have any decency not to ring anyone door much less at the home of a County DA at 5:54 am in the damn morning? 🤦♂️
— Allen J. Wilson (@AllenJWilson) March 2, 2020
https://twitter.com/BlackXFTP1/status/1234511285150085121
Good for him
— Clark Cardone (@ClarkCardone) March 2, 2020
He has a right to protect his property.
— Leadership1492 (@leadership1492) March 2, 2020
It’s all fun and games harassing politicians and their families…until they push back. Her husband and the rest of her family are not running for office. Y’all are not victims. You tried this for publicity and didn’t care about her family or her neighbors.
— Miss Aja (@brat2381) March 2, 2020
I’m guessing these are not calm quiet protesters that drove him to get his gun. Get off his property you dopes!!!
— Diane 🇺🇸🌺@NoMoreViolence (@DianeNoMoreLies) March 2, 2020
My property, if I tell you to get off it and you refuse, plan B is my 9mm to encourage you.
— Florinda Williams (@Kushbae112) March 2, 2020
But others thought it was David who was wrong:
If protesters are on your porch and you are an elected official. You cant just open your door, point a gun at somebody and then threaten to shoot them. Keep the door locked and call the police if you feel like they are trespassing. This is just outrageous
— aNtIfA_tErRoRiSt (@beej_slc) March 2, 2020
And he has is finger on the trigger. That's how you accidentally shoot someone dude.
— Disabled Vet clinging to my guns in Appalachia (@frozenraysfan) March 2, 2020
What?? I thought this was a film clip. I'm sorry that you experienced this.
— Nazgol Ghandnoosh (@NazgolG) March 2, 2020
Some said what he did was illegal:
That's illegal, isn't it?
I was under the impression that pointing a gun at someone is considered a threat of violence, which is illegal.
Yikes
— Miravus (@Miravusghouls) March 2, 2020
https://twitter.com/Mandocare4All/status/1234491892965863429
That’s got to be violating a million laws…
— Baron Charlus (@AlistairCookie_) March 2, 2020
WTF kind of paranoid gangsterism is this? From a DA?
There is no way Jackie Lacey should be re-elected tomorrow.https://t.co/iOkS6G82ao
— Flatten the fascism, not the webrant🕺——🕺 (@web_rant) March 2, 2020
Here’s NBC with more on the controversial cases at issue:
The office did not prosecute police officers who fatally shot an unarmed black man, Ezell Ford, in 2014. Critics have also accused Lacey of moving too slowly against Democratic Party donor Ed Buck, who is now being prosecuted by federal authorities for allegedly supplying illegal drugs that led to the deaths of two black men.
And as for that last tweet, Jackie’s set for Tuesday’s election, when she’ll be trying to hold on to the post she assumed in 2012. If neither she nor any challenger gets 50% of the vote, they’ll advance to a November runoff.
At a press conference, Jackie apologized for her husband’s response:
“His response was in fear, and now that he realizes what happened, he wanted me to say to the protesters, the person that he showed the gun to, that he was sorry, that he was profoundly sorry. I do not believe it is fair or right for protesters to show up at the homes of people who dedicate their lives to public service. … It seems like what they like is to embarrass me and intimidate me.”
Jackie Lacey is the first black woman to serve as DA for LA.
David Lacey is the last person you should try to sell doughnuts to.
-ALEX
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