Protest Planned In Santa Monica Wednesday

SANTA MONICA, CA — Several protests against police brutality and to defund law enforcement are scheduled throughout Los Angeles County Wednesday, including a protest in Santa Monica.

A protest is planned in Santa Monica at 5 p.m. Wednesday outside Santa Monica Police Department.

There will also be a Black Lives Matter rally outside the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles calling for the removal from office of District Attorney Jackie Lacey.

The Black Lives Matter protest is scheduled for 3 p.m. at 211 W. Temple Street, according to a post on the group's official Facebook page.

The post includes a picture of Lacey and the caption "District Attorney Jackie Lacey is complicit in them murder of over 609 people by LAPD, county sheriffs, and in custody."

In appearance on ABC7 June 3, Lacey insisted her office has not been soft on police. She said the District Attorney's Office "under my leadership has actually prosecuted more than 20 officers for use of force."

"I'm the only prosecutor in the state who currently has an officer- involved shooting case filed and pending," she said. "And so while it may seem like things are not happening, they actually are.

"Each case is different. They can't lump all the cases into the same category as the one we are experiencing now," Lacey said.

Other scheduled protests include:

• 5 p.m., protest scheduled for 333 Olympic Blvd., in Santa Monica
• Noon, a protest at Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood
• Noon, a protest at the North Hollywood Recreation Center, 11430 Chandler Blvd.
• Noon, near the Sherman Oaks Galleria at Sepulveda and Ventura boulevards
• A "Jackie Lacey Must Go" rally at 1 p.m. at Mariachi Plaza, 1831 E. First St., in Boyle Heights
• 4 p.m., a protest at the intersection of Los Feliz Boulevard and Riverside Drive in Los Feliz
• 7 p.m., a Justice for Robert Fuller rally at Palmdale City Hall, 38300 Sierra Highway

Fuller was found with a rope around his neck about 3:40 a.m. June 10 in Poncitlan Square, across from Palmdale City Hall. Authorities initially said the death appeared to be a suicide, although an official cause of death has not been made.

On Monday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva vowed to conduct a thorough investigation into the death -- with cooperation from state and federal law enforcement.

During a news conference at the downtown Hall of Justice, Villanueva said he had called state Attorney General Xavier Becerra and reached out to the FBI, whose civil rights division will also monitor the investigation.

No protests were immediately scheduled for Wednesday in Orange County.

- City News Service and Patch Staffer Nicole Charky contributed to this report.

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