Hundreds of Los Angeles residents have been directly and forcefully addressing leaders of the Los Angeles Police Department about police brutality, systemic racism, and the department’s response to the George Floyd protests in what is perhaps the most powerful Zoom call of all time.
The call, which as of the time of publication has been going on for more than four hours, is a virtual meeting of the Los Angeles Police Commission. Caller after caller have demanded that police leadership including Chief Michel Moore resign, have demanded the defunding of the department, and for the people on the call to take a deep, introspective look at the violence perpetrated by police against Los Angeles residents both historically and during protests over the last week.
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After a short address from police leaders, public commenters began making themselves heard in minute-long chunks for nearly six hours. Some callers waited hours to speak, and the effect is powerful: Listen to any minute of the call and you will hear people who are angry, tired, and horrified by the murder of Black people and refuse to take it any longer. At the time of this writing, more than 19,000 people were watching the livestream.