A Los Angeles City Council candidate has earned the ire of the police chief and union after she referenced well-known song lyrics by saying “f*** the police” during a recent meet-and-greet with college students.
Ysabel Jurado is running to unseat Councilman Kevin de Leon and used the phrase when asked a question about police spending at California State University, Los Angeles.
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“As someone who is myself pro-abolishment of police, where do you stand on that spectrum?” the questioner, who also inquired about De Leon’s use of discretionary funds to pay for police overtime, asked.
Jurado responded, “What’s the rap verse? F*** the police — that’s how I see ‘em.”
That didn’t sit too well with interim Los Angeles Police Chief Dominic Choi, who said Jurado’s comments diminished “the hard work and dedication of the men and women” of the Los Angeles Police Department.
“This divisive language only serves to erode what should be a positive and collaborative relationship between the police and the people we serve,” Choi said. “Every day, the men and women of the LAPD put their lives on the line to keep the people of Los Angeles safe, and I wish more people valued their sacrifice.”
The Los Angeles Police Protective League, a union that represents about 8,800 police officers, also weighed in, calling Jurado’s comments “nonsensical.”
“Her world view of ‘f*** the police’ conflicts with the hopes and aspirations of residents who want to feel safe in their homes, at their parks and schools and in their neighborhoods,” the union’s board of directors said.
De Leon, who was endorsed by the union, called Jurado’s comments “disrespectful” and said he was “100% behind our front-line officers who go out every day risking their lives to protect Angelenos across our city.”
Jurado brushed off her comments and said Los Angeles is “on the edge of a financial emergency” that was partly due to payouts for police misconduct. She also slammed De Leon for cozying up to police and failing to meet with college students.
“In a meeting with students at Cal State L.A., I quoted a lyric from a song that’s been part of a larger conversation on systemic injustice and police accountability for decades. But it was just a lyric,” she told the Los Angeles Times, referencing the N.W.A song from the 1980s. “And I’m proud to be accessible to young people and students, listening to their concerns and treating them like the future leaders they are.”
It is unclear who made and released the recording of Jurado that was reported by the Westside Current.
On the recording, Jurado went on to say the city’s budget is “broken” and said the LAPD is “funded more than it’s actually ever been funded before.” Despite its record funding, Jurado said some residents in the district “don’t feel safe.”
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“For me, I have to listen to the constituents,” she told the college group.
De Leon and Jurado have been going at it over police spending since she got into the race last year. She has faulted De Leon for supporting Democratic Mayor Karen Bass’s budget, which called for hiring more officers and a four-year package of raises. Jurado has called for funding to be taken from the police budget and shifted to other city services.