KNOCK.LA Podcast

Congratulations to the Los Angeles County Public Defenders Union on becoming an officially recognized bargaining unit. Ace Katana joins me to talk about the efforts to unionize, what spurred it, and what they hope to gain. The Los Angeles County Office of the Public Defender is the largest criminal defense law firm in the world and the oldest public defender office in the US. Hundreds of attorneys handle thousands, if not tens of thousands, of cases a year. They are often the only hope their clients have to stay out of jail and to defend themselves against the power of the mass incarceral state. Since first being proposed by Clara Shortridge Foltz at the World's Fair in 1893, cities and counties have adopted this model to provide representation to their residents. These efforts were further bolstered by Supreme Court decisions that affirmed a defendant's right to legal counsel. As more attention turns to the abuses of prosecutors and cops the necessity of this work becomes even more apparent. To learn more about Clara Shortridge Foltz: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Shortridge_Foltz To see what the LA County Public Defenders Union is up to: https://www.lapubdefunion.com/ or follow them on Twitter: @LApubdefunion To learn more about AFSCME Council 36: https://www.afscme36.org/ To visit KNOCK LA's Patreon: http://patreon.com/KNOCK_LA

Today we’re talking about a LADWP changing tack toward a more renewable energy future; former LA County Sheriff Lee Baca heading to federal jail; the LA County Board of Supervisors deciding to replace Men’s Central with a mental health facility; officials harassing journalists and activists at the US-Mexico border; and an unsurprising announcement in the 2020 Los Angeles City Council race.

LAPD's elite Metro Division is back in the news after another scandal involving "stop and frisk in cars" was reported by the LA Times. To the organizers at Stop LAPD spying this came as no surprise. They have spent years tracking the abuses and expansion of LAPD that always result in further criminalization and marginalization in vulnerable communities. Hamid Kahn and Jamie Garcia joined me to talk about this current scandal and how LAPD in collaboration with private companies and academics is working the expand the stalker state. To learn more or get involved: https://stoplapdspying.org/

Today we're talking about the disclosure of police misconduct records, developments in the Sunrise Movement and the Green New Deal, and some goings on at the City Ethics Commission that could have some serious repercussions in city politics.

After Complaints of Rampant Sexism, LAFD Gets First Woman in Charge https://knock-la.com/lafd-kristen-crowley-firefighters-sexism-discrimination/ By: Dua Anjum Read by: Dua Anjum