Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey’s husband brought a gun and deadly threats to the front door of their home on Monday morning as Black Lives Matter activists beat drums and chanted about DA Lacey.
Video from the scene credited to Black Lives Matter LA clearly shows David Lacey at the doorway of their Granada Hills home, pointing a weapon and shouting, “I will shoot you. Get off of my porch.”
“I don’t care who you are, get off of my porch, right now,” Lacey continued, once again raising the handgun toward an off-screen individual identified by the Real Justice PAC as California State Professor of Pan-African Studies Dr. Melina Abdullah. “We’re calling the police,” Lacey said. “Okay, good,” she can be heard answering before he closes the door.
“He pulled a gun and pointed it at my chest,” Abdullah said, then raised her voice again: “We’re here for the community meeting, Jackie Lacey!” she called out. Abdullah and roughly 30 other Black Lives Matter activists had shown up in front of the embattled DA’s house early on Monday morning, protesting her refusal to meet with activists within the southern Los Angeles community.
“For clarity for folks outside of Los Angeles who don’t know the history, @BLMLA has been trying to meet with their elected District Attorney for years,” tweeted County Central Committee candidate Jasmyne Cannick, who also posted the video. “She hasn’t met with the Black community since 2016.”
Despite the footage, police officials would not officially confirm “whether any firearm had been brandished,” or “if the man seen in the video is Lacey’s husband.” They will follow typical investigative procedure: “As with any incident, LAPD will first investigate and if appropriate bring to an independent prosecutor’s office for review,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement. “The California attorney general’s office will assist LAPD in this matter.”
Lacey has long been at odds with many of her constituents for a perceived lack of action toward addressing issues of racism and violence during her tenure. Still, she maintains that harassment at her home steps well over the line.
“Our home is our sanctuary,” Lacey said in a press conference hours later. “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.” While she said she was “profoundly sorry” for her husband’s response, she maintains that it was “rooted” in genuine fear.
“It was just him and I in that house and we really didn’t know what was about to happen,” she told the press. “I too am sorry if anybody was harmed. It’s never my intent to harm any protester. I just want to live in peace and do my job.”
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