This week, a Los Angeles jury returned a verdict of $16 million to Vanessa Bryant and $15 million to Chris Chester in their lawsuit against Los Angeles County. According to the complaint, members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department took and distributed unnecessary and gruesome pictures of the January 2020 helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, as well as seven others. (Chris Chester’s wife and daughter were also killed in the tragic crash.)
The lawsuit is another hit against the LASD and a sheriff who defies all authority and refuses to respond to subpoenas or cooperate with the Civilian Oversight Commission.
LASD deputy Joey Cruz showed patrons at a local pub and the bartender some of the pictures – which feature the remains of Kobe Bryant and his daughter – and caused a patron to file an official complaint with the Sheriff’s Department. For weeks, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva tried to bury the incident and even ordered his employees to delete the photos. The Los Angeles Times revealed the coordinated cover-up, forcing Villanueva to admit that he had offered officers “amnesty” if they came forward and deleted the photos.
“There’s no playbook on this,” the sheriff testified at trial. “We made the right decision.”
ICYMI
For Posse Comitatus this week, I wrote about how Riverside County, CA, Sheriff Chad Bianco allowed his SWAT unit to destroy the home of a retired couple for solar panels.
In Bolts, I wrote about how Sheriff Mark Lamb of Pinal County, along with other far-right sheriffs, partnered with True the Vote to “police” elections. Community members are worried.
For Democracy Docket, I wrote about the danger of allowing sheriffs who support the Big Lie to police elections.
Recommended Reading
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s election goon squad arrested 20 people for illegally voting; most of them had no idea. Now they face prison. See also this piece on Florida sheriffs backing DeSantis.
Of course Blake Masters loves Cross Fit. My suspicion? Cross Fit is actually a far-right recruitment tool.
Keri Blakinger has cool tattoos, a wonderful book, and published this piece on getting your period in jail.
The jail in Harris County, Texas, just reported its first case of monkeypox. I wrote about my concerns with a new infectious disease here.
The Wayback Machine
I have a fascination with profiles of malevolent people. How do you write them such that people will read them and not think that you are supporting their message? I read this takedown of Mehmet Oz on the subway in 2013 and rejoiced; someone was finally writing about the guy who tried to sell my elderly relatives on blueberries for longevity. Also, I met the author Michael Specter at a party once, and he told me about this new thing called “Crispr.” (Note: He wasn’t really talking TO me, but I was in the vicinity, which is close enough.
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