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MEDIA RELEASE:
A Black Lives Matter activist who was repeatedly hit with a baton and shot in the stomach and arm by Los Angeles police officers with a projectile during a May 30 protest in Los Angeles will announce a lawsuit against the city of L.A. and the Los Angeles Police Department.
Fahren James, 39, is alleging that her constitutional rights were violated when she was targeted and wounded by the officer who fired the projectiles into her stomach and arm in violation of department policy. Ms. James, a well-known Black Lives Matter activist in South Pasadena who has been targeted for her work by white supremacists, will be joined by her attorney Jim DeSimone (V. James DeSimone Law) to discuss the lawsuit which will be filed in state court Wednesday.
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WHO:
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Fahren James, Black Lives Matter Activist
Jim DeSimone, Attorney
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WHAT:
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Press Conference to Announce Lawsuit Against the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles Police Department
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WHEN:
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Wednesday, January 13, 2021
11 AM PT / 2 PM ET
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WHERE:
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RSVP for virtual press conference here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ke-fcwMARqquqaZG8NI6OA
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Background:
On May 30, 2020, Ms. James, an African American woman, gathered in West Hollywood to participate in a peaceful protest in a display of support for Black Lives Matter and the families and memory of Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) deaths at the hands of law enforcement, in particular George Floyd.
Around 4:16 p.m. Ms. James arrived near Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles and parked her vehicle on a nearby side street. Around 4:21 p.m., Ms. James arrived by foot at Beverly Blvd. between N. Stanley Ave./The Grove Dr. and Genesee Ave. in Los Angeles. At this location, she stood on the sidewalk to the East of Erewhon Market peacefully protesting among a small group of other peaceful individuals. Around 4:30 p.m., Ms. James personally witnessed law enforcement enter the CBS parking lot through an entrance on Beverly Blvd. Shortly after, Ms. James saw police rush out of the CBS parking lot while firing non-lethal bullets at a group of people.She ran on the sidewalk of Beverly Blvd. away from the law enforcement officers. While on the sidewalk, Ms. James witnessed the officers form a line on the street-facing peaceful protestors approximately thirty (30) feet away.
Ms. James saw a male LAPD officer break from the line of officers and point his shotgun directly at her. She told the officer she was peacefully protesting and asked why he aimed his shotgun at her. When the officer finally pointed the shotgun away from her, she turned with her back to the officers.
According to Ms. James the LAPD officers at no time announced any order or command to her, nor were any general orders to disperse announced. She had turned away from the officers for a brief period of time when, without provocation, a female LAPD officer, struck her on her back with a baton. Ms. James turned toward the LAPD officer and asked why the officer struck her with the officer’s baton as she placed her arms in front of her to protect herself from further injury. The LAPD officer jabbed her in her torso and elbow with the baton multiple times. A male LAPD officer next to the female officer beating Ms. James with her baton held his gun that shot projectiles aimed at Ms. James. The male LAPD officer directly shot her twice from point-blank range with bullets that left metal fragments in her stomach. One shot struck Ms.James in the abdomen and another shot struck her under her left arm which she raised in vain to protect herself.
After shooting Ms. James, the officers provided no medical care or call for care for her as she stood on the sidewalk bleeding and bruised from the inflicted baton strikes and metal projectile blasts. She and other witnesses begged the officers to provide medical care or transportation to no avail. Ms. James’s injuries were so severe that she was hospitalized for several days. She continues to have metal fragments lodged in her stomach from the shots fired by the police officers along with noticeable scars.
