LA Police Union Corruption Documentary fund

In support of the global BLM movement, The Future Left created Who Do You Protect? a documentary on the history and corruption of LA police unions to unveil the enormous amount of power they hold and abuse they perpetuate. We collected interviews from BLM members and victims of police brutality, including the family of Daniel Hernandez who was killed by officer Toni McBride this summer, as well as elected officials who have experience fighting in the system these unions control. We will be releasing this piece at the end of October as part of the ongoing conversation on how to begin dismantling the LAPD.

Who We Are

The Future Left is made up of ideologically diverse volunteers with the shared goal of advocating for progressive change. What initially started as a Futurist reading group gradually developed into an activist organization through our work on voter guides and became a force for political and social equity in Los Angeles. Our organization has grown in size at an exponential rate in the last year alone, due in no small part to a period of rapid cultural and economic change.

After discussions of how we could utilize our expanding resources to bolster the call for defunding, a documentary team was formed. Our members came to the collective decision to focus efforts on exposing the corruption of the LAPD Union. What began as a dive into the history of the unions rise to influence eventually grew in scope, with more and more community leaders sitting down with us to add to the call. Interviewing people such as Baba Akili, Nithya Raman, and Michael Novick has given us insight into the structural ties which uphold the strength these unions enjoy, as well as the chance to see tangible outlines for how to begin the de-escalation of the militarized LAPD.

Why We Need Funding

These unions are a dangerous power upholding the broken status quo in our country. Time and time again we witness police who are allegedly meant to serve our communities inflict violence and face no repercussions for their actions, and watch as our elected officials protect them.

Jackie Lacey has served as District Attorney since December 2012. In that time more than 600 people have been killed by law enforcement in Los Angeles county. She has repeatedly chosen not to prosecute officers involved in these murders. Rather than fulfill the duties of her office and represent the people, Lacey continues to align herself with police. This comes as no surprise—Lacey has accepted at least $3 million in donations from police unions for her reelection campaign.

The system Lacey upholds is corrupt, violent, and untenable. What we need is a referendum on police accountability; instead we have a DA who recuses her office from reviewing police shootings of victims like Daniel Hernandez due to “a conflict of interest."

Our country has reached an inflection point in the conversation on defunding the police. Now more than ever it’s imperative we elevate voices of those directly harmed by the LAPD, especially as we face an election where flipping several key seats could be a crucial turning point. In the run up between now and the election it's imperative we show voters the need to vote Lacey and all officials who accept money from LAPPL out. Our documentary gives a platform to people who know the power police unions have over our city, but we need your help to get this across the finish line.

The Future Left is seeking funding for post-production so we can finish this project in order to help facilitate justice in our city. While we are a volunteer organization, many of the incurred expenses have been financed out-of-pocket and many of our members on this project have been out of work due to Covid-19. We want to support our team members who’ve dedicated so much energy to the community and are seeking funding to help finance their work through the end of our production cycle. To provide an equitable rate for the remaining work that needs to be done, of the total $5600 asked our fundraising costs break down as follows:

75% of funds will be dedicated to covering outstanding production fees.

16% will go towards post-production costs including but not limited to drives, transcriptions, and meals for workers.

9% will be set aside for coverage of upcoming promotion and distribution.

Your donations will be part of helping uproot the systemic corruption in Los Angeles. Only together will we be able to create a safer Los Angeles, and we appreciate any support you are able to give in this pursuit.

For more information about The Future Left and upcoming projects stay in touch with us at The Future Left  and @thefutureleft on Instagram.