Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey and Sheriff Jim McDonnell were special guest speakers at ADL’s annual meeting held June 8 at the Skirball Cultural Center attended by ADL board members, volunteers, donors and members of law enforcement and the legal community.
A special “thank you” reception for major donors was held prior to the meeting where ADL’s top supporters had a chance to meet DA Lacey and Sheriff McDonnell.
Regional Director Amanda Susskind opened the event with a “year in review” in pictures, showing ADL’s fundraising and community events as well as media coverage.
Regional Board Chair Eric Kingsley spoke about the mid-point of his two-year term, which started with the Gaza war last summer. Kingsley discussed some of the major issues in which ADL’s Los Angeles region has been involved this past year including the BDS movement on college campuses in general and UCLA in particular.
As an introduction to the guest speakers, Kingsley focused on ADL’s relationship with law enforcement as the number one non-governmental agency training law enforcement on hate crimes, terrorism and extremism. He also mentioned ADL’s in-depth research on terrorist and extremist threats including reports on prison extremism, extremism at the border and racist skinhead groups.
Kingsley moderated a discussion with the DA and Sheriff – the two leading law enforcement officials for a county larger than many countries. The free-flowing debate touched on the challenges facing our county, especially concerning the mentally ill who are a large percentage of repeat offenders and victims of excessive force.
Sheriff McDonnell discussed ADL’s Law Enforcement Advisory Committee, which he chairs, and is comprised of high level law enforcement officers from throughout Southern California who meet quarterly to exchange information and intelligence on varied issues including counter-terrorism.
Both county officials stressed the importance of community involvement. DA Lacey reminded the audience that her office has a great client: “The client is you – the people in the community.”
The Sheriff said, “Partnerships such as the one we have with ADL make our community stronger.”