South Central, Los Angeles–There was a protest this past weekend, led by local grassroots groups honoring the life of Dijon Kizzee and pushing for police accountability.
He was gunned down by the L.A County Sheriff’s Department after he was stopped for “code violations” while riding his bike.
Kizzee’s death represents the cycle of state sanctioned violence that has hounded Black men here in L.A. This violence and repression is fueled by inherit biases and stereotypes these officers have and further represents a problematic, deep rooted culture within policing.
Read More: Dijon Kizzee wasn’t holding gun when LA deputies shot him 15 times, family attorneys say
Every disenfranchised Black man in Los Angeles is not a criminal. These men need resources and rehabilitation–not being hunt down by LAPD and the Sheriff’s, in the same streets and communities they grew up in.
Two years ago, I filmed the funeral of Dijon Kizzee for the law office retained by his family, following his shooting death by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s in 2020.
At the time, his father was incarcerated and his family wanted to make sure he could at least attend the funeral for his son virtually.
Read More: Dijon Kizzee 30th Birthday Celebration Held At Ted Watkins Park in Watts
You can view the video of his funeral service here: https://fb.watch/fhsm0Vj-bI/
Rest in Peace Dijon Kizzee.
Here is a podcast episode I did with a white male who was labeled an outside agitator after the nightly “protests” that happened in South Central following Kizzee’s death, led by white anarchists from around the DTLA area.
There were also several peaceful protests led by BLM following Kizzee’s 2020 murder.
