On Monday July 6, 2020, ANCA-WR Summer 2020 Interns were provided an exclusive opportunity to meet with LA County District Attorney candidate George Gascón. Gascón spoke about his experiences as a former Los Angeles police officer and Mesa, Arizona, police chief, and his eventual ascent to the District Attorney position in San Francisco. He recalled the reforms he implemented in San Francisco including the open-source bias mitigation tool that uses artificial intelligence to remove the potential for implicit bias from prosecutors’ charging decisions. He went on to explain the jails he has visited in Europe and drew comparisons with those in the US that often lead to mass incarceration. He focused on his relationship and open-dialogue with his children and the kind of reforms he would like to implement when elected.
The interns then had a chance to ask about his policies on human trafficking, prosecutorial transparency, and other issues he plans to tackle in office. During the conversation, Gascón said that he was proud to be an ANCA-WR endorsed candidate and reiterated his support to continuously engage with the Armenian-American community, as well as other marginalized communities to ensure that Los Angeles thrives in a safe environment. At the conclusion of the meeting, Gascón urged the interns to exercise their right to vote during the upcoming elections and continuously engage with issues that affect their communities.
