Mayor Garcetti, Chief Beck To Meet With President In Wake Of Recent Violence

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Mayor Eric Garcetti and LAPD Chief Charlie Beck will meet Wednesday with President Barack Obama to discuss efforts to build bridges between communities and law enforcement agencies following a rash of violence.

The meeting in Washington, D.C., will include law enforcement officials and experts, along with activists, civil rights leaders and political leaders, according to White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.

Officials hope to "try to further the dialogue and the identification of specific solutions to repairing the bonds of trust that have frayed in so many communities between law enforcement officials and citizens that they're sworn to serve and protect," Earnest added.

For Garcetti and Beck, the meeting comes one day after the Los Angeles Police Commission upheld the actions of an officer who fatally shot a black female robbery suspect in August 2015.

The commission agreed with Beck's assessment that Officer Brett Ramirez acted within department policy when he shot Redel Jones, 30, who was holding a knife while allegedly lunging towards officers.

The decision has sparked protest from activists outside police headquarters and City Hall.

"Los Angeles is not a perfect place," Garcetti told KNX 1070's Brian Ping. "But we are a more resilient town because we have gone through what other cities are going through right now across the nation. We have to look at how to protect lives and save the lives of officers."

Tensions between police and the black community have been running high following two fatal shootings by police in Louisiana and Minnesota, and the deaths of five police officers in Texas.

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