District Attorney George Gascón’s Deafening Silence: A Disturbing Omission Amid Israel’s Tragedy

October 11, 2023  –  The Board of Association of Deputy District Attorneys issued the following statement:

For the last three years, District Attorney George Gascón has seldom missed a chance to insert himself into the news cycle.  He has commented on the deaths of famous artists and politicians.  He has shared his views on Supreme Court decisions.  He has even opined on international conflicts in Ukraine and, just last month, in Armenia and Azerbaijan.

But for the last five days, he has said nothing about the indiscriminate massacre of innocent civilians in Israel.  And his silence has caused significant concern among his employees, especially those who are Jewish.

As prosecutors, we are committed to seeking justice on behalf of victims.

Israel’s dead were young and old.  They were rich and poor.  They were Jews.  They were Mexican, British, Thai, Brazilian, Chinese, German, Nepali, French, Tanzanian, and, yes, American.   They were sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers.  Some were bedridden.  Some were new to this world, just learning to crawl.

They were raped, kidnapped, held hostage, and murdered.

These victims deserve our compassion, not indifference.

George Gascón’s silence in the face of this atrocious tragedy is disgraceful, insensitive, and cowardly.

When he commented on the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh last month, Gascón wrote that he was “committed to standing up for human rights, speaking out against hate, and preventing such atrocities.”

Where is that commitment or leadership today?

About The ADDA

The Association of Deputy District Attorneys (ADDA) is the collective bargaining agent representing over 800 Deputy District Attorneys working for the County of Los Angeles.