## **Town Hall Meeting with DA Nathan Hochman (May 13)**
(short version for both facebook and instagram)

LA District Attorney Nathan Hochman visited Koreatown. As the chief prosecutor overseeing the vast LA County, he held this Town Hall meeting as part of an effort to tour various districts. Nathan Hochman’s current performance record is evaluated quite favorably, comparable to that of his predecessors.

While the current DA receives high marks in most areas, he receives the opposite evaluation regarding **Police Accountability**. According to assessments by the ACLU and other organizations, there has been a near-total absence of criminal prosecutions against officers for use of force, among other concerns.

## **To the District Attorney**

The DA, who bears the heaviest responsibility for defending justice, must realize that maintaining the current practice of non-prosecution in police violence cases goes beyond mere tolerance—it borders on encouragement.

They must recognize the severity of police violence from the perspective of the average citizen and use their authority to reach a turning point where the number of deaths begins to decrease.

The motto **”Facts and Law”** should not be used as a shield to avoid prosecuting police; it should be a sword to reduce police violence. If the law is insufficient, the DA should proactively request new legislation from the state or federal government. While professional camaraderie between police and prosecutors is a reality, the legal and moral responsibility to protect human life and civil rights must come first.

### **The Effort of the People for Social Justice**

All power comes from the people. We must never forget that the government, public officials, and especially the police are servants of the people, funded by our taxes. Let us be proud citizens who speak our truth and enjoy the equal rights and freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

## **Town Hall Meeting with DA Nathan Hochman (May 13)**
(long version for facebook)

LA District Attorney Nathan Hochman visited Koreatown. As the chief prosecutor overseeing the vast LA County, he held this Town Hall meeting as part of an effort to tour various districts, explain the effectiveness of the 800+ prosecutors (Deputy and Assistant DAs) and the 200+ investigators from the Bureau of Investigation (BI), and listen to the concerns of local residents. As a citizen of LA, I offer my praise and respect to the hardworking DA and his staff.

The event was organized by Robert Ahn, Chair of the LA County DA’s Asian American Pacific Islander Advisory Board and President of the Korean American Federation, and Irene Lee, who served as a Special Assistant to the DA and is currently running for judge.

During the meeting, the District Attorney highlighted several achievements. Indeed, Nathan Hochman’s current performance record is evaluated quite favorably, comparable to that of his predecessors.

Significantly, DA Hochman addressed the case of Mr. Bang Cho, an 84-year-old unhoused Korean man who was tragically victimized by a criminal in Downtown LA on April 19, 2026. He also briefly mentioned the issue of my son, **Yong Yang**, who was killed by the LAPD on May 2, 2024. Prior to the Town Hall, Mr. Hochman had requested to meet with my wife and me at the Korean Federation office for a brief discussion.

While the current DA receives high marks in most areas, he receives the opposite evaluation regarding **Police Accountability**. According to assessments by the ACLU and other organizations, there has been a near-total absence of criminal prosecutions against officers for use of force, among other concerns.

—

### **The Issue of Police Shootings and Killings of Citizens**

Independent of the DA’s office, the current state of police use of force in LA and across the United States can be summarized as follows:

1. **Gravity of the Issue:** While the number of victims of police force is significantly smaller than those of general crime, the gravity of losing a life makes this a critical issue, no less significant than any other crime.
2. **State-Sponsored Violence:** General crime is committed by individuals or groups, but police violence is committed by the government. It is a grave matter when those entrusted with the monopoly on force and the duty to protect instead take the lives of the citizens.
3. **Global Comparison:** Excluding a few lawless dictatorships, the rate of police violence in the U.S. is among the highest in the world—ranking first among OECD nations by a wide margin (excluding Mexico). Despite 250 years of national history and 157 years of policing in LA, over 1,000 civilians are killed by police annually in the U.S. In the LA area alone, more than 1,000 citizens have been killed by police since 2000.
4. **Lack of Prosecution:** In LA, the criminal prosecution rate for officers who kill citizens is less than 0.1%, with even lower conviction rates. Internal disciplinary actions are also negligible. This prosecution rate is likely the lowest among OECD nations—a historic and shameful figure for the American people.

Unless the government intends to use police violence as a tool for governance or social control, no one can deny that this intolerable level of violence is a **civil rights issue** that demands urgent reform.

—

### **Pathways to Improvement**

Someone must take action to curb runaway police violence and the lack of accountability. This responsibility lies with the police, city, state, and federal governments, as well as the prosecution and the courts. However, actual efforts from these entities are almost non-existent.

I hope that the **2026 Charter Reform** efforts by the LA City Council will bring about change. Beyond that, the only recourse for victims is often civil litigation—a grueling battle against the vast legal resources of the government that can last over a decade. While civil suits may provide some economic compensation, they rarely succeed in changing the systemic nature of police violence.

Long-term solutions require legislative action at the state and federal levels, as well as **Impact Litigation**—lawsuits aimed at securing court injunctions to force policy changes. These require broad civic engagement and the support of intellectuals and activists.

—

### **”Someone” Must Act**

History shows we cannot expect government agencies to reform themselves voluntarily. Therefore, I believe the “common people”—the citizens—must be the ones to act. We must make this a central issue and use our votes to elect representatives who will pursue reform.

I often see that those at the vanguard of these movements are the victims, the bereaved, and the vulnerable. When you see those who have become “that someone,” please give them your strength. They have the lived experience of the need for change; they have the passion to ensure their loved ones’ deaths were not in vain.

You can participate by becoming “that someone” directly, or indirectly through your vote, your words, and your public engagement. At the very least, please do not remain indifferent, and I urge you not to be hostile. The more people join this cause, the more the government and the courts will be forced to listen.

There are many people in America, like me, who lost family members because they looked away, thinking it was someone else’s problem. This is especially true for minorities. Those who are thirsty must dig the well; eventually, that well provides water for everyone. As Han Kang suggested, **”the dead save the living.”**

—

### **To the District Attorney**

The DA, who bears the heaviest responsibility for defending justice, must realize that maintaining the current practice of non-prosecution in police violence cases goes beyond mere tolerance—it borders on encouragement.

While we appreciate the hard work of police and prosecutors in fighting general crime, the DA must not rest on high conviction rates for ordinary cases. They must recognize the severity of police violence from the perspective of the average citizen and use their authority to reach a turning point where the number of deaths begins to decrease.

The motto **”Facts and Law”** should not be used as a shield to avoid prosecuting police; it should be a sword to reduce police violence. If the law is insufficient, the DA should proactively request new legislation from the state or federal government. While professional camaraderie between police and prosecutors is a reality, the legal and moral responsibility to protect human life and civil rights must come first.

### **The Effort of the People for Social Justice**

All power comes from the people. We must never forget that the government, public officials, and especially the police are servants of the people, funded by our taxes. Let us be proud citizens who speak our truth and enjoy the equal rights and freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.