Here’s the video:
Gascon was speaking outside the Pomona Courthouse when he was interrupted by protesting crime victims. One family insulted by Gascon was the family of Joshua Rodriguez, who was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered in 2015. His mother wrote:
I am his mother and Joshua lives inside my heart and everyone else who knew him will say the same. He will not ever be forgotten . His smile alone is so bright it shines even now at such a dark time. Just to think of The laughter that comes with it makes me cry now. […] The shock of my son being murdered was so unreal. I still find myself somewhat in denial to this day that he is gone.
She was upset about Gascon’s new policies. Specifically, Gascon directed his prosecutors to lighten the charges against her son’s killers. She went to the courthouse to protest, which led Gascon to remark, “”It’s unfortunate that some people do not have enough education to keep their mouth shut so we can talk.” Rodriguez’s mother shouted “don’t do this, I’m begging you!” as Gascon walked away, ignoring her. His mother said, “My son can never speak again because he was murdered. He was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered. My son matters.”
After video of the exchange appeared on social media, Gascon put out the following statement:
“While speaking to colleagues outside of the office there were individuals yelling on opposite sides of the crowd. I did not understand what they were yelling about until later, let alone that they were victims. Regardless, it’s not how I should have reacted. Clearly this family is in pain, and I will be contacting them to speak directly and hear them out. The defendants in this case are all facing life in prison.”
The victim’s mother can clearly be heard yelling about her son. Other victims are also protesting about their loved ones. This seems to contradict Gascon’s press release, where he says that he didn’t understand that they were victims. Gascon did not explain why he walked away instead of immediately apologizing.
DA in CA 