Story by Sam Grotenstein Staff Writer Photo courtesy of SPY4PR Contributor South Pasadena Youth for Police Reform (SPY4PR) organized a protest at Garfield Park on Sunday, Aug. 9 to raise awareness of SPPD misconduct. Speakers talked about officer mishandling of Joe Richcreek’s targeted assault of Black Lives Matter protestors and demanded that city officials hold the SPPD […]
D.A.’s office to investigate fake, online identities
Story by Haelee Kim Staff Writer Photo by Katelyn Hernandez Staff Photographer The South Pasadena Police Department (SPPD) announced that the L.A. County District Attorney will investigate two unknown identities accused of sending defamatory and threatening emails and public comments on Thursday, Aug. 6. The informant, resident Chris Bray, sent an email to city officials, SPPD officers, […]
Residents voice encounters with the SPPD at virtual community forum
Story by Georgia Parsons Staff Writer Photo by Richard Gomez Contributor South Pasadena community members shared their experiences with the SPPD in an effort to improve policing and public safety in the city at a storytelling forum on Thursday, July 16. The forum is the first event organized by the city council’s new Future of Policing […]
City council votes down proposed budget while approving sub-committee on future of policing in South Pasadena
Story by Sofia Alva Staff Writer Photo by Katelyn Hernandez Staff Photographer The city council voted down the proposed budget and instead opted to continue appropriations of the 2019-2020 budget at its meeting on Wednesday, June 24. Council members also approved the creation of a six member sub-committee regarding the future of policing in South Pasadena. […]
City faces $20 million civil rights lawsuit in Vanessa Marquez officer-involved shooting
Story by Kahlen Miao Staff Writer Reporting by Noah Kuhn News Editor Photo by Patrick Baca Contributor The family of late actress Vanessa Marquez announced that a civil rights lawsuit was filed over her 2018 killing by SPPD officers on Wednesday, June 24. The family demanded that the police officers involved be reinvestigated and held accountable for […]
SPPD’s arrest of a crime suspect draws community criticism for excessive force
Story by Lilian Zhu Staff Writer Photo courtesy of South Pasadena Youth For Police Reform Contributor The SPPD forcibly detained a middle-aged Black man on charges of assault and robbery in front of city hall on Tuesday, June 23. The police watch commander reported that the person had assaulted an individual and stolen their phone, […]
City council to vote on establishing a community policing sub-committee
Story by Noah Kuhn News Editor Photo by Richard Gomez Contributor The South Pasadena City Council will vote on whether to appoint a council sub-committee on the future of policing in South Pasadena at a special meeting on Wednesday, June 24. The sub-committee would collect data on SPPD practices and study the effects of city laws […]
Why SPPD needs to be defunded
Story by Quinn ManzoStaff Writer Illustration by Tarry SongStaff Illustrator Anger over police brutality has reignited following the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Protesters are enraged over the continued killings of Black Americans at the hands of police and the racist system that refuses to hold officers accountable, with local residents now taking […]
South Pasadena acquires two electric vehicles in larger effort to reduce footprint
The South Pasadena Police Department will be purchasing two new electric patrol vehicles for the purpose of parking enforcement. The new environmentally-friendly vehicles will save thousands of dollars in fuel expenses and are part of the city’s initiative to improve air quality and energy efficiency. In a presentation before the city council, Captain Mike Neff […]