More than two months after the shooting death of 40-year-old Yong Yang by a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer, the investigation has yet to show significant progress. This delay has sparked criticism and suspicions that the police are stalling, hoping for public opinion to wane.
Yong Yang’s father, Min Yang, expressed frustration over the lack of transparency in the investigation and the absence of autopsy results. “I filed a public information request for the investigation records, and the only response I got within 45 days was, ‘We can’t give it to you yet,’” he told the Korea Daily. He explained that to issue a court subpoena to compel the release of the report, one must first file a lawsuit against the government agency, a complex and cumbersome process.
The LA County Medical Examiner’s Office has also not released the autopsy results, which legally prevents the family from accessing the results of an autopsy they commissioned from a private investigator. Min Yang emphasized, “What we want is simple. We want the police to apologize and the wrongdoers to be punished. If we can’t get that, we can’t call this a country. I will fight to the end with my life.”
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office stated they are awaiting the results of the police investigation. During an online town hall meeting on mental health crisis response organized by the AAPI Advisory Board of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on July 11, Board Chair Esther Lim addressed the timeline of the investigation into Yang’s case, highlighting the Korean American community’s frustration.
Tiffiny Blacknell, Chief of Staff to the LA County District Attorney, acknowledged the delay, stating, “The office is still waiting for the LAPD’s investigation into the shooting to be turned over to the District Attorney’s office, and this could take months.”
Sangmin Lee, a Koreatown resident, expressed his frustration, saying, ”It’s as if the police want the public to forget about the incident. The community needs to step up and speak out for an expedited investigation.”
The call for justice in Yang’s case remains strong. On July 11, over 50 people gathered outside the Department of Mental Health building in Koreatown to protest the LAPD’s actions and demand improvements in police response to individuals with mental illnesses. The rally, organized by the Justice for Yong Yang People’s Committee (JYYPC), included college students from the K.W. Lee Leadership Center and senior residents.
The rally made five key demands: exclude law enforcement from mental health services; fully fund alternatives to police response to mental health issues; investigate, fire, and prosecute the officers responsible for Yang’s death; stop the ongoing militarization of the LAPD; and ensure that the Department of Mental Health funds and implements community-based mental health care and response.
Susan Park, a nonprofit representative who spoke at the event, criticized the LAPD’s use of force, saying, “Tampons, plastic forks, water bottles, eyeglasses, and lipstick are all examples of those that have been deemed lethal weapons by the LAPD. Law enforcement is trained like a soldier and views the public as the enemy. We must stop the militarization of American law enforcement.”
BY SUAH JANG, HOONSIK WOO [jang.suah@koreadaily.com]
