Search
By Greg deGiere, Civil Rights Advocate, The Arc of California
The Arc of California and The Arc of Los Angeles and Orange Counties are calling for urgent action to bring justice for Gregorio Topete and Jude Cabanete, adult men with Autism Spectrum Disorder (autism) subjected to alleged torture at the hands of caretakers in their group home in Los Angeles (LA).
We are asking LA City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, as the elected official responsible for prosecuting criminal misdemeanors and infractions in LA, to “take the lead in a comprehensive investigation of this abuse and what can be done now to bring about justice for the victims and their families and prevent future system failures.”
Our action was sparked by shocking LA Times coverage of the case and the much broader problem (“Adults with autism faced ‘torture’ at this L.A. group home. Their moms want justice,” March 24, 2024)
In our formal letter to the city attorney pointedly noted that “your office stands out as particularly irresponsible, having resolved (Gregorio Topete’s case) outside of court. We are appalled that your office reportedly merely gave the suspect ‘guidance as to how to avoid violating’ the law, with no charges filed.”
Jude Cabanete’s case is still under review in the city attorney’s office, five months after the LA Police Department submitted it there.
Our advocacy of effective safety measures for people with disabilities, including protection against anti-disability hate crimes, includes this recent successful legislation:
- SB 110 of 2010 by Senator Carol Liu, the wide-ranging Crime Victims with Disabilities Act – sponsored by The Arc of California;
- SB 338 of 2019 by Senator Ben Hueso, the Senior and Disability Justice Act – sponsored by The Arc-UCP California Collaboration and the California Alliance for Retired Americans (CARA);
- AB 449 of 2023, also by Assemblymember Ting, which he called the Freedom from Hate Crimes Act, requiring every police agency in the state to adopt a hate crime policy with strict protocols – sponsored by the ARC-UCP California Collaboration, the California Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and 12 other diverse community and civil rights groups; and
- AB 751 of 2023 by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo, likewise requiring every city police and county sheriff’s department to adopt Senior and Disability Justice Act protocols and training requirements – sponsored by The Arc-UCP California Collaboration and CARA;
- AB 1272 of 2016 by Assemblymember Shannon Grove to improve court prosecutions of crimes against people with disabilities – sponsored by The Arc of California;
- AB 1985 of 2018 by Assemblymember Phil Ting, for the first time focusing police’s attention on indicators of anti-disability hate crimes – sponsored by The Arc-UCP California Collaboration and Equality California.