Governor Newsom met with community leaders, business owners in South LA

LOS ANGELES - FOX 11 joined California Governor Gavin Newsom as he met with community leaders in South LA Wednesday morning.  

At the Hot & Cool Cafe in Leimert Park, Newsom met with Mark Ridley Thomas, county supervisors, and State Senator Holly Mitchell. They walked up and down South LA's streets and met with business owners who have been impacted by the George Floyd protests, while also talking about the spread of coronavirus. 

In a one-on-one interview, Michaelson broke the news to the governor about the increased charges for the former Minneapolis police officers.  

RELATED: 3 other Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd's death, Chauvin charges upgraded

Newsom said, "Long overdue. People need to see the justice of all four officers, not just one officer. And that 3rd-degree murder? As someone who does a lot of criminal justice work, it just seemed inadequate to the moment. It was murder. We witnessed it with our own eyes. We're putting people away for 15, 25 to life for murder. And so, the idea of 3rd-degree murder never sat well with any of us.  And so, I'm encouraged to hear that. The community is encouraged to hear that. But again, this is episodic. What do we do with the next one? And until we foundationally and fundamentally address the issues of institutional apathy, disparities, and the need for institutional reform, then I really fear we won't have learned the lesson from this moment. That this is so much bigger than the tragic death and loss of one individual."

Newsom also met with dozens of volunteers at the cafe who pack meals for seniors impacted by the coronavirus. 

RELATED: Stay up to date on all coronavirus-related information

Michaelson asked how the protests and unrest that has taken place in the state over the past few days would impact his efforts to minimize the spread of coronavirus. When asked if he was concerned about a second wave, Newsom said, "I'm worried we're not out of the first wave. Everybody's focused on the second wave - who said we're out of the first wave? The reality is in California, we had a steady increase of cases. We haven't seen a steady decrease in cases, quite the contrary. So, for our state, we're still in that first wave."

Newsom added, "We were trying to very thoughtfully and methodically and in a phased approach reopen businesses. And then, of course, trying to avoid the mixing of households. And then, of course, this sparked. It's understandable. You can't moralize that. You can't condemn that. You have to recognize and understand that. But it also reinforces our responsibility if we do see an increase in spread to address it in realtime, and that's on all of us."

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