The TransLatin@ Coalition Demand Care, Not Cages, at West Hollywood Town Hall
The TransLatin@ Coalition and community members confronted Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, demanding care-centered public safety solutions instead of more jails and incarceration.
The TransLatin@ Coalition and Angels of Change demand care, community investment, and an end to jail expansion during an LGBTQ+ town hall in West Hollywood.
At a July 28 LGBTQ+ town hall in West Hollywood, The TransLatin@ Coalition and Angels of Change confronted Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman over policies that expand incarceration. Together, community members demanded investments in housing, health care, mental health services, and community-based support instead of new jails.
On July 28, The TransLatin@ Coalition brought a clear message to an LGBTQ+ Community Town Hall Forum in West Hollywood: our communities need care, resources, and accountability, not more cages.
Speaking directly to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, TLC President and CEO Bamby Salcedo challenged policies and rhetoric that increase criminalization while failing to address the conditions that make communities less safe.
Bamby Salcedo, President and CEO of The TransLatin@ Coalition, calls for racial and gender equity in Los Angeles County’s public safety policies.
After Bamby’s remarks, members of The TransLatin@ Coalition and Angels of Change stood together and chanted, “No New Jails!” Community members distributed information about the disproportionate impact of policing and incarceration on transgender, gender-expansive, and intersex (TGI) people.
This action was not simply a disruption. It was a demand to be included in decisions that affect whether our communities are safe, supported, and free.
Our communities have already spoken
For years, TGI, immigrant, and undocumented communities have attended public meetings, shared testimony, participated in listening sessions, and asked elected officials to take meaningful action.
Too often, our experiences are acknowledged in the room but ignored when policies and budgets are written.
We will not remain silent when public officials advance policies that expose our communities to greater surveillance, prosecution, and incarceration. For many TGI people, especially Black and Brown TGI people, interactions with law enforcement can bring misgendering, harassment, violence, and fear instead of safety.
Community members raise “No New Jails” signs and join the call for care-centered public safety solutions.
Research conducted by The TransLatin@ Coalition and the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law documents these experiences. Among transgender and nonbinary respondents in Los Angeles County who interacted with law enforcement, 52% said officers made them feel unsafe or uncomfortable. Thirty-five percent reported that officers failed to use their correct pronouns, 20% experienced verbal harassment, and 7% reported physical assault or unwanted sexual contact.
These numbers reflect people’s lives. They show why our community must have a meaningful role in shaping public safety policy.
Policies have real consequences
District Attorney Hochman campaigned on rejecting both “mass incarceration” and “extreme decarceration.” Since taking office, however, his administration has reinstated gang and sentencing enhancements and pursued charging and legislative policies that advocates warn will increase incarceration and deepen racial inequities.
A December 2025 review from the ACLU of Southern California examines these policies, including the reinstatement of sentencing enhancements and efforts to restrict access to diversion and community-based care.
At the West Hollywood town hall, TLC also opposed proposals to expand the county’s jail system under the language of mental health treatment. People experiencing mental health crises deserve appropriate treatment, stability, and dignity. A jail does not become a health care facility simply because officials place “mental health” in its name.
Los Angeles County should invest in solutions that help people remain housed, receive treatment, find employment, and stay connected to their communities.
Members of The TransLatin@ Coalition, Angels of Change, and community supporters gather after the town hall with “No New Jails” signs.
We want policies. We want action.
Speaking directly to District Attorney Hochman, Bamby made TLC’s demands clear:
“We are asking you to find solutions to ensure that our communities continue to be supported rather than incarcerated. We want policies. We want action. We want you to ensure that there is racial and gender equity in your work.”
Real public safety requires more than punishment. It requires safe and affordable housing, accessible health care, culturally responsive mental health services, employment opportunities, violence prevention, and trusted community-based support.
Our people deserve more than an invitation to speak. We deserve an active role in the decisions that shape our lives.
The TransLatin@ Coalition will continue showing up, organizing, and holding elected officials accountable. We call on Los Angeles County leaders to reject jail expansion and direct public resources toward care-centered solutions led by the communities most affected.
Aquí estamos, and we are not backing down.
Photos from the LA County District Attorney Town Hall
See more moments from TLC's July 28 community advocacy.
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