The family of a man who died after a police stop in Inglewood last month criticized law enforcement and city officials for their handling of the case, prompting calls for an independent investigation by California’s attorney general.
In the weeks leading up to his death, Bryan Bostic’s supporters showed up at Inglewood City Council meetings, flooded social media with messages and held television news interviews demanding answers from officials they say did not do enough to hold police accountable for his death.
Bostic, 37, died March 10 after being pulled over at the corner of Hillcrest Boulevard and Nutwood Street for an undisclosed reason. He was heading north on Hillcrest when he was stopped behind a strip mall that includes a grocery store and a 24-hour gym.
Cell phone video shot by a bystander captured Bostic telling police he was on his way to visit his mother. Soon after, the footage shows Bostic slumped to the ground as an officer kneels on his back, pulling on Bostic’s arm to handcuff him as others run to assist in the arrest.
Authorities have yet to comment on Bostic’s death. The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office said the cause of death could not be determined without further tests. An Inglewood police spokeswoman did not return messages seeking comment.
On Easter Sunday, a group of Bostic’s relatives, friends and activists gathered nearby, some holding signs that read “Wake Up Inglewood” and “Kick Butts out,” directed at Inglewood Mayor James Butts. The mourners waved in response to the occasional screams of passing motorists.
They protested what they saw as the inaction of local authorities and called California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta to investigate the circumstances surrounding Bostic’s death. Bonta’s office did not respond to questions about the case.
“Inglewood PD, we need answers, and Mayor Butts, you need to do better,” said Bostic’s cousin Talia Castillo. He accused the police of brutality, saying his death was the latest incident in a long history of crimes. The police actions run counter to the vision of a revitalized Inglewood that Butts and other city leaders are promoting, he said.
Gathered around a makeshift memorial of candles and flowers, those gathered called for the Inglewood Police Department to adopt body-worn cameras, as many police agencies across the country have done. The family has launched an online campaign urging Steve Ballmer, the billionaire former Microsoft executive who owns the Inglewood-based Los Angeles Clippers, to help fund the cameras.
Castillo and other relatives described Bostic as a joker who lit up any room he was in. Bostic, they say, grew up playing Pop Warner football in Carson, and, despite his stumbles growing up, he had dreams of making it big in the music industry. She gave birth and left a 13-year-old child.
In one of their last conversations, Castillo recalled how Bostic had talked about being pulled over while driving with his girlfriend — about a week before his death — and being forced out of his car. It was part of the abuse by the police that he endured throughout his adult life, he said.
Bostic’s family said authorities told them he was alive when officers forced him into the back of their squad car. At a press conference earlier this week, the family’s attorney said they believe a higher force caused the emergency that led to Bostic’s death.
Vigil attendees were furious when they were told by a local television news reporter that Butts said in an interview that he was saddened by Bostic’s death, but wanted to wait for the police investigation into the incident to continue.
“Mayor Butts’ grief does not bring Bryan Bostic back to life. It does nothing,” said Najee Ali, a longtime civil rights activist who works with Bostic’s family. As she spoke, the woman in the green denim dress wiped the tears from her eyes as the other woman pressed her shoulder in relief.
Bostic’s death was the latest incident of a black man in local police custody, Ali said, mentioning the names of Kevin Wicks, Donovan Jackson and others. He added that the case underscores the need to renew the Inglewood Police Commission, which was disbanded years ago.
