By Najee Ali
Ariana Lauifi the 32 year old wife and mother of seven children who on Sept 6th severely beat up Kassidy Jones, a 13 year old African American girl and middle school student inside a Harbor city McDonalds in what some witnesses have described as an unprovoked attack, was charged with a misdemeanor child abuse by the Los Angeles County District Attorney Stephanie Pearl Mire this week on Oct. 23.
Lauifi, surrounded by family and supporters, entered a plea of not guilty at George Deukmejian Courthouse in Long Beach.
Lauifi was arrested on Sept 28th after being on the run for three weeks and originally charged with suspicion of felony child abuse. She was released after posting $100,000 bail, according to jail records.
I spoke exclusively this week to Kassidy and her mother Angelina Gray who voiced their hurt and disappointment after learning of District Attorney Mire’s decision to reduce the charges to a misdemeanor.
Gray remains undeterred to get justice for her daughter and is now appealing the decision to Los Angeles County D.A. George Gascon. Along with retaining one of the leading civil rights attorney in the state, Toni Jaramilla Esq.
Kassidy was very upset and emotional, stating that the reduction to a misdemeanor sends a message that the lives and safety of young Black girls really matter don’t matter to those in power.
This misdemeanor charge amounts to nothing but a slap.on the wrist for a child beater .Kassidy maintains that she was attacked unprovoked by Lauifi after exiting the McDonald’s restroom.
Lauifi had every opportunity to leave McDonald’s safely with her children.
Instead Lauifi proclaimed that she fights kids and then backed up every word of it by charging at Kassidy, grabbing her arms, and beating that child all over the floor in McDonalds like a rag doll.
But what was just as disturbing, McDonald’s management, employees, and customers never intervened to stop the brutal assault on a child. Lauifi’s husband intervened after their children ran outside to the car and told him what was going on.
Lauifi beating of Jones, which was captured on cellphone video that went viral immediately sent shockwaves nationally with coverage in several national publications.
The beating reminded me of what happened 30 years ago, when Latasha Harlins was shot in the back of the head and murdered by a Korean store owner in a dispute over a bottle of orange orange juice. The Korean community, instead of condemning this child’s murder they instead chose to support the murderer.
They packed the courtroom with support and raised money for her legal defense fund. They tried character assassination and blamed Latasha for starting the dispute and blamed her for her own murder.
I know first hand because I was there in the courtroom with the Harlins family. Thirty-plus years later, years later, I’m seeing this type of despicable behavior from Lauifi’s supporters.
Lauifi, a 250 pound grown woman, viciously attacked a 13 year-old-child. No one from Lauifi’s community has publicly condemned the attack on this child. Instead they have engaged in a smear campaign saying Kassidy started the fight and was the aggressor.
They have pointed out Lauifi reduced charge to a misdemeanor as proof she’s innocent. But if she was innocent the District Attorney office would have dropped all charges. Lauifi wouldn’t have ran out the restaurant and hid for three weeks. She would have waited for police to arrive to tell her side. That’s what innocent people do.
Similar to what Latasha Harlins family experienced. I have received phone calls from members of Lauifi community saying that Kassidy isn’t telling the truth.
Kassidy is 4.0 honor roll student. I’ll take her word over a child beater any day of the week.
And like some criminals and their supporters, they claim self-defense and that they were forced to do it.
They launched a campaign in the court of pubic opinion where they try and criminalize the victim as being deserving of what happened to them.
The African American community has seen this play out over the years. Tyishsa Miller, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Devin Brown are just a few of the young Black victims who were re-victimized by their assailants and their supporters saying they got exactly what they deserved.
There is never an excuse for a child being brutally beaten by an adult. There is never an excuse for an adult to attack a child. Teachers are provoked by school children consistently, but they understand they can’t lay a finger on a child even if the child hits them.
Kassidy and her family deserves justice the same as the Harlins family deserved it. I was there with my fellow activists 30 years ago for the Harlins family. Thirty years later nothing has changed with my position. I’m standing with Kassidy and her family.
If we don’t learn from history we’re doomed to repeat. Lauifis family and community members need to stop trying to justify the beating of a child and hold Lauifi accountable.
Lauifi community and family members lack of support for Kassidy the victim of unprovoked violence speaks for itself.
Thirty years-ago, we saw how the Korean American community cheered on a murderer.
Thirty years later the silence of Lauifi, community in not publicly condemning her violence against a child is no different.
Trying to blame Kassidy for her own beating the lack of empathy from Lauifi her supporters, along with McDonald’s managers and customers who stood there and videotaped the beating is the real crime. Lauifi next court date is Dec 7th.
Najee Ali is a community activist for more than 35 years and is the nonprofit CEO of Project Islamic Hope.