Imperfect Paradise: Deputies severely beat a man struggling with mental health issues. Where are the records?

California Love

LAist Studios

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4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 13 August 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputies severely beat Joseph Perez in 2020, then arrested him. His mom Vanessa alleges that she had previously told law enforcement that Perez has a serious mental illness and would need to be placed in a psychiatric facility. Mother and son believe the deputies used unnecessary force on Perez and are the center of an ongoing legal battle, attempting to hold the sheriff’s department accountable for its actions. LAist Mental Health and Wellbeing Reporter Robert Garrova shares more about the case and discusses efforts for transparency around investigations into allegations of excessive use of force.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for LAST comes from the Soraya, producing the West Coast premiere of Fiddler on the roof in Yiddish.
0:06.1	Enjoy a special concert production with English super titles featuring Tony nominee Stephen Skybell and award-winning Joel Gray.
0:13.0	Learn more at the Soraya.org.
0:16.1	Support for L.A.S. comes from Pasadena Playhouse presenting Eureka Day.
0:25.1	Jonathan Spector's Razor Sharp 2025 Tony Award-winning satire.
0:29.3	Eureka Day is on stage at Pasadena Playhouse beginning September 10th.
0:32.8	Tickets are on sale now at Pasadenaplayhouse.org.
0:36.6	Hey, this is in Perfect Paradise. I'm Antonia Serejida.
0:44.1	L.A. is a city that has a history of rising up against excessive use of force by law enforcement.
0:52.1	Probably the most famous instance of this was in 1992, with the L.A. uprising in reaction to the beating of Rodney King.
0:57.2	But what happens when there isn't a giant spotlight on excessive force?
1:00.9	Does previous outrage translate into lasting change?
1:06.0	Today, we're bringing you a story that shows how people with severe mental illness can end up incarcerated, even when they have family members doing all they can to get them help.
1:12.4	It's also about the use of force by law enforcement officers and a battle for records
1:17.6	that could have major implications on transparency around investigations into allegations
1:23.0	of excessive use of force and how law enforcement is or isn't held accountable.
1:30.4	LAS reporter Robert Grova covers mental health and tells us how the Los Angeles County Jail
1:35.1	system became the de facto mental health institution for the region.
1:47.6	Hi, Robert.
1:48.5	Hey, Antonio.
1:52.3	Yeah, so tell us about the story of Joseph Bates.
1:54.3	How did you learn about Joseph?
	...

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