A woman who was attacked and sexually assaulted while out for a walk on the Venice Canals in April has filed a $5-million claim against the city of Los Angeles, charging that the government was derelict in its duty to provide safe streets and protect its citizens.
Mary Klein, 55, who suffered a savage beating that left her with missing teeth and a blood clot in her brain, was attacked around 10:30 p.m. April 6 as she strolled through the upscale seaside neighborhood. Another woman, Sarah Alden, 53, was also attacked that night and later died.
Police later arrested Anthony Francisco Jones, 29; he was charged with two counts of forcible rape, murder, attempted murder, mayhem, torture and sodomy by use of force. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Times does not normally identify victims of sexual assault, but Klein came forward to share her story, saying people should take it as a wake-up call that more social services are needed for people suffering from mental illness and more police protection is needed for everyone.
“That’s why all this crime is happening — we’re ignoring the extreme mental health crisis going on in our streets,” she said this summer.
In filing her claim, Klein said she is trying to drive home the point that the government must do more to protect its citizens. The attack on her, she said, has turned her into an activist for public safety.
Los Angeles City officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the claim.
Klein filmed herself walking up to Los Angeles City Hall on Friday to submit her claim, speaking into the camera as the government buildings loomed behind her. A claim against the city can be a precursor to a lawsuit.
“There is a dereliction of duty by the government in Los Angeles, in California,” she says in her video. “A dereliction of duty to protect its citizens from the criminals and also to fund the police correctly.”
“I have lifelong damages to my jaw, my brain, blood clotting in my brain, due to a transient attacking me on an un-patrolled street in Venice,” she said. The street, she said, “was dark, no lighting, a public street where numerous incidents of violent crime and murder have occurred, and still absolutely no police presence on the street.”
“That’s not the police’s fault,” she said. “That’s the people who defund the police.”
In an interview, she said she was appreciative of Los Angeles officials, including Mayor Karen Bass, the City Council and the Los Angeles Police Department. She said she supports Bass’s goal to expand the LAPD by 1,000 officers.
“This is not about City Hall,” she said. “I see them doing a lot of work to help the community.” But the government as a whole must do more, she said.