A senior figure in the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has been criticised for failing to give a direct answer when asked how rapists would be brought to justice under the organisation's platform, which calls for defunding the police and abolishing prisons. Dr Frances Gill, a delegate on the DSA's political committee, was pressed by an NBC Los Angeles anchor on what would happen if his daughter were sexually assaulted, but instead spoke about the root causes of crime, poorly lit streets and underfunded substance abuse treatment. The exchange, which went viral, has been seized on by critics amid the Los Angeles mayoral race, where DSA-aligned candidate Nithya Raman is challenging incumbent Karen Bass.

Gill said "of course" an assailant would be held accountable but did not explain what mechanism would achieve this, instead arguing that money spent on policing should go towards measures such as street lighting, referencing Los Angeles's backlog of streetlight repairs caused by copper wire theft. Former mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt shared the clip online to attack Raman, a DSA member who previously backed defunding the police but has since said she would maintain the LAPD's current size and is now campaigning on a public safety plan involving unarmed responders, accountability measures and crime prevention. Gill declined to confirm whether the DSA would endorse Raman, saying the organisation's endorsement process was ongoing.