Thirteen senior residents and a staff person died of COVID at posh Silverado Beverly nursing home (151 beds) in L.A.’s Melrose District in 2020.
“We applaud District Attorney (George) Gascon, who is charging managers of the home with ‘felony elderly endangerment’ resulting from gross violations of health and safety regulations,” stated David Monkawa, co-chair of Save Our Seniors Network. “However, Save Our Seniors Network and members of the Japanese and Japanese American community are outraged that 115 seniors died in approximately the same period, at Kei-Ai Los Angeles (300 beds), yet not even an investigation has been launched.”
The facility is a part of the former nonprofit Keiro nursing homes, icon of the Japanese American communities. The average household income in the Melrose district is almost twice that of Lincoln Heights, $30,579 to $58,030. According to The Los Angeles Times’ City Mapping Project.
Save Our Seniors has been circulating a petition to support U.S. Reps. Judy Chu, Jimmy Gomez and Maxine Waters, who are demanding an investigation into the “deadliest nursing home in California” (Los Angeles Times, March 1, 2021), Kei-Ai L.A., now owned by Pacifica Companies, a private resort developer.
“I hope there is justice for the seniors who passed away at Kei-Ai L.A.,” said Monkawa.
“I hope there is justice for my mom, who passed away after being evicted from Kei-Ai’s Sakura Nursing home,” stated Francine Imai, SOSN member and past Family Council president. “We hope to secure a meeting with D.A. Gascon so that he may do the right thing and help secure justice, closure and reparations for the surviving families and our communities.”
Wow… tip of an iceberg.