Blind man missing for 1 week, Sacramento police say. Advocates call for action
Family members and advocates are calling for the Sacramento Police Department to increase their attention to a search for a blind man who went missing late last month, last seen late at night at a local gas station.
The Sacramento Police Department in a social media post Thursday said 33-year-old Lovett “LJ” Moore was last seen early Thursday, around 12:30 a.m., near the 3200 block of Arena Boulevard in the Gateway West neighborhood near Natomas. Department spokesman Officer Anthony Gamble later said Moore was actually last seen in the early hours of June 28, correcting the date after “some miscommunication” occurred.
Moore was wearing a green shirt and black shorts with a white stripe.
Empact, a local nonprofit that advocates for social justice and civic response, in a news release Saturday morning, said authorities are not doing enough to locate Moore.
“LJ’s disappearance is highly uncharacteristic,” Empact said in the news release. “He is legally blind, disabled, has no resources, and has never been away from home this long. His family is deeply concerned for his safety and believes he may be in imminent danger.”
The Sacramento Police Department posted about Moore’s disappearance Thursday on X, writing the department is “asking for the community’s assistance in locating an at-risk person” and that anyone with information should call the department at 916-808-5471. The post said Moore is considered at-risk “due to being legally blind.”
The release from Empact argued Moore was last seen five days earlier and that “law enforcement has not initiated an active search” and that it took five days for the Police Department to notify the public.
“This is a blatant failure to act with urgency, we see time and time again that missing persons with disabilities, particularly Black men and women, do not receive the priority and visibility,” said Empact founder Leia Schenk in the news release. “LJ is blind, vulnerable, and at risk. The system must respond accordingly.”
Empact planned a news conference for 4 p.m. Saturday to call into question police’s response to Moore’s disappearance. The release said officials along with members of Moore’s family will request authorities “immediately deploy their full resources” to locate Moore. It was set to be held at the Aisle 1 Fuel Station at 3400 Arena Blvd. near where Moore was believed to be last seen.
