officers - The Black Vault

FD·350 (Rev. 5·el·81)
••
••
(Indicate page, name of
newspaper, city and state.)
(Mount Clipping in Space Below)
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Date:
Edition: WED • MAR 2 0 ' 19 91
Front Section, Page 12
Title:
BRADLEY BLASTS BIGOTRY
OF POLICE OFFICERS
Los Angeles 'rimes
Mayor Tom Bradley
Bradley Blasts
'Bigotry' of· ·
Police Officers
A statement by Mayor Tom
Bradley released Monday night:
"The shocking footage of 15
officers brutally attacking
Rodney King still haunts our city.
Today, a transcript of conversation '
that took place before and after that
brutal incident shows a callous
disregard for the victim and a deeply
disturbing racial remark. The
transcript sickens and saddens me.
Last week, when I heard in
general terms about a
communication that night, I knew
that information must be released ·
to reveal the state of mind of the
officers involved. And now that
I've seen a transcript of the
conversation, it is clear that the
· officers.demonstrate a casual and
cavalier attitude toward this
horrific beating. In addition,-it
appears that bigoted remarks are
not only tolerated but applauded.
The people of this city have been
slapped in the face by the attitude
and bigotry of these officers. These
malicious comments raise
questions that are just as serious
and disturbing as those raised by
the Rodney King beating. The
public must know how deep these
prejudicial sentiments run in the
LAPD. The Justice Department,
district attorney and Police
Commission are already .
investigating the circumstances of
th_e March 3 beating of Rodney
Kmg. The federal authorities are
lookin? a~ all cases of alleged police
brutality m the last six years.
The Rodney King beatlng and
· the words of these few officers
. have _set back our police for.ce and
our ~1ty for years. It is no longer
possible for any objective person to
regard the King beating as an ·
'!iberration.' We must face the fact
that there appears to be.a ·
dangerous trend of racially
motivated incidents running
through at least some segments of
our Police Department.
The Police Commission has ·
already begun its look at the type
~f training that is currently being
unplemented to fost~r tolerance
and openness to people of all races
and backgrounds. The commission
is also examining whether the .
department's command structure
permits these ~ragic incidents to
·occur. Based upon these words it
will be hard for the people of o{u. -
-city to believe that the ··
department's current training or
comrhand.structure are adequate.
The city is committed to
restoring the public's faith in our
department. To prevent these acts
from occurring again, the officers
involved in the M~rch 3 incident
must be accountable. With the
grand jury indictment Friday and
~he co~tin~ng district attorney
mvestJgation, I know justice will be
done." · -
Character:
or
Classification:
Submitting Office:
IDS ANGELES
Indexing:
CIVIL RIGHTS
8 0-3 3 B
SEARCHED--........ INDEXEO~,.. ----1
SERIAUZEO fl® ...
MAR 2 7 1991
FBI -
LOS ANGELES