officers - The Black Vault

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• As much as I hate to take exception to a
fellow priest, I would like to share a.
different perspective of the LAPD ("Defenseless,
the Poor Are Also Voiceless,"
Commentary, March 11).
_
Father Gregory Boyle and I both work in
Boyle Heights at different parishes and are·
serviced by the same police station.
I can only speak of my own pastoral
experience of eight y~ars working with the
police in my parish. One of the first things I
did was to introduce myself to the local
police captain, as I have done in other
parish assignments.
Since my initial visit With the police, I
have had nothing but a high regard for
them and their concern for the safety of
ourpeople. .
Many of the difficulties that we face are
because there are so few .police officers.
The deployment of officers is something
that always has to be reviewed. Unfortunately,
I sense that deployment is largely a
political decision with those with less voice
getting less service. .
This letter .is in no way to judge the
merits or demerits of the King tragedy. It
perhaps points out to us that the police·
have even a stronger standard of conduct.
FATHER JOHN T.'MORETTA
· Los Angeles
• Somehow I sense a connection between·
:the "duck shoot" performed by our pilots in
which thousands of Iraqis were slaughtered
in their indefensible bottleneck retreat
and the brutal beating .of unarmed
Rodney King by Los Angeles policemen.
This new "kick-~ss" ·mentality of the
empowered against the weak is frighten­
-ing. Is our compassion as a nation eroding?
. .In our zeal to bolster our self-esteem, have
we forgotten that we are dealing with
fellow humans?
HELEN MOLLES
Seal Beach
• All who think that Daryl Gates is an
innocent victim of the atrocities committed
by his police force also believe Saddam
Hussein doesn't have any idea of the
atrocities committed by his army. · .
HARLIE COOLEY
Rancho Mirage
• How long must Los Angeles be·known as
the police abuse capital of America? Must
Los Angeles become a city of complete
racial polarization?
If Gates were forced to resign, Los
Angeles could say to the world that we are
not going to allow our city to become a
caldron of seething racial tension.
WINSTON STEWARD
Los Angeles
• 'A question on the editorial pages asked,
do some officers see a felon behind every
bhick face? Absolutely! I am a black man
wl).o has been stopped and questioned
seven or eight times for no good reason.
The .last time occurred in the San
Fernando Valley one night about 10 p.m.
On the· way to the freeway the police
pulled me over and when I asked why,
they said I answered the description of a