officers - The Black Vault

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FD·350 (Rev. 5·8·81)
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(Indicate page, name of
newspaper, city and state.)
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Date: . THURS . MAR 2 8 1 19 91
· Front Section, Page 28
PREACHER AL SHARPTON
PLANS L.A. PROTEST IN AN
ATTEMPT TO FORCE GATES TO
T~:N.Y.
CharacteQUIT
or
Classification:
CIVIL RIGHTS
80-33B
Submitting Office:
LQS ANGELES
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APR 3 1991
FBI -LOS ANGELES
N.Y. Preacher Al Sharpton Plans L.A.
Protest. in Attempt to Force Gates to Quit
By SHERYL STOLBERG
·TIMES S'fi\FF WRITER
The Rev. Al Sparpton, the controversial
New York City preacher
and ~ivil rights advocate, is bringing
his flamboyant brand of protest
to LOs Angeles in an attempt to
force Police Chief Da,ryl F. Gates
out of office.
Declaring that;Gates is "now a
national symbol of police "brutality,"•Sharpton-who
was scheduled
to arrive in Los Angeles W ednesday
night-vowed in a telephone
interview .to stage a massive, nonviolent
demonstration Friday in
Los Angeles.
. 'Tm willing to .do. everything
from tying up the freeways to
sitting in police :headquarters to
having a prayer vigil," he said.
"My thing is that I know how to
mobilize masses of people in one
direction and that's what I intend
to do. I can . guarantee you that
Saturday morning, L.A. will know
that we protested."
With his pompadour hairdo, his
expansive waistline and a penchant
for wearing jogging suits, Sharpton
is frequently -ieatured in New
York's racy tabloid press. The
Pentecostal preacher (he is not
affiliated with any church) once
described himself as a "loose can-
Rev. AI Sharpton
ELENA SEIBERT
non" who gets "white folks ali riled
up."
Sharpton gained notoriety in
1987 for his role in the sensational
case of Tawana Brawley, a· 15-
year-old black girl who claimed
she had . been raped by six white
men. Sharpton advised Brawley
and her . family not to cooperate
with investigat9rs; a grand jury
later concluded the rape never.
took place. . ,;_
As news of Sharpton's visit filtered
through Los Angeles, Mayor
To:m Bradley and others expressed.
concern that the colorful minister
might further divide a city that is
seriously split in the wake of the
police beating of Altadena resident
Rodney G. King.
"I think that what we need is an
effort to heal this community, not
something that is going to inflame
them," Bradley 13aid at a morning
press conference. "I am not going
to prejudge what he may say but I
hope that anybody who comes to
. town will keep this in mind."
·Samuel Paz, a lawyer who specializes
in police misconduct cases
and has criticized the LAPD in the
wake of the King beating, said: "I
hope he takes the time to learn the
dynamics of our city before he
takes a public·position. . . . I don't
have any problem with his input or
his comments as long as they are
constructive and helpful."
At the Los Angeles Police Department,
where · Gates OIJ
Wednesday unveiled a sweeping,
. 10-point .plan to make the LAPD
more responsive to citizens complaints,
the reaction to Sharpton
was cool. ~
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