officers - The Black Vault

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r------------~(M~o~u~nt~C~I~ip~pi~n:g~in~Sp~a~ce:_B~e~lo::::w::!)~----------l LOS ANGELES TIMES
L.A. CITY E~ECTIONS
Police Now
an Issue
After King
Beating·
By PAUL FELDMAN
TIMES STAFF WRITER
.on San Fernando Valley sidewalks, in
South-Central Los Angeles churches, and
at election forums from Venice to Eagle
. Rock, Los Angeles City Council ca~didates
are debating the age-old i~sue o~ cnm~.
But there is a new tw1st this sprmg, a
byproduct of the police beating of_ black
construction worker Rodney G. Kmg on
March3. .
· Rather than crime in the streets, the
main focus has been on allegations of crime
within the Los Angeles Police Department.
"You can't walk down the street and say
hello to somebody without them talking
about the Rodney King beating," . said
Walter Prince, a Chatsworth businessman
challenging 12th District Councilman Hal
Bernson. "Everybody is shocked by it:".
Reactions to the nationally pu~hcized
furor-an~ in particular, to the _deman_ds
from community groups for Pollee Chief
Daryl F. Gates' resignation-vary marked-
• ·HAHN BACKS GATES
Supervisor Kenneth Hahn says Chief
. Daryl F. Gates should not resign. B5
ly among candidates. . .
All five council incumbents facmg challenges
have refrained from calling for
Gates' ouster. The quintet-Ric;hard Alatorre,
Bernson, Nate Holden, Ruth qalan­
·ter and Joel Wachs-have been endor.sed
by the Los Angeles Pol~ce _Protect~ve ·
• League, the police officers umon, which
has backed Gates in the controversy.
Challengers, in many cases, have a
different out:ook.
. In the northwest San Fernando Valley,
Bernson's leading rival, Los An?eles scho?l
board member Julie Korenstem, has sa1d
that Gates should step down "to quic~ly
build back the credibility" of the Pollee
~~~:~n: SUN 1 MAR 31, 1991
~iliTRO SECTION, PAGE 1
T~:
Department. Bernson count~rs that. th~
chief .is ·~a very fine professiOnal officer
·who should not be held accountable for the
King beating because he never '?'(mld have
"condoned or encouraged" it. Prince takes
a middle ground, withholding judg~ent
pending inves.tigation of the King beatmg.
In South -Los Angeles, where two seats
are up for grabs because of the death of
Gilbert' W. Lindsay and the departure of
POLICE NOW AN ISSUE AFTER
KING BEATING
Character: ·CIVIL RIGHTS
or
Classification: 8 0-3 3 B
Submitting Office:
LOS ANGELES
Indexing:
SEARCHED·--- INDEXED. ___ ,
SERIAUZED---~ FILED, ____ ,
APR b 1991
FBI -
LOS ANGELES l
:• has to be removed from offjce,!'
.: said Ridley-Thomas, Los Angeles
.; director of the Southern Christian
Rob~rt Farrell, 19 contenders have sought l~ Leadership Conference, during a
to stake out their turf on the Gates issue recent televised forum.
~·1
and on ways to refo!m t~e Police Depart- . A third 8th District contender,
finent. · -· political consultant Rod·
Community activist Kerman
~Wright, has called for Gates' forced
Maddox, a candidate for Farrell's i~ ·removal-or in the absence of that,
8th District seat, has reaped a ·': the ouster of Mayor Tom Bradley.
harvest of publicity with his bid to . "If we can't get any justice with
recall .Gates through an obscure • the police chief, the mayor is the
, provision in the City Charter.)n -one who ought to be recalled," said
: recent days, the former maroral ~: Wright, who has been endorsed.by
' -deputy has appeared on numerous ·• Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los An-
: radio talk shows and national TV ;· geles). "I didn't vote for· Daryl
1
! news broadcasts. , Gates. I'm going to recall the
; '"Hey, I saw your face on televi- person who I vted for."
; !)ion," said postal carrier George While the King case has domi-
: Holt, 24, who crossed West 84th ·: nated the