officers - The Black Vault

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0·350 (Rev. 5·8·81)
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s·tar-News
- "\-------;&~~adena, California
1-'lt turned my -stomac_h ~~~~ EcfiUon: ~~~{~ 1
'F sclWitJ . . .-- Title:
By Ke~in Uhrich - - - · In 19B8, the city of Pasaden~a 1
Staff Wnter settled a claim filed by commu-
Character:
. · · " nity activist Michael Zinzun,' or
Ipcal res1den~s mterv1ewed Thm;sday charac- ' who was seriously injured in an Classification:
, te~Ized the beatmg of Altadena res1d~nt Rodney altercation with Pasadena police Submitting Office: Los Angeles
Km~ at th~ hands of Los Angeles. pollee. office_rs officers The city settled the I
as disgustmg and called for the :tmmed1ate dis-· . · . .
missal of the officers involved. I claim out of court for $1 mill.wn. ln::.de::.x::ln:.:g:::.___:. __---;-;;;::;:;.:;;---l
While a ~ozen people said most !cal officers "W~:ve come a long way smce \ SEARCHED·--- INDEXED
are professiOnal- one man said Pasadena offi- [then, P~sad_en~ --~_ayor _Jess SERIALIZED, ___ fiLED'----1
cers even smile while writing traffic tickets - Hughston said. ~·we don't want 1
· others said they don't believe the use of exces- those kinds of allegations in our·
sive force by police is uncommon. City." !
Meanwhile, top Pasadena police officials, in- "It's hard to put into words," I
eluding Chief Bruce Philpott and Commander attorney AI Moses said when:
FBI- LOS ANGELES.
qary Bennett, shared the overriding public sen- asked· to react to the video, 1
t1ment. ___ ~ _ _ which has been broadcast na-:
the ug~iesnhingTian remembersee:-!Jonwide since early ~is .week. I -Edw~rdl~fchards, 39~:-saiami-'
, mg, Philpott said Thursday,- a .few hours after It was that type of mc1dent. T specially blacks are'
: Los Angeles Chief Daryl Gates announced plans ·And so graphic. I als6 think if it nori Ies, e . b '
I to recommend that the District Attorney's Of- were not for that camera being targets of pollee a use.
I flee prosecute three officers for the beating. there, there would have been ~·I don't think it's an aberra-:
: "It's an outrage. It's just disgusting to me. It charges against Mr. King. I .can't tion," Richards said. "I think it's
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turned my stomach when I saw it." think of anything that gentle- normal for police to use exces-.
. Philpott said there is .a differe~ce between the man c,oul~ have ·done. that would sive force when it comes to Afri-
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1 necessary use of force m potentially dangerous have JUstified that kmd of beat- 1 " i
and !?e excessive use of. fo~~e und~r ing. I thin.k th~. video clearly ! Ri~hards said he isJ
, what he called the col~r of autho~1ty. H~ sa1d speaks for Itself. not personally aware of similar!
he doubted s~ch behavior has occurred m the Cynthia Cooper, a 32-year-old incidents in Pasadena or Alta-i
. P~~ad~n~ P~hce ~epartment. . . Altadena resident, called for the dena
Th1s Is m a different realm. To say 1t has immediate firing of th ffi · . · I
happened in the Pasadena Police Department, .. involved. e 0 Jeers . Vir~inia K. F?X, 65, who hasi
. , -- -- . . ··- lived m Pasadena off and on for1
.Its. beyond. my comprehe~-·
"I think they should be pro- 50 years said she believes police
~Ion •. m~. rea.hty to ~ay that Is; tecting us •. not trying to kill us," brutalitY has been going unno-
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possible, Phi).pott said. . Cooper said. ticed for years, and not just
: Bennett said t!J.e department: Ron Glenn; 48, of Pasadena against blacks. I
a lot of tl~e .to develqp- said police officers throughout " . . , I
Jng policy and trammg officers the region are edgy following re- I ~hmk It~ ti!lle. they ~re 1
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to control their emotions in pres- 1 • - · · . - • catchmg up With mCidents like sure situations.
. cent shootings of LAPD officers. this. It's been going on a long I
: · "That's not something that 1 know some officers fr~m time, not ~ust with .:he bla.ck .
. happen~. here, especi~y }9 th~t ~ I the Pasa~ena area, and they, re race, but with others, she said.J
. degree, Bennett. ~ald. T~at .s 1 pretty mce guys, and th~~ re Sandi Lines, a 10-year resident 1
WhY we have policies. th~t limit'
·pretty courteq?s about .givmg of Pasadena, said she believes I
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the number of fficers m pur-. out tickets too, Gle.nn sal~. police routinely abuse their posi-j
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:suit, so you don't have a crowd ' 9ther pers~ns mterv1e~ed tions of authority.
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of officers when it's all over " 1 I sa~d the beatmg was horrible, ·~
I Both Bennett and Philpott gaid , !·but not completely surprising. "It haJ?pens in Pasadena. ,I I
; Ule a~tions of !he ·14 L~PD .o~- : : "I think it was very wrong, have no Idea how ofte~. I don t f
; cers mvolved m the Kmg mci· ' I've seen similar abuse like hav~ any facts to back ~t up_. ~mt,
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! dent will taint the credibility ·or: I that " said 20-year-old Kimberly I thm~ It haJ?pens to mmont~es, ! ...
i law enforcement everywhere. ·· 1 Madison who has li.ved in Pasa- blacks particularly, an? I ve j
fi '
. The use .of excessive
"I h heard homosexuals say It hapfore~
Is ~na or 17 years. . saw t e pens to them."
I not somethmg you can eqUIVO-; pictures four or five timeS, andr, - ---~~cate
about," Bennett said./
there's no way around it. I think
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,"Those who engage in it aren't the police officers involved 1
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fit to wear the badge." i should be dismissed from the
-- - - -- - -- --- -- -- , , force, even the ones who stood'
'Lby and watched. My mom cried
when she saw it." ·
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