officers - The Black Vault

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needs to know that the community .has stationed. About 20 people attended that
lost confidence in his 'leadership," said demonstration ..: ·
Mike Subit, who is white.
Among them was S~brina Norman, a
A Culver City mother brought photo- nurse who lives in .the Wilshire district.
graphs of her 22-year-old son, who she "They are not the kind of gentlemen we
saiQ. was beaten severely by police when want p~trolling the streets," she said of
he was 17. The photographs showed the. the. officers inyol_ved. "They are legal
boy's face, swollen and bruised. The criminals." ·
woman, ·Barbara Beasley, who is black, The videotaped iinage~ of three police
complained that an all-white jury ·in .. officers hitting King repeatedly with
Santa Monica refused to hold the officers their batons while 12 other. officers
liable for civil damages.
witched have sparked an tlutcry over
Many agreed with John Mance, a police miscondu.ct in Los Angeles. On
member of the NAACP's national board, · . Monday, the. district attorney's office
when he said that, despite.Gates' insist.: will begin -presenting evidence to a
ence that the beating was not racially . grand jury in an attempt to .seek indictmotivated,
it looked to him like "a ments of some of the officers. ·
lynching." Another· NAACP activist, . While Gates has recommended tbat
Tony Stewart, said' soberly that she and three officers be prosecuted, the county
her colleagues could not help but think grand jury may go -beyond the ·chief's
that minorities bear the brun.t .of pqlice recommendation. According .to Sandi
misconduct.
. .Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the district
"Coming from slave ·grandparents, attorney office, an investigation showed
and knowing that the treatment tl:1at more than just three officers could
is still going on, we realize that we are be prosecuted, although she would not
still hurting," said Stewart, president of say how many. ·
the NAACP chapter in Altadena. "Every Many at Saturqay's protest comtime
I say the pledge of allegiance to the plained th~t-Gates' recommendations did
United States, I hurt. I hurt every time I not go far enough .. But despite their calls
have to say 'One nation under God, With ·for him to resign, the chief-who could
.liberty and justice for all.' That's a ~ie!" not be reached for comment Saturday-
As the protesters marched and. spoke, has said he will stay on.
a similar-albeit much smaller..,-demon- . "I will never leave when there ·is
stration was going on at the Police controversy~" he said last' week. "I will
Department's Foothill Division -in the leave when I choose to leave."
San Fernando Valley, where the officers Times staff writers Jack Cheevers and
involved in last Sunday's ~ncident are · . John L. M~tchell contributed to this story.
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