officers - The Black Vault

• •
"What it shows·to the country is
putting me through this again."
While Powell spoke to reporters,
that there ar~ two levels of justice-one
whjte and one black,"
Koon stood a f~w feet away, but said Celes King, a bail bondsman
would say only one sentence, and chairma~ of the Congress of
which he repeated regardless of Racial Equality. "The setting of
what he was asked. "Everything's $5,000 bail is tantamount to no bail
in the book, and the book comes at all." ·
out in October," Koon said, refer- Earl Broady, a lawyer reprering
to a manuscript. he has written senting one of the defendants in
on the King case and his years in the Denny attack, agreed. "That's
theLAPD.
As . the case enters the federal just terribly unfair," lie said.
arena for the first time, lawyers Lawyers for the officers, howevsaid
they hope it can come to trial
by this fall, although it could take
er, noted that all four have made
every court appearance since their
longer because the federal charges
may require them to interview new
case began more than a year ago,
that none have . criminal records
· witnesses and review additional and that all have strong ties to the
evidence. · ~ommunity. '
The most notable difference in "They're all going to show up,"
this trial-may l:le that King is likely · Braun said. "There's no reason to ..
-to be called to testtfy. In fact, punish thein with high bail." ..
. lawyer Michael P. Stone, who represents
Powell, said that he intends
· Before the federal trial of the
officers begins-, lawyers said that at-'
to call King even if prosecutors
decide not to. : ·
.least two issues will have to be ~
settled: whether there Will be a l
"The community needs to see change of ·venue and whether the :
,. that guy for wh~tr· he is," ·Stone · federal charges represent double
saia. "He is a felon who-was trying . jeopardy, since the officers already :
to escape custody:"
have been tried in state court.
·All four officers surrenderei\ Bec;:mse the federal judiciai- dis-
. yoluntariiy Thursday.. They ap- . trict that. includes Los Angeles
peared in a hushed and overflow.,. spans seven counties, defense law- .
. ing' federal courtroom, where they yers agreed "that a change of veritie .'
answered a few ·routine questions· is unlike1y because thejury pooi.is
Jrom a magistrat~ judge before he• . so large. Still, DePasquale said he· ·
·ordered them to post unsecUred .. planned to investig~tethe is~ue.· •
:.bonds of $5,000 each.' . .· . Several legal exP.ertS also agteeq ·
That is roughly what each post,.. . that there· is li~tle . likelihood of
~d during their state· triaL AI'-· ., successfully, arguing the ctifuble- ·
thoug~.the $5,000 "~?ond \V~ recom,: :: . jeop_ardy issue, sin~.e the state ~d
mended by the federal court's iederal government are different
pretrial services office and was , sovereign entities. · · ·
accepted as fair by prosecutors, ·. Moreover, Kevin Reed, an attarsome
critics immediately assailed it ney with tne N,A.ACP Legal Deas
too low. ·· · .. fense and .. Educational Fund, .said
· Three defendants in the beating the federal counts are markedly
of truck driver Reginald 0. Den- dif~erent than those filed in state
ny-an attack that some have cast court. This time the officers are
as a mirror-image reprise of the charged with intentionally depriv­
King incident-are. being held on ing King of federally. protected
bonds ranging from $500,000 to rights, as opposed to merely being
$580,000. Although they are charged with beating him.
charged with more than just the Nevertheless, DePasquale and
Denny attack and all have criminal Braun said they expect to research
records, some of their supporters the .question and determine whethcontend
that the discrepancy in er there are legal reasoris for
bail-amounts reflects an unequal dismissing the federal charges on.
system of justice.
those grounds.·