FBI to investigate immigration rally
Staff and agencies
03 May, 2007


By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ, Associated Press Writer 3 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES - The FBI will open a civil rights inquiry into the Los Angeles Police Department‘s actions at an immigration rally where officers cleared a city park by wielding batons and firing rubber bullets, the bureau said Thursday.

Police Chief William J. Bratton said earlier Thursday that he planned to meet next week with the head of the FBI‘s Los Angeles office, Assistant Director in Charge J. Stephen Tidwell, to see if Tuesday‘s clashes at MacArthur Park were "something the bureau would become involved with."

The FBI probe is the fourth official investigation of the violence. The U.S. Department of Justice will review the bureau‘s results and decide whether to initiate a full-fledge investigation.

Bratton said in an appearance on CBS‘s "Early Show" that he was "not happy" when he watched videotape of the events.

The clashes started around 6 p.m. Tuesday, when police tried to disperse demonstrators who moved into a street, according to rally organizers and reporters. Officers used batons to push the crowd back to the sidewalk after several people threw rocks and bottles at them, then cleared the park, authorities said.

A police order to disperse probably wasn‘t effective because it was in English and given from a helicopter, Bratton said Wednesday. Many at the protest were Spanish speakers, he said.

The Police Department has opened two investigations, one to create an "after-action report" that evaluates planning and operations, and another by internal affairs to probe complaints against officers.

Police union leaders urged against a "rush to judgment."

News organizations condemned the department for its use of batons and riot guns against members of the media.

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