Thread: L.A. mayor 'deeply troubled' by use of force at rally

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/05/rally. ... index.html

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa condemned the Los Angeles Police Department's use of force against demonstrators and reporters at an immigration rally, saying he was "deeply, personally troubled" by the clash.

The mayor returned home Friday after cutting short a trade mission to El Salvador and Mexico amid criticism for being out of town since Tuesday's melee at MacArthur Park.

"Like every Angeleno I was deeply, personally troubled by the events of May 1st," the mayor said at City Hall. "Those images hit me in the gut.

"... We don't need a long and lengthy investigation to stand up and speak to the truth. What happened on May 1st was wrong, was wrong," he said. (Watch police attack with batons, rubber bullets -- and what provoked them)

Police struck reporters and demonstrators with batons and fired more than 240 rubber bullets into a crowd that included children at the end of an immigration rights rally. Officers say they responded after being pelted by rocks and bottles.

Though no one was seriously hurt, images of baton-wielding officers knocking people to the ground have played repeatedly on cable TV newscasts, ramping up the pressure on Villaraigosa to return from the trade mission.

At least four investigations, including an FBI civil rights inquiry, have been opened into the police response. Three protesters have filed a federal lawsuit, alleging police violated their constitutional rights.

State legislators, immigration activists and others returned to MacArthur Park on Friday to denounce the department's conduct.

"To say we are outraged is an understatement," said state Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles. "We want those responsible in the highest levels of the LAPD to pay consequences."

The police union criticized Nunez for what it called "police bashing.

"... Setting up the population to believe that law enforcement is the enemy is a dangerous game," union President Robert Baker wrote in a letter Friday. "It provokes a lethal us-against-them, anti-law enforcement mentality that encourages violence against police officers."

Nunez's spokesman Steve Maviglio said late Friday that the speaker's outrage "should not be misconstrued as attack on the entire LAPD but rather at the command staff and the few officers who were using excessive force ... The police union should be outraged as well since the few who did this tarnishes the reputation of the brave officers who protect and defend us."

Chief says force used when people threw objects at police
Police Chief William J. Bratton has expressed "grave concern" about what happened and promised a full investigation. He has said the use of force began while officers were dealing with 50 to 100 "agitators" who threw objects. At the press conference, he said he was "embarrassed for this department and embarrassed for the city we serve."

Meanwhile, KTTV television news camerawoman Patti Ballaz filed a claim for unspecified damages against the city and Police Department alleging civil rights violations. The full nature of Ballaz's actual injuries was not yet clear. She suffered a fractured wrist and injuries to her ankle and was hit in the breast with a police baton, said Kathy Pinckert, a spokeswoman for Ballaz's attorneys.

There was no official tally of how many reporters were struck by police. Local media groups said they would meet this weekend to determine how to proceed.

Victor Narro, an attorney with the National Lawyers Guild who helped organize Tuesday's demonstration, said his group is reviewing videotape and considering whether to sue the department. He noted that in one tape he saw police fire a rubber round at a boy who appeared to be 10 and "toss him aside like a piece of meat."

John Mack, president of the Police Commission, the civilian overseers of the Police Department, told reporters the clash was "a terrible breakdown" and the panel wants to get to the bottom of who was in charge at the time.

"We have a responsibility to protect individuals while they're expressing themselves," Mack said.

I am sick and tired of hearing about this. It is hard for me to believe that police would take such action for nothing. No one says much about how they chose to walk where they shouldn't and how people threw rocks and bottles at the police.
What is interesting is that most officers who use too much force most often are in highly Hispanic areas and are Hispanic officers. This has been discussed by officers in several departments and bail bond people. We all agree that one city in Dade County is the worse for it. There has been a case where their police dogs attacked an innocent woman. Many people they arrest have been beat by officers and some of them are old men who could have not possibly attacked an officer. When there was a trade meeting in Miami their officers were the first ones to use force and were the reason other departments who were also there were sued.

swatchick , steelerbabe
I’m about sick of the crap too what the Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa should be worried about is the fact that he allowed an illegal march in the first place. If the criminals weren’t marching there wouldn’t have been any trouble and no press.
Like every American I was deeply and personally troubled by the events of May 1st.

"Like every Angeleno I was deeply, personally troubled by the events of May 1st," the mayor said at City Hall. "Those images hit me in the gut.

"... We don't need a long and lengthy investigation to stand up and speak to the truth. What happened on May 1st was wrong, was wrong," he said. (Watch police attack with batons, rubber bullets -- and what provoked them)

Now we know how our border patrol must feel when our federal government goes after them for upholding the law! The LAPD acts to disperse a crowd that was becoming violent and close to rioting, yet their are made out to be the bad guys. It just doesn't make any sense to me. I guess we should have expected most Hispanic politicians to side with the criminal aliens and their pro-illegal agitators.

Well the good citizens of California will pay big time for this nonsense.

They really had better not send a message like this or LA is going to be just like the border, people are going to instigate them just so they can sue. How pathetic this country is becoming. We are turning into mexico!

If they acted like that in Mexico, Central America or some South American countries they would have been shot with real bullets.

Let me just remind everyone that while our city streets were being filled with illegals carrying Mexican flags, the mayor of LA was in a South American country working on a trade deal.

His feelings about what occured in his city by his police force while he was MIA matter nothing at all to me.

Originally Posted by ProudAmericanFamily

Let me just remind everyone that while our city streets were being filled with illegals carrying Mexican flags, the mayor of LA was in a South American country working on a trade deal.

His feelings about what occured in his city by his police force while he was MIA matter nothing at all to me.

Do you llive in LA county Proud?If you do I think you should move on up here to Northern Idaho sweetie, its a whole different world up here. Its still what America use to be, so far!

I'm sure you could care less about the idiot who doesn't care about you or your family, your not on his agenda. But law suits like these fall on the taxpayer, its the only place they have to get the money, so you pay again for the liars and cheates that come to our country uninvited.

SOSADFORUS wrote:

Well the good citizens of California will pay big time for this nonsense.

Boy you're not kidding on this one. ALL the hand wringers and lawyers are out in force. ALL the Mexican politicians from the speaker of the state assembly down to the mayor of LA are knocking the police and coddling the illegals.

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

Do you llive in LA county Proud?

Sent ya a PM