LAPD TAKES A BEATING OFFICIALS PROMISE INQUIRY INTO POLICE USE OF FORCE.Byline: RACHEL URANGA, RICK ORLOV and KERRY CAVANAUGHStaff Writers The Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . came under fire from all sides
Wednesday for aggressive tactics at the end of a peaceful
immigrants-rights rally, where officers fired successive rounds of
rubber bullets into crowds with women and children, knocked reporters to
the ground and struck protesters with nightsticks.
As images of the violence aired for hours on local television, city and police officials tried to deflect what amounted to near-universal condemnation of the actions of some 600 LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. officers late Tuesday. Police Chief William Bratton and Police Commission President John Mack John Mack can refer to:
"To me, it's outrageous that we fired 240 rounds (of nonlethal-weapon ammunition) and not one arrest was made from that," Bratton said during a tense news conference, hours after he told KNX-AM (1070) radio that "some of what I've seen as chief of the department does not look appropriate." Several people, including seven officers, were hurt during skirmishes at MacArthur Park after the rally. About 10 people were taken to hospitals for treatment of minor injuries, including three journalists. Controlling his emotions, Bratton said he considered several of the news photographers and reporters who were struck as friends. He added that he would review not only what happened but how decisions were made and which procedures were used. He blamed the provocation on a group of about 75 to 100 protesters who taunted police with rocks and bottles. "It's clear they were there to provoke us, and they did that," Bratton said. As pictures of female reporters getting knocked to the ground, demonstrators being kicked and protesters lifting their shirts to reveal welts and bruises flashed across television and computer screens Wednesday, organizers of the march announced their own investigations. A civil-rights attorney condemned the LAPD for tactics he compared to those used to quell protesters during the 2000 Democratic National Convention, when the city was forced to pay out more than $5 million in settlements. Mayor concerned From San Salvador San Salvador, city, El Salvador San Salvador (sän sälväthōr`), city (1993 pop. 402,448), central El Salvador, capital and largest city of the country. It is the center of El Salvador's trade and communications. , where he's traveling on city business, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa (born Antonio (Tony) Ramon Villar, Jr. on January 23, 1953) is the mayor of Los Angeles, California. He is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since Cristobal Aguilar in 1872. said he was deeply concerned and asked Mack and Bratton to ensure a thorough investigation. "Any time that our law enforcement officials employ force, the public has an absolute and unqualified right to expect and demand an aggressive review of the facts," the mayor said in a statement. Various news media groups issued statements condemning the police response, including the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Press Club, which represents almost 500 members of the media. "There is no excuse for these attacks, which sent several news professionals to the hospital," Executive Director Diana Ljungaeus said. "The press pass issued by (the LAPD) ... clearly identifies reporters and photographers. It's doubtful that your officers could have mistaken newspeople for protesters." Dispersal ordered The incident started after 6 p.m. when police tried to disperse demonstrators who had moved off the sidewalk near the southeastern edge of the park, adjacent to Alvarado Street. Over the next 40 minutes, tensions escalated, leading police clad in riot gear riot gear n → uniforme m antidisturbios inv riot gear n in riot gear → casqué et portant un bouclier riot gear n to sweep west through the park, prodding protesters with batons and shooting rubber bullets. Angelica angelica (ănjĕl`ĭkə), any species of the genus Angelica, plants of the family Umbelliferae (parsley family), native to the Northern Hemisphere and New Zealand, valued for their potency as a medicament and protection against Salas, who was emceeing the event from the back of a flatbed truck A flatbed truck is a type of truck which can be either articulated or rigid. It has an entirely flat, level body with absolutely no sides or roof. This allows for quick and easy loading of goods, and consequently they are used to transport heavy loads that are not delicate or , said organizers began to shut down the stage and direct people out the west side of the park when they realized there was a disturbance. Within moments, she said, a line of officers swept in from the east, shooting rubber bullets. Some of the participants couldn't hear the orders and began running in the direction of officers. "There were women running with their children," Salas said. "I covered one woman with her two girls. She was incredibly scared." Most people said they couldn't hear the dispersal warnings -- which were given in English to the mostly Spanish-speaking crowd -- because of a helicopter hovering overhead. Communication fails Despite weeks of coordination with the LAPD over the march, Salas said lines of communication "Lines of Communication" is an episode from the fourth season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. Synopsis Franklin and Marcus attempt to persuade the Mars resistance to assist Sheridan in opposing President Clark. shut down during the rally. Organizers were frustrated frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: that the department did not ask for their help to safely direct families out of the park. "They just plowed right over us," said Elisa Ross, a producer for Telemundo Noticero, a Spanish-language network, who was preparing to go on-air live. A reporter and three camera crews for the TV station were injured. The crew had been underneath a white tent set up for a live media feed, and families were clustered around the makeshift studio to see the newscast newscast Radio or television broadcast of news events. News gathering and broadcasting by the radio networks began in the mid-1930s and increased significantly during World War II. The television newscast began in 1948 with 15-minute programs that resembled movie newsreels. . "We said we were with the news media, but they stopped at nothing. There was no warning," Ross said. The Radio and Television News Association of Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, called for an investigation into "violent treatment of journalists," as did several other journalist associations. "There is evidence that officers knocked reporters to the ground, used batons on photographers and damaged cameras, possibly motivated by anger over journalists photographing efforts by officers to control the movements of marchers," an RTNA RTNA Ring Tone No Answer statement said. Concerned that the incident could trigger more violent confrontations with police, the City Council on Wednesday passed an emergency motion asking the civilian Police Commission and Bratton to come to the council chambers and publicly share the results of their investigation. "The urgency is that we need to step up and show that we are taking this seriously and we are going to look at this thoroughly," said Councilman Jose Huizar, who co-sponsored the motion with Councilmen Ed Reyes Ed P. Reyes has served on the Los Angeles City Council since April 2001. A native of Northeast Los Angeles, Councilmember Reyes represents many of the neighborhoods he grew up in including Lincoln Heights and Cypress Park. and Jack Weiss Jack Weiss, is a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 5th district. Weiss was elected in 2001 and reelected in 2005. The 5th district includes parts of the Westside and the San Fernando Valley. . "If we don't, there's a possibility that other incidents, such as the one we saw (Tuesday) night on TV clips, may occur again," Huizar said. "I don't want that on my conscience. I don't want anybody else to get hurt." The Los Angeles Police Protective League issued a statement saying the eruption started over officers' trying to disperse demonstrators who had moved off the sidewalk and into the street. "Our officers gave a legal dispersal order and were met with violence," league President Bob Baker said. "In the coming days, it will become clear what transpired. Until then, there should be no rush to judgment." Hours after the melee, some attorneys said they are preparing to file a class-action lawsuit against the LAPD. "This will chill the rights of people to assemble," said Cynthia Anderson-Barker, who represented a class-action group of DNC DNC Democratic National Committee DNC Democratic National Convention DNC Do Not Call DNC Delaware North Companies DNC Domain Name Commissioner DNC Direct Numerical Control DNC Do Not Change DNC Does Not Compute DNC Digital Nautical Chart demonstrators and will file another lawsuit against the LAPD on behalf of people injured by officers at the end of the immigrant march. "It's a needless expenditure of taxpayer money. They haven't used this force since 2000, but they chose to use it at an immigrants-rights demonstration." Council President Eric Garcetti Eric Garcetti (born 1971) is the son of former Los Angeles county district attorney Gil Garcetti, and was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 2001. He was reelected in 2005. said he was upset with the image of police attacking protesters and the news media. "One of the fundamental cornerstones of democracy is freedom of speech and the right of assembly," Garcetti said. "Another cornerstone is the freedom of the press." rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3741 CAPTION(S): 7 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Police in riot gear prepare to disperse a crowd that spilled off the sidewalk and onto Wilshire Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for H. Gaylord Wilshire (1861-1927), an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. at Tuesday's immigrants-rights march. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer (2 -- color) LAPD Chief William Bratton says he will launch an investigation into the use of force by his officers at the end of Tuesday's immigrants-rights march. John Lazar/Staff Photographer (3 -- 5 -- color) These images taken from myfoxla.com Web site show LAPD officers trying to disperse immigrants-rights marchers with force Tuesday. FOX (6) A video image shows KCAL kcal kilocalorie. kcal abbr. kilocalorie kcal kilocalorie. cameraman Carl Stein on the ground during the LAPD response which injured several journalists at Tuesday's immigrants-rights march. (7) This video image shows an LAPD officer, fifth from left, firing a rubber bullet at the end of an immigrants-rights march Tuesday in downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or . Both marchers and journalists were injured, and some sought hospital treatment. KVEA/Telemundo |
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