PROTESTERS' SETTLEMENT IS APPROVED $1.2 MILLION TO BE SHARED.

Byline: James Nash Staff Writer

Scores of people who were injured by LAPD officers while protesting at the 2000 Democratic National Convention will share a $1.2 million settlement approved Friday, pushing the city of Los Angeles' total payments from the incident above $5 million.

A federal judge approved a settlement between the city and 88 people who were hurt by Los Angeles Police Department officers using rubber bullets, beanbag projectiles and pepper spray to break up a protest outside Staples Center.

The $1.2 million was the second-largest payout in a series of 11 lawsuits stemming from the convention protest and four related lawsuits from people injured in subsequent marches against alleged police brutality.

The city has paid $5,027,000 in the cases and still faces a lawsuit from lawyers and activist groups demanding that the LAPD change its tactics for responding to protests.

``We've had all these millions of dollars in settlements and no one has been held accountable,'' said James Muller, a lawyer for the plaintiffs in the case settled Friday. ``No officers have been disciplined. The City Council has never taken the LAPD to task.''

City officials continue to defend their response to the protest, which started peacefully but turned violent after a few protesters hurled bottles, concrete and rocks at police.

The protest began as an impromptu concert for the politically charged rock band Rage Against the Machine as then-President Bill Clinton prepared to address the convention.

By nightfall, police clashed with dozens of protesters in a melee that injured dozens of people, including journalists.

``Given the enormous public safety challenges during the convention, the (police) department did a remarkable job maintaining the peace and respecting the protesters' First Amendment rights,'' said Matt Szabo, a spokesman for City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, whose office approved the settlement.

``Some innocent bystanders unfortunately were hurt based on the police reacting to a few rogue protesters throwing rocks and bottles,'' Szabo said.

At a news conference outside Parker Center on Friday afternoon, several of the protesters and their attorneys heaped blame on Bernard Parks, who was police chief at the time and now is a City Council member and likely mayoral candidate.

The plaintiffs accused Parks and other city officials of heavy-handed tactics to squelch a legitimate political protest.

``That's what happened on Monday (the day of the protest): It was the culmination of a whole campaign,'' said Javier Rodriguez, who served as a spokesman for many of the protest organizers. ``When they couldn't stop us before (the protest), they tried to stop us then.''

Muller said the series of payouts proves that the LAPD and Parks erred in their forceful response to the protest. Deputy City Attorney Shaun Dabby Jacobs, who represented the city in the case settled Friday, said the city is not admitting any wrongdoing.

Parks said that he stands by the LAPD's response and called the settlements ``business decisions'' by the City Attorney's Office and City Council.

James Nash, [phone]

james.nash(at)dailynews.com