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L.A. Police Chief: ‘It All Broke Down’Posted on May 30, 2007As he delivered a report on the May Day incident to the Los Angeles Police Commission, Chief William Bratton acknowledged that his officers made mistakes born out of a breakdown in communication. Video of riot police firing rubber bullets into an apparently peaceful and compliant gathering of immigration protesters on May 1 sparked public outrage and an investigation.
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By kevin99999, May 31, 2007 at 8:56 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
“officers made mistakes born out of a breakdown in communication..”
Seems like this communication has been broken down for years. This so called inquiry or investigation was just a public relation stunt. The brutality of the L.A. police is a problem of long standing and is not unique to LA alone. The police is brutal everywhere. Lot of the cops are nothing but criminal themselves.
Report thisBy Forkboy, May 31, 2007 at 12:13 am #
We know what the “communication breakdown” really was:
“Attention all units. Attention all units. Avoid beating the shit out of peaceful demonstrators if journalists with cameras are about. Otherwise it’s Miller time.”
Or something along those lines.
Report thisBy Steven McCarty, May 30, 2007 at 10:24 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
I spent almost 2 years as a police science major. Part of the course was LAPD ride alongs. I changed my career to Business law after I realized the mind set of the police. The culture of the LAPD is racist, bigoted and uncaring. Thier cynisim is disgusting. The cliques are the result of an US against THEM mindset. LA is a tough town and dealing with the criminal element perverts what civic responsiblity they may start with. LAPD and the CHP have long history of racial problems going way back to the Chinese railroad laborers, then the Latin Zoot suit riots and through to the Rodoney King/Watts riots. What this police chief labeled as a break down is a conitinuation of LAPD’s history and is its true blue colors. London Bobbys carry sewing needles for crowd control, LAPD carry night sticks. A poke in the butt as opposed to clubbing on the head.
Report thisBy European Student, May 30, 2007 at 7:59 pm #
The first images of this May Day ‘incident’ that I saw were posted on Youtube, and it is a report by Fox News. It is quite ‘interesting’ to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFdNkXJMH9A
<object width=“425” height=“350”></param></param><embed src=“http://www.youtube.com/v/UFdNkXJMH9A” type=“application/x-shockwave-flash” wmode=“transparent” width=“425” height=“350”></embed></object>
Huh, yeah: as if those police officers didn’t know they’re not allowed to ‘rough up’ journalists. Well, I guess that “mistakes have been made”.
Okay, how ‘bout a return to quaint concepts like the ‘rule of law’ and ‘reality’?
Wish you well,
European Student
Report thisBy European Student, May 30, 2007 at 7:17 pm #
“Chief William Bratton acknowledged that his officers made mistakes”. Oh, come on: did these police officers injure ten journalists and even throw one video/television camera away by accident? In Europe we call the kind of thing that was done (it did not ‘happen’ ) in LA that day ‘police brutality’, and we have had a lot of ‘police brutality’ at certain points of time in the history of European nations.
Only a couple of years ago fascist - yes, some of us still call actual ‘fascists’ by the appropriate word, by calling such persons a ‘fascist’ - policemen went on a rampage in Genoa, Italy.
(PS. Yes, of course: left-wingers can be fascists as well.)
Report thisBy European Student, May 30, 2007 at 7:15 pm #
“Chief William Bratton acknowledged that his officers made mistakes”. Oh, come on: did these police officers injure ten journalists and even throw one video/television camera away by accident? In Europe we call the kind of thing that was done (it did not ‘happen’) in LA that day ‘police brutality’, and we have had a lot of ‘police brutality’ at certain points of time in the history of European nations.
Only a couple of years ago fascist - yes, some of us still call actual ‘fascists’ by the appropriate word, by calling such persons a ‘fascist’ - policemen went on a rampage in Genoa, Italy.
(PS. Yes, of course: left-wingers can be fascists as well.)
Report thisBy QuyTran, May 30, 2007 at 7:04 pm #
Chief Bratton,
Too late to acknowledge your bad officers’ attitude towards innocent people ! Just send them to Iraq !
Report thisBy stonefruit, May 30, 2007 at 5:44 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
“It all broke down” my ass. The function of police in a propogandistically sophisticated police state is to apply as little force as is necessary to keep the slaves scared, docile, and on the plantation.
The one and only reason these asinine, vacant mea culpas are even be being issued is because they roughed up a few too many broadcast journalists.
Report thisBy frenchie, May 30, 2007 at 2:30 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
how come nobody except the non whites ever pay a price for thier crimes in america?
Report thisBy James Yell, May 30, 2007 at 10:20 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
The problem with various aggressive weapons, presented as nearly harmless tools of crowd control is they encourage police and other law enforcement to think of them as unoffensive ways to expedite control, or amuse a bored police at no real cost.
Ever since I saw some years ago the forceable spraying of pepper spray into protesters eyes at a congressman’s office, I have thought fascism is here and no one is noticing.
Some weeks ago the military/industrial complex was hyping the wonders of a “ray gun” that would make people feel like they were on fire, without we are assured injury. I asked then and I will ask now do we wish such an apparatus, as our elected officials begin to believe they are above the laws of the land and torture is just a “way of asking questions”?
On the matter of torture and the mis use of the military and law enforcement alone the Bush/Cheney thugs should have been removed from office years ago. What happened to the land of the free, home of the brave? The Republicans, with help from passive Democratic officials have made it land of the lawless, home of the increasingly timid.
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