Remarks by Bratton Still Reverberating

Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton’s apology July 3 for making remarks criticized as offensive to blacks did little to quell outrage directed at the Police Department at a town hall meeting held Saturday by an ad hoc citizens commission in Leimert Park.

The discussion began with a video clip of a June 30 City Council meeting in which Councilman Bernard C. Parks asked Bratton to respond to claims that the chief had used words such as “tribal,” “thugs” and “terrorists” to describe minorities. A spokeswoman for Bratton later said the chief was using the words only to describe gang members.

On Saturday, Parks sat onstage with various community leaders and when the video concluded, received loud applause from the audience of about 800 people. “It’s important we realize the power of words.... The first step in dehumanizing a people is calling them names,” said Parks, one of the candidates seeking to oust Mayor James K. Hahn, who supported the move to replace Parks as police chief.

The meeting was organized by the Community Commission on Police Abuse, a coalition of activists put together by publisher and community leader Danny Bakewell after he criticized a commission named by Hahn as being unrepresentative of the black community.

Both commissions grew out of the June 23 televised beating of Stanley Miller, a black suspect who was tackled by officers after being pursued in a stolen car. The 36-year-old then was hit 11 times with a flashlight wielded by Officer John J. Hatfield. Investigators also are examining whether Hatfield kneed Miller five times.

Bakewell implored audience members to contact the City Council, the mayor’s office and the Police Department to “express outrage and concern” over Miller’s beating and asked for their support of his commission.

Bakewell, a longtime Parks supporter who said he hasn’t decided whom he will back in the mayoral race, said the LAPD has not officially recognized his commission. But he said he was encouraged that Saturday’s event was attended by Police Commission President David Cunningham III; the commission’s inspector general, Andre Birotte Jr.; and two police captains.

Video of the beating was played on a projection screen midway through the three-hour meeting. Offering analysis was retired Superior Court Judge Gilbert C. Alston, who said the suspect shouldn’t have been tackled by officers. Bratton has called the officers’ tactics “a mess.” Alston was asked to participate by Bakewell.

“Here we have a kick,” Alston said during the commentary. “Now comes the flashlight.”

The crowd gasped and shouted during the slow-motion replay.

“Tribal thugs!” one man shouted when police officers converged on Miller.

The most emotionally charged segment of the rally was provided by Tony Muhammad, Western regional minister for the Nation of Islam, who had the crowd cheering and on its feet. Muhammad suggested that Bratton had the mentality of a white supremacist and said the LAPD was rooted in racism.

“They have no moral authority,” he said.

After the event, LAPD Capt. Kyle Jackson concurred with some of what was said.

“If you look at the last 30-40 years of its history, you’ll agree this is a racist department,” said Jackson, a black 27-year veteran of the force. “But it’s a department I love. We have not always been fair. The department is trying really, really hard to deal with this latest issue.”

Times staff writer Andrew Blankstein contributed to this report.