Show of Respect

I’m writing to you because I don’t know of any other way to thank the public for their show of respect for my brother. My brother is Duane C. Johnson, the officer who was killed at the “Chinatown Shoot-Out.”

I also want to tell the public about the way the Los Angeles Police Department took care of us during this time of mourning. Duane has four brothers and five sisters, two sets of parents, a grandfather, an uncle, and a best friend, plus the families of the brothers and sisters who were all at the funeral. Most of us had to fly in from other states such as New York, Connecticut and Virginia. The Police Department paid for the fares plus the lodging and food and transportation for all of us. Their generosity allowed this large family to stay under one roof and be together during this difficult time.

The show of respect from the officers themselves was also very supportive. The number of motorcycle officers and squad cars showed us the brotherhood that is felt between officers and made us the most protected family in all of this state.

I must admit that many in my family felt a great deal of anger toward Asians merely because the suspects are Asian. They felt they needed someone to blame for our brother’s death. But after the people from Chinatown came up to Duane’s coffin and paid their respects we were all touched very much and could no longer hold his death against innocent people.

When we left the church, on the way to the grave site, I was very surprised at the number of people who were lining the streets. At first I thought they were curiosity seekers but after looking more closely I saw them crying with us, standing quietly with their hands on their hearts, and also saluting my brother’s coffin as it passed. I no longer felt like we were being watched but instead we were sharing the sorrow that every one felt.

We want to thank all of the above people for trying to make our sorrow an easier burden to bear.

PAT CARMICHAEL

Riverside