AIDS Protesters Carted Out of Sheriff’s Academy Rites

Ten protesters were carried out of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Academy graduation ceremony by deputies Friday after disrupting Sheriff Sherman Block’s remarks by shouting questions at him and unfurling a banner reading “AIDS Education, Not Testing.”

As the crowd cheered, the demonstrators, members of a West Hollywood group known as the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power/LA, were removed from the Music Center’s packed Dorothy Chandler Pavilion by deputies attending the graduation.

There were no arrests and no reports of serious injuries during the protest.

In interviews afterward, the demonstrators said they support the dissemination of condoms and AIDS education pamphlets in the Los Angeles County Jail to help reduce inmates’ risk of contracting the fatal disease.

Ballot Measure

They also said they oppose a proposed statewide ballot initiative sponsored by Block that would require AIDS tests for certain criminal defendants.

The protest occurred just as Block rose to introduce police chiefs and their representatives from 14 Los Angeles County communities.

The demonstrators, who had handed out leaflets in the Music Center courtyard before the graduation exercises, rose from various places in the audience. Two waved the banner, while others yelled such questions as “Why won’t you give prisoners condoms to protect themselves?” according to Stephen May, a coalition spokesman.

The paper banner was quickly shredded, and the protesters were carried outside by plainclothes and uniformed deputies.

When Block resumed speaking, he sternly announced that he does not intend to issue condoms in the jail. The audience of several hundred people responded with applause.

A few minutes later, another coalition demonstrator rose and shouted at the sheriff. Someone in the crowd responded by yelling a derisive comment at the protester, who was swiftly removed by deputies, as the crowd again cheered.

Received Diplomas

There were no further disruptions at the ceremony, where 52 new sheriff’s deputies and 28 new officers from 15 other local law enforcement agencies were presented diplomas and sworn to duty.

Block also presented medals to seven sheriff’s deputies, six of whom participated in a January drug raid shoot-out in which a fellow deputy, Jack Miller, was killed.

The highest award, the Medal of Valor, was given to Deputies John C. Dickenson, Victor T. Moore and Michael J. O’Hara.

Block, contacted Friday afternoon, said that if anything, the demonstration provided valuable media attention for his ballot initiative, which calls for AIDS tests for defendants in sexual assault cases when demanded by the victim.

The initiative, which needs 372,000 valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot, would also allow judges to order AIDS tests for defendants in cases where law enforcement officers have been exposed to their blood or other body fluids, Block said.

Health Issues

Asked about the demonstrators’ demands, Block said all new jail inmates currently view a videotape that discusses health issues, including AIDS. As for condoms, Block said, “I’m not going to put myself in a position of encouraging sexual activity in the jail.”

According to the Sheriff’s Department, more than 240 jail inmates who have been voluntarily tested since mid-1985 have been found to have acquired immune deficiency syndrome or the AIDS-related complex. The majority of infected inmates are housed in jail hospital facilities, said Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Paul Harmon.