‘A Question of Respect’

In response to “A Question of Respect: Judgment Against Gates Makes Statement for Minority Rights,” Op-Ed Page, Dec. 7:

According to Henry McGee’s account, the incident in June, 1986, began in the morning when police entered Jessie Larez’s home in search of a gun that had “purportedly” been used in a murder. I presume the police had a search warrant. After entering the house, Larez “rushed” police, struck one officer in the chest, and was subsequently subdued “kicking and screaming.” Larez’s daughter “was yanked to the floor by her hair” during, and most probably because of, the “ensuing tumult.”

Unfortunately, most arrests are violent. Obviously this was no exception. But why was it violent? Did the police have an ax to grind with the Larez family? I truly doubt it. Given McGee’s description of the event, did the police act in an unnecessarily violent or brutal manner? Definitely not. It is unfortunate--but not reprehensible--that Larez’s daughter was included in the violence, but, when a group of police officers enters an unknown and quite possibly dangerous environment, one will never find an amiable air of hospitality on the part of the homeowner.

Why has this been transformed into a police brutality issue? Why have the city of Los Angeles and Police Chief Daryl Gates been held liable for what happened? More importantly, why did Jessie Larez charge police? Why did he punch a police officer? If you slug a policeman mustn’t you then accept the reality that you will not be dealt with as a calm person or in a friendly manner? Regardless of Larez’s guilt or innocence, if he had not acted so violently, none of this would have happened.

I really don’t feel that something like this becomes a police brutality issue until: 1) the force exerted on the suspect is more truculent than the particular situation requires, or 2) a suspect does not exhibit any violence, but is nonetheless, violently subdued. Judging from McGee’s description, neither of these conditions was present. In my mind, Larez loses a great deal of credibility simply because of his violent outbreak against the police officers at the scene.

If the police had stormed the house, destroyed the interior, truncheoned the family and beaten Larez without provocation, I could easily support the outcome of the trial. But really, Larez threw the first punch, and no one, including Larez, was beaten. Larez was simply arrested, “kicking and screaming.” His broken nose was the result of a struggle. In all fairness, Larez shouldn’t have thrown the first punch and then expected a lot of sympathy.

MARTIN SIMSON

Downey