Gates Pressed on Handling of Anti-Abortion Protests

Two members of the City Council charged on Friday that the Los Angeles Police Department is still too vague about its plans for handling massive demonstrations scheduled for later this month at area family planning clinics and they demanded a clearer statement from Chief Daryl F. Gates.

Councilmen Zev Yaroslavsky and Michael Woo said they are concerned about police protection for area clinics that are being targeted by Operation Rescue, an anti-abortion group that stages sit-ins to disrupt business at family planning clinics.

Although thousands of Operation Rescue activists have been arrested nationwide, none of an estimated 500 that shut down two Los Angeles-area clinics in February was arrested.

Clear Up Confusion

The two councilmen demanded and received a face-to-face meeting with Gates on Friday to clear up their confusion over the LAPD’s policy. Earlier in the week, the full council grilled Los Angeles police officials over their low-key handling of February disturbances and several demanded that the department toughen up its enforcement of Operation Rescue sit-ins.

But while the two came away from their meeting with the chief satisfied that he would aggressively enforce trespassing and unlawful disturbance laws, they said they were later surprised by a written statement from Gates that they said lacked the same force and clarity of his verbal assurances.

“I thought I heard in our meeting that . . . when push comes to shove--literally--that the Police Department would step in and clear the path,” Woo said in an interview Friday. “I don’t see that clearly stated” in Gates’ prepared written statement to the press that followed the private meeting.

Different ‘Tone and Substance’

“He was very clear in the meeting,” Yaroslavsky said. “The tone and substance of this is different than what was said in the meeting. This statement does not reflect the clarity of the statement he made to us.”

Yaroslavsky said: “The statement he issued reflects part of what the chief said in the meeting . . . (but) what it does not reflect is that if people are blocking doorways they will be arrested.”

‘Right to Express’

In his brief statement Gates said, in part, “In America, people have a First Amendment right to express themselves by engaging in public demonstrations. The Los Angeles Police Department not only recognizes that right, but will actively protect people while they exercise it.”

The statement continues, “The right to demonstrate, however, does not mean that the rights of others may be abused.” Gates went on to say that lawbreakers will be “subjecting themselves to immediate arrest by the LAPD.” The councilmen objected to the world “subjecting,” charging that it was not strong enough.

Among the areas of concern raised by Woo was the role of Deputy Chief Robert L. Vernon, an outspoken opponent of abortion. As director of the LAPD’s office of operations, Vernon is the official in charge of dealing with the protests.

“I raised the issue during the meeting . . . because of these questions on Chief Vernon’s personal views,” Woo said. “I thought it was important for the department to make it clear it would protect the legal rights of women seeking to use clinic services.”

Woo said that Gates responded by saying that the question of Vernon’s beliefs “would come up inevitably, but that they want people to know it isn’t going to make any difference in how the department enforces the law.”

Neither Vernon nor Gates could be reached.

‘Qualified Police Executive’

However, LAPD spokesman Cmdr. William Booth said that strong religious views “do not disqualify you as a qualified police executive.” Booth added: “Bob wouldn’t be where he is, doing what he does, if he didn’t conduct himself in accord with” city and department policy.

Booth added that the chief’s statement was an attempt to discuss the difficult issue of the demonstrations “in civilized language, not tyrannical language. It seems clear to me . . . if LAPD can arrest you--if you break the law--we will.”

Still, Woo said there remains “some confusion and concern on what will happen . . . and we will be working with police so that we are all prepared and are all ready on March 22,” when the next round of demonstrations are expected.

“Zev and I would like more said between now and March 22 to assure the public on how the department will react,” Woo added.

Yaroslavsky said: “I think we need a clarification. . . . I think it’s something we’ll have to monitor and talk to the chief about again.”