Police Harassment of Development Foe
When the Los Angeles Police Department vice squad appeared at the front door of Robert Birch, a vocal opponent of the Porter Ranch development, alleging investigation of prostitution, it proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Police Department is either the toady of City Councilman Hal Bernson or in cahoots with the developer.
Despite the weasel-worded incantations of Police Lt. Russ Leach and department mouthpiece Cmdr. William Booth, it is obvious to any student of dirty politics that this act was a deliberate attempt to harass Mr. Birch for his position on Porter Ranch. They should be ashamed of themselves.
Regardless of one’s position in the Porter Ranch debate, every citizen should be alarmed at the police-state tactics evident in this unwarranted violation of the First Amendment rights of Mr. Birch. It is proof, once again, that the Los Angeles Police Department squanders its manpower, and it reinforces the urgent need for a civilian review board to bring the power-mad Police Department elite under control.
BILL TYSON
Studio City
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