Muslim Group Protests at Sheriff ‘s Department : Grievance: Group not linked to Farrakhan is angry over shooting by deputy. Members want a federal probe of black’s death.

A group of Muslims presented a list of demands to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials Saturday during an hourlong protest aimed at bridging the gap they say exists between law enforcement officials and members of minority groups.

The Muslims, members of an Inglewood mosque, said they have religious differences with the Nation of Islam, a black American religious organization headed by Louis Farrakhan, but the two groups share concern over last month’s shooting death of Oliver Beasley by a sheriff’s deputy.

Beasley, a Nation of Islam member, was shot in the head Jan. 23 in the unincorporated Athens area after a traffic stop erupted into a melee between deputies and several members of the Nation of Islam. Authorities say Beasley was shot when Nation of Islam members began fighting with two deputies, and one took a deputy’s pistol.

An internal investigation is continuing and Sheriff Sherman Block has advised deputies against taking “enforcement action in minor incidents” in black neighborhoods because of “heightened tensions” after Beasley’s death.

“Beasley was one of our brothers,” said protest spokesman Abdul Rahman Abdul Aziz, the head of the Inglewood mosque, Masqid Al-Saff. “We’re hurt because he was a Muslim and we believe he didn’t have to die.”

The clash that led to Beasley’s death was the second this year between Nation of Islam members and law officers, and came a few days after a meeting between Los Angeles police officers and Nation of Islam leaders aimed at easing tensions.

“These feelings have been simmering for a long time,” said Aziz. “Beasley’s death was an explosion. We’re trying to keep things from getting worse.”

Carrying signs accusing the deputies of racism, the protesters marched in front of the Lennox substation and used strong language to criticize Beasley’s death and other past clashes between area law enforcement officials and citizens.

“We have a very serious problem here that needs to be corrected,” one protester, dressed in a black outfit and Army-style boots, yelled over a megaphone. “Either you’ll correct it--or maybe you need some assistance.”

Another protester added later: “We’re pushing the issue. We’re not going to be quiet like you want us to be. We know who the terrorists are.”

Joining the demonstration were about 25 members of the Los Angeles-based International Anti-Racism Coalition, a multiracial group. In a statement, the coalition contended that the government-sponsored war on drugs had grown into a war on black and Latino neighborhoods.

“We’re separate from the Muslims but we agree on this issue,” said coalition member Barbara Sherr.

In a list of demands, the Muslims called for a federal investigation of Beasley’s death, a community review board to investigate officer abuses, prosecution of deputies who commit wrongful killings and a meeting between Islamic leaders and sheriff’s officials.

They also want permission for Islamic representatives to give presentations on Islam to law enforcement officials and edit an officer training videotape on the Nation of Islam that is being shown to department personnel.

The protesters also said the felony-prone position in which someone is forced to lie face down on the ground should be banned on routine traffic stops. A sheriff’s spokesman, however, said that position is only used in rare cases in which an officer feels physically threatened.

Lt. Clyde E. French told protesters that a meeting will be arranged between them and Capt. Walt Lanier, the Lennox substation commander. French and other sheriff’s officials declined to comment on the individual demands until they are presented to Block on Monday.

“These are angry people who have a constitutional right to be heard,” French said. “We have nothing to hide. We want to get together.”