Bradley Urged Release of Transcript; Political Heat Rises

Before leaving City Hall at noon Monday for a business trip to Hawaii, Mayor Tom Bradley initiated yet another in a series of moves that is certain to crank up the pressure on Police Chief Daryl F. Gates to resign over the Rodney G. King affair.

The mayor ordered his appointees on the Police Commission to work with Gates to disclose potentially volatile radio and computer communications made by some officers in the minutes before and after King, a 25-year-old black man, was struck more than 50 times with nightsticks. Hours later, the Police Department released the transmissions.

Transcripts of the computer messages show that a police officer involved in the assault told another officer that he “hadn’t beaten anyone this bad in a long time.” Another message reveals that an officer referred to an earlier police call--involving a black family’s domestic dispute--as “right out of ‘Gorillas in the Mist.’ ”

Police Commissioner Melanie Lomax said she did not believe that Bradley’s order was “politically motivated.” Rather, she said that Gates put the mayor in a “very awkward position” by indicating the contents of the tape to Bradley and police commissioners last week, then refusing to release the messages to the public.

“I would predict that it (release of the tapes) will intensify the demands that (Gates) step down,” added Lomax, a Los Angeles civil rights attorney.

Sources close to the mayor’s office said that Deputy Mayor Mark Fabiani continues to direct a campaign intended to get Gates to resign. The effort picked up steam Friday when Bradley appointed Stanley Sheinbaum, a civil libertarian and Gates critic, to fill one of two vacancies on the Police Commission.

Last week, Bradley denied a Times report that Fabiani was in charge of an effort to oust Gates. “I have had no participation, no strategy whatsoever to force, to urge, to demand that Chief Gates retire or resign,” Bradley told a news conference.

The mayor was criticized on Sunday by the Rev. Jesse Jackson for not publicly demanding that Gates resign. The remarks by Jackson only hardened Bradley’s resolve not to become embroiled in a political controversy with Gates, said sources close to the mayor.

“He does not have a lot of respect for Jesse Jackson,” said one source who spoke on condition of anonymity. “When people try to put pressure on Tom like that, it never works and it only serves to keep him pretty steadfast.”

As political fallout from the King incident intensified Monday, Bradley flew to Hawaii to help the city of Los Angeles in its attempt to be named host of the Super Bowl in 1993. The mayor considered remaining in Los Angeles because of the King incident, but decided his appearance was needed in Hawaii, Fabiani said.

“The mayor can’t be held hostage to this situation,” Fabiani said. “He is only going to be gone two days. He is in constant contact with the office and is prepared to deal with any situation that arises. Winning the Super Bowl for the city is important economically as well as to the city’s self-esteem.”

The mayor and police commissioners first learned of the police communications last week when Gates told them privately that the tapes contained “information of public interest,” said Fabiani and Police Commissioner Sam Williams.

Lomax said Gates initially told her there was no indication of any racial hostility on the part of the officers. But when the chief contacted Lomax at the end of last week to discuss the tapes, “Gates basically had to eat his words,” Lomax said.

Gates could not be reached for comment.

Gates told the mayor’s office last week that he had withheld the police communications based on the advice of Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner, according to Fabiani.

The mayor’s staff spent many hours over the weekend considering whether to initiate the release of the police tapes, even though Bradley aides had not seen any transcripts, sources said.

On Monday morning, Reiner told Fabiani that he “never prohibited the release of the information at any point,” Fabiani said. That is when the mayor decided to instruct the Police Commission to release the tapes.

“The last thing in the world the Police Department needs is an allegation that relevant information is being held back from the public,” Fabiani said.

Bradley’s order marked at least the third time since the King incident that the mayor has directed Gates to act. Earlier, at the request of Bradley, Gates pulled the 15 officers involved in the beating off the street and addressed his officers in an attempt to boost morale. More steps are planned to increase pressure on Gates, sources said.

“I think what you are witnessing is traditional Tom Bradley,” said Mike Gage, a Bradley appointee on the Water and Power Commission and a former deputy mayor. “His response is very measured. It is evolving and trying to stay a little bit ahead of the curve. . . . He is incredibly proud of the city of Los Angeles and he sees this as a mark against the city. He is going to take the leadership steps to counter that.”

Bradley’s response to the Police Department crisis comes as he faces an ongoing investigation into his personal finances and official duties.

“I think it is important that somebody take leadership in this whole issue,” said Ramona Ripston, head of the local American Civil Liberties Union chapter.

“I also think that in terms of his past difficulties, (Bradley) would like to show he can be a strong leader. This gives him the opportunity to show that he can be.”