Gates, Man Who Taped Beating Are Honored : Police: At a luncheon held by about 1,000 of his supporters, the police chief jokes with the Lake View Terrace resident about what he terms “a lousy movie.”

Nearly 1,000 people paid $25 apiece Friday for a luncheon honoring an unlikely duo: embattled Police Chief Daryl F. Gates and George Holliday, the man whose video camera captured the now notorious scene that led to Gates’ troubles.

After supporters gave several speeches praising Gates and condemning the 60-day leave handed to him this week by the Police Commission, the police chief took the stage at the Sportsmen’s Lodge with Holliday and the two smiled and shook hands.

Holliday, a Lake View Terrace resident who operates a plumbing supply business, videotaped police officers beating motorist Rodney G. King the night of March 3, setting off a national furor over police brutality.

“As a guy who never goes to the movies and loves home movies, that was a lousy movie,” Gates told Holliday in jest. “If it wasn’t for our helicopter, the lighting would have been terrible.” The audience laughed loudly.

The banquet, sponsored by Citizens in Support of the Chief, was held hours before the City Council voted to have Gates reinstated.

It was the first meeting of Gates and Holliday and it came before a bastion of Gates’ strongest supporters, including numerous police officers. Holliday was invited to the banquet to be honored for coming forward with his video.

“There are a lot of people who would say, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re going to give that guy an award?’ ” Gates said. But, he said, the organization is saying: “Look. This happened. It was good it came to everyone’s attention. Something good will come of it. And we can honor the guy who did what he did and brought it to our attention.”

For his part, Holliday said he was honored and hoped that his video would help law enforcement agencies improve their methods. Away from the microphone, he said his presence was not a statement of support for Gates or a condemnation of the Police Commission’s action.

“I have said that I don’t think the chief should be fired over this one incident,” Holliday said. “But I have not followed his career. I don’t know if he has managed things right or wrong. Those people on the commission must have reasons for doing what they did.”

Wearing a tie stitched with the phrase “Don’t give up the ship,” Gates continued to defend the Police Department against accusations of brutality and racism. Without naming Mayor Tom Bradley, Gates charged that efforts to remove him as chief have furthered divisions in the city and hindered efforts to restore public confidence in the department.

“You can’t have a healing process if somebody is there jabbing at the wound over and over again,” Gates said. “You don’t heal that way.”

Gates detailed police arrest statistics for 1990 that he said showed his department does not have a brutality problem. He said that only 3,000 of 310,000 arrests made during the year involved officers using force. He said statistics show that only 172 complaints of excessive force were filed.

“It is true we are an aggressive police department in the sense that we go out seeking felons who commit crime,” Gates said. “It does not mean we are aggressive in the way we deal with people.”

The banquet was a familiar venue for Gates and other officers. The Sportsmen’s Lodge has for years been the scene of numerous police functions, most often banquets to honor Valley officers and citizens for acts of bravery.

The banquet drew people from across the county. “I wanted to do something to show I’m behind Chief Gates,” said Marnie Janssen, who drove with her husband from Inglewood. “Now is the time he needs it.”

“The media butcher job on Chief Gates is disgusting,” said Bill Howser of Northridge. “I think the chief has to know that there is a lot of people supporting him.”

Bob Haig and Bob Carrillo, who grew up with Gates in Highland Park, attended in hopes of seeing their old friend and shaking his hand.

“We know Daryl and we know he could not be responsible for that incident,” Carrillo said. “I’ll back him up 100% anytime.”

Support was also found in police stations across the San Fernando Valley, where officers seemed to have renewed optimism even before the City Council’s vote ordering the Police Commission to reinstate Gates--in large part due to a videotaped statement from Gates played at every roll call.

Gates urged the 8,300 officers in the department to continue to provide good service to the community and vowed that he would return to his post.

At Van Nuys Division, officers on the mid-day watch reacted favorably to the video message. Most wore blue ribbons on their uniforms, a symbol of support for Gates.

“What the chief said boosts my morale,” Officer Juan Perez said. “What the commission did was like a slap in the face, but I’m going to do my job. I’m supporting the chief.”

At Foothill Division, where officers involved in the King incident were assigned, Lt. Thomas Maeweather said officers had a positive attitude after hearing Gates’ words on the video.

“The mood of the officers is very upbeat,” Maeweather said.

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