Was Police Investigation an Empty Ritual, or Will It Bring Change? : The Times asked a diverse group of people, most of them Los Angeles residents, to comment on the report of the Christopher Commission. The following commentaries are taken from the interviews. : Slurs in the Station

There’s nothing surprising to me in what the Christopher Commission has in its report. Slurs also are sent via radio on a non-recorded frequency. It’s something you have to deal with, not only in a patrol car but also inside the station. You walk down the hallway or turn a corner and you hear this type of thing.

It’s not surprising that the facts show we have so many repeat offenders who beat people and don’t get punished. That’s a direct result of Daryl Gates and his tolerance of it.

I see already that he is refusing to step down, but I do believe some changes will be made. For one thing, the disciplinary system will be revamped so this type of blatant abuse of the black and (Latino) community will be stopped, or at least cut down drastically. But I don’t expect a reduction in the harassment of black officers who refuse to go along with oppressing the black community. The only way to make those changes is through lawsuits.

Since I began speaking out supporting the African American Peace Officers Assn., harassment and pay-back has constantly come my way. The policy is that if you are in the top 15% of people in your rank in terms of seniority, you don’t have to worry about being bumped. I’m in the top 15% of day shift and I am at the top 15% of all officers at Southwest Division. I’m on vacation and I call in and discover I have been bumped to the graveyard shift.

The African American Peace Officers Assn. is made up of black men and women who refuse to kneel down and go along with the status quo. I’ve been a member for three months, since right after the Rodney King incident. I stood back waiting for what the Oscar Joel Bryant Assn. (the older organization of black officers) would do. When the board members of the organization stated that the black officers supported Gates, which was a lie, and that the Rodney King incident was not business-as-usual, which was a lie, and that there had been strong leadership in the department for 13 years, which was a lie, I was angered that they had taken that type of stand. I was surprised they had sold us out. I knew I could no longer sit back and watch what happens. I knew I had to become active.