Comments From Local Leaders

Thomas Lakin, Chancellor, Ventura County Community College District “In some ways the jury was telling me that I didn’t see what I saw. And what I saw was a man being brutalized by LAPD officers. If the jury had had one or two blacks it would have made a big difference. I’m not condemning the jurors, but I lived in Los Angeles for over 40 years and growing up I had many encounters with the LAPD. Not to the degree of Rodney King, but with the sort of Gestapo-type mentality the LAPD has. The real thinking people in South-Central are probably in their homes today, trying to figure out how this happened and trying to piece themselves back together, as am I. It’s just very sickening to me.”

Richard F. Bryce, Assistant Ventura County sheriff “Like everybody else, I’m still reeling from the news. I haven’t talked to anyone who wasn’t amazed by that verdict. The last thing we wanted to see was that trial come up here. Quite frankly the whole situation makes me so sick I want to put barriers between me and the whole Rodney King incident. It has been so horribly damaging to law enforcement. I can’t tell you the effect it’s had on me and the people I work with. I got so appalled at having to watch it and what it was doing to my profession that I stopped watching the news for months and months. I don’t think the verdict was any kind of a reflection on Ventura County as a whole. There are almost 700,000 people here and there were only 12 of them on that jury.”

Laura Zucker, Executive director, Ventura Arts Council “I was crying this morning as I was watching this on TV. I found the picture of people being dragged from their trucks and beaten one of the most horrifying things I’ve ever seen. I was really appalled at the logic that the jury seemed to use . . . that Rodney King essentially was in control of the situation, because if he had obeyed the officers’ nothing else would have happened. However, a much larger issue is if we trust in the jury system, then we have to accept good jury decisions and bad jury decisions. . . . The issues that have caused the rioting are much larger than this verdict. It’s tragic that the black community feels that this is the only way they can get the white community’s attention, but maybe it is.”

Richard Wittenberg, Ventura County chief administrative officer “I was stunned at the verdicts. And frankly, though my own training is legal, it is difficult for me to imagine that this was not excessive force. The thing that keeps going through my head was what that this is a lose-lose situation for everyone. The tragedy that has occurred in Los Angeles is so senseless and mindless. It sets back race relations--and the things this country stands for--many years. I was filled with tears and emotion watching it.”

Carmen Ramirez, Executive director, Channel Counties Legal Services, Oxnard “I personally am not embarrassed by this, but it certainly seems to have put Ventura County, and more so Simi Valley, on the map. I’m a believer in the jury system. But there’s such a thing as common sense, and I was totally blown away by this verdict. The person who should really be on the hot seat today would be (Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Ira) Reiner. The prosecution should have been such a cinch. Even the one guy who files a false report didn’t get convicted. It’s unbelievable. . . . A considerable portion of society doesn’t feel the justice system works for them. What’s going on today in Los Angeles is a reaction of that. And because of that we’re all at risk. It all just makes your heart sick.”

Marcos Vargas, Executive director, El Concilio del Condado de Ventura “I believe the verdict itself was a travesty. And I do feel an element of shame about this verdict. But in hindsight I’m not surprised by the outcome because of the daily injustice and racism I see in this county. Just this morning Padres Unidos (of Camarillo) submitted several complaints about police abuses. If there is a positive side to this, it is that it will be a wake-up call to public officials that police abuse and racism are a very real part of our everyday life, and are growing. As a society we need to face these issues and address them directly.”

Dennis Gillette, Vice president, Cal Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks “I am an advocate of the system. I believe in it. And I believe that in the greater context the system works. I was surprised (at the verdicts). But I was not a juror sitting there for six weeks listening to every piece of information. I think that this jury could have come from different sections of Los Angeles. I have to believe that this jury was as sensitive to information as any jury. I’ve heard two jurors interviewed and I’ve listened to their personal reaffirmation even after reviewing the consequences. I believe 12 honest, objective people did the very best job they could.”

Judy Dahl, Pastor, Metropolitan Community Church in Ventura

“As a white woman, I have to be honest and say I am sickened by the ongoing pervasive racism in this country. My own internalized racism is something I struggle with day in and day out. And I just feel that the bottom line to this is racism. That one juror could come on TV and say that Rodney King orchestrated, was in complete control of every blow against him, I find that unconscionable. And unfortunately, I don’t think Ventura County is any different than any other county in this country. I think the Bush-Reagan Administration has dismantled the justice system in this country. There is no justice except for white men and people of privilege.”