LAPD Response Made No Sense, Block Says

The street fighting was all but over, but in post-riot Los Angeles Tuesday, new battles intensified as city leaders and law enforcement officials debated how the rioting was handled and how to repair its damage.

Speaking to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Sheriff Sherman Block lambasted the Los Angeles Police Department, saying its initial response to the riots “didn’t make any sense.” He also accused police officers of lending “an aura of legitimacy” to the looting by their failure to take quick action.

Amid angry rhetoric, meanwhile, a bitterly divided Los Angeles City Council postponed consideration of a proposal to spend $20 million to repair small businesses and housing destroyed in last week’s rioting.

In other major developments Tuesday:

* One day after promising $600 million in loans and cash grants to help rebuild the city, President Bush announced he would dispatch a federal investigative task force to help find and prosecute those who caused the damage. Local FBI officials confirmed that three experts in videotape enhancement were en route from Washington to Los Angeles, where they will review tapes of last week’s rioting with an eye toward identifying perpetrators, particularly those who committed “the most aggravated crimes.”

* For the first time since last Wednesday’s not guilty verdicts in the Rodney G. King beating case, protests moved over the mountains to the largely white community where the trial took place--Simi Valley. A “protest caravan” of about 150 people traveled to the East County Courthouse in Simi Valley, where they were greeted by residents. One suggested that the protesters “take the issue back to L.A. . . . It has nothing to do with Simi Valley.”

* As the Los Angeles County coroner’s office stepped up the search for bodies in the burned-out rubble, the death toll remained at 58 and the number of recorded injuries held firm at 2,383--227 of them critical. The arrest tally swelled to 14,103, further straining the capacity of crowded Los Angeles County jails. Property damage estimates also rose Tuesday, to $785 million.

* State Controller Gray Davis said the riots will add $100 million in red ink to the state budget. “The riots could not have happened at a worse time,” Davis said in a statement.

* Less than two hours before a scheduled release of thousands of inmates, Gov. Pete Wilson signed a bill to give Los Angeles courts more time to process riot-related cases. A National Guard plane carried the emergency measure to Wilson at Santa Monica Airport after legislators in Sacramento raced against time to pass it.

* A Los Angeles Times Poll found that all segments of the city’s population condemn the outcome of the beating case and the rioting that followed. The poll found that 71% of Los Angeles residents disagreed strongly with the verdicts, and that 75% believed that the violence afterward was “totally unjustified.”

* A 24-year-old South Los Angeles man accused of provoking the gunfire that killed his companion became the first person charged with a murder stemming from the riots. Levelle Frederick Williams was charged under the law that holds a person responsible for any death that occurs during commission of a crime. Williams--who authorities said was shooting at police officers when his companion died--has pleaded not guilty and was being held without bail.

* Reginald O. Denny, the trucker who was savagely beaten by rioters during initial outbursts of violence, remained in good condition. Three of his rescuers--Lei Yuille, Terri Barnett and Titus Murphy--were honored by the Los Angeles City Council, while another good Samaritan, Gregory Alan Williams, 35, was saluted for helping a Japanese-American man who was yanked from his car and beaten at Florence and Normandie avenues.

* National Guardsmen were involved in a shooting Tuesday night. An LAPD officer said the victim, a motorist, was not seriously injured in the 10 p.m. incident at St. Andrews Place and Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood. The man was fired on by two guardsmen after he struck and injured a Los Angeles police officer with his car, authorities said.

Pointing the Finger

In his sharpest criticism yet of the Los Angeles Police Department, Block described how he was watching television as violence broke out. As he kept his eyes fixed on the scene, he said, he expected that at “any second” he would see police arrive.

Block said had he realized that officers would not take action, he would have sent sheriff’s deputies from his department’s Firestone station to intervene.

“It’s my belief a show of force at that location at that time might not have stopped everything, but certainly would have had a significant impact,” Block said.

Since the riots have abated, he added, he has been amazed to read that there were 20 officers just a block away from Florence and Normandie avenues when the rioting started.

“That doesn’t make any sense at all,” he said.

A spokesman for Police Chief Daryl F. Gates said the chief would not respond to Block’s comments.

Block said that he believes Los Angeles police officers “gave an aura of legitimacy” to the looting when they stood by without taking action--an image that was captured in many televised news reports.

The sheriff noted that one looter told a television reporter: “If this was wrong, the officers would have stopped me.”

After Block’s statements, the supervisors voted 4 to 1, with Gloria Molina dissenting, to ask Wilson to establish a commission to investigate the response of law enforcement and the National Guard to the riot.

“There seems to have been a breakdown of law enforcement response,” Supervisor Ed Edelman told Block. “I’m not blaming you at all. I understand you were shocked at the lack of response.”

Supervisors also asked the county grand jury to investigate the police agencies’ slow response at the outset of the riots. They unanimously approved a proposal to establish an arson hot line, with $10,000 rewards for those reporting information leading to the arrest and conviction of arsonists.

“If we are to survive as a democratic society, we cannot countenance or endure arson as a form of expression or protest,” said Edelman. “The best way to ensure that we rid our society of these unthinking criminals is to have good people come forward and testify to the details of the crime in open court.”

The toll-free hot-line number is 1-800-244-2322. The rewards are offered for any arson fire set between last Wednesday and Monday.

A short distance away at City Hall, Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alatorre spoke out angrily against “petty” divisions that he said hindered the council’s ability to respond to the crisis.

After the council postponed consideration of a proposal to spend $20 million in Community Redevelopment Agency funds on riot-related reparations, Alatorre said, “it’s tragic to play politics on this issue, when people are trying to get their lives back together. For us to hold up money that could be used to help families and small businessmen is wrong, just wrong.”

“We’ve got to rise above these petty little things,” he added.

Davis Rogers, president of the Watts branch of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, agreed.

“I’m very disappointed. They should have acted,” he said. “When I’m drowning, I don’t want you to call someone else for help. I need you to throw me a rope immediately.”

But those who voted for the delay said the council needs to weigh a variety of demands for city services before moving ahead.

“To take something immediately, in an emotional context, without looking at other priorities within the devastated area and outside the devastated area would be irresponsible,” said Councilman Marvin Braude. “We need to look at priorities for the Police Department, the Fire Department and other city departments.

“We just can’t go ahead willy-nilly.”

Although all council members said they support rebuilding efforts, the CRA proposal became entangled in an ongoing dispute about how to close a city budget deficit projected at $183 million.

Alatorre said he will try to push the relief measure again today. To do so, he would need eight council members to declare an emergency.

Some council members said the divisive city budget considerations should be put aside while the city takes initial steps to rebuild.

“With the brutal bickering going on and the demagoguery, I think we need to delay the budget debate for a couple of weeks,” Ridley-Thomas said.

Tipsters and Repentant Thieves

Police stations continued to be overwhelmed by tipsters who called to report neighbors whose living rooms and garages were stacked high with stolen goods. In the LAPD’s Newton Division, where truckloads of recovered mattresses, stereos, dressers and carpeting crowded the parking lot to capacity, Capt. Dennis Conte said it seemed that a “sense of guilt has taken over the feeding frenzy.”

Officials were unable to provide specifics on the quantity of goods that they had recovered, but a police spokesman reported one station was “two to three feet deep in retrieved items.”

So far, raids throughout the region have netted televisions, electronic equipment, clothes, groceries, car tires, a complete bedroom set and just about “anything you can buy in a store,” said LAPD spokesman John Dunkin.

“I think the good people of the community realize what has taken place and that this was just blatant lawlessness,” he said.

At the Roman Catholic archdiocese, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony’s amnesty program--which promised no repercussions for looters who return what they stole to their local parish--had similar success. While adults turned in furniture and clothing, a child with a guilty conscience handed over a stolen candy bar.

“We hope the program will help people realize that stealing someone else’s property is wrong, and by returning these goods, they will achieve wholeness and help the community to heal,” said Father Gregory Coiro, a spokesman for the archdiocese who was unable to state the value of the items collected thus far.

Authorities in Long Beach--where a curfew was lifted at midday--set up a special phone line for those wishing to return items with no questions asked. They recovered bicycles, guitars and hundreds of other items.

Los Angeles police reported no major riot-related violence as more than 7,000 soldiers and law enforcement officers continued to guard several sections of the city.

At about 2 a.m. Tuesday, four juveniles opened fire on a group of National Guard members stationed at 59th Street and Vermont Avenue. No one was hit, but the juveniles were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

Watch commanders at stations in some of the hardest-hit areas reported lighter-than-normal emergency calls, with residents reporting mostly minor looting incidents.

Police detectives and arson investigators have largely been relieved of emergency patrol duties to begin the daunting task of handling thousands of cases. For detectives, the highest priority has been given to riot-related violence involving homicide or assault.

Detective Guy Bourgeois of the 77th Street Division spent most of Tuesday surveying hospitals to locate assault victims and had interviewed three people.

“These people didn’t make police reports,” Bourgeois said. “They said they would have a lot of difficulty making identification because they got swarmed by so many people.”

At the Southeast Division, which includes much of Watts, Lt. Mike Melton said detectives were swamped with tips on looters and assault suspects and have filed 96 felony cases with the district attorney’s office.

Lt. Bruce Hagerty said that police are conducting “a very, very aggressive investigation” to identify the rioters who kicked and bashed a fire extinguisher over the head of trucker Denny, nearly killing him. The attack was captured by television crews and broadcast nationally, becoming a symbol of the racial violence that ripped through the city.

“We have a ton of clues from people who have called and a ton of information,” Hagerty said. “That’s why I’m absolutely certain we are going to clear this case.”

Police also identified the man who was shot and killed by national guard members Sunday. The man, Victor Rivas, 31, of Los Angeles was shot after he allegedly refused to stop his car at a barricade and tried several times to run a guardsman down. National Guard and other military officials said they have been told that no charges are likely to be filed against the soldiers.

Los Angeles Fire Department arson investigators will be dispatched in teams today to begin surveying what remains of fire-gutted buildings. Their first priority will be structures where there were deaths or injuries.

Ripple Effect

The impact of the riot was further felt in the political arena. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, fearful of further straining tensions, withheld its backing of a redistricting plan that would strip downtown from Councilwoman Walters, who is black, and place it in the district of Councilman Alatorre, who is Latino.

The map was submitted to the City Council on Tuesday by a coalition of Latino groups. MALDEF Vice President Arturo Vargas said his group may still support the coalition proposal, but he added: “It is a different city today than it was a week ago when we had one strategy. We’ve had lots of dialogue with Asians and blacks. . . . There was genuine hope of reaching a consensus. I don’t think we should abandon that hope.”

Another source of hope came when David Kearns, the Bush Administration’s point-man on the riots, met with the city’s rebuilding czar, Peter V. Ueberroth, and promised to pursue a “one-stop shopping” plan to streamline federal relief to local merchants and residents.

“We’re here to be responsive to what you all are doing,” Kearns, a deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, said at a Tuesday news conference with Mayor Tom Bradley.

Relief Efforts Continue

The day had begun with rainstorms. As Los Angeles awoke from its first night without a curfew, the showers were a comforting sign that the city’s ravaged streets might get a much-needed cleansing.

Teams of Red Cross volunteers continued their efforts to assess the damage, fanning out across the city in search of homeless and needy families who may need housing.

“We’re not winding down at all,” Peggy McGinley, the relief agency’s spokeswoman, said Tuesday. “It may be the opposite.”

In the heart of South-Central, hundreds of people, including many families with small children, lined up outside the African-American Community Unity Center. The agency, at Vermont Avenue and 53rd Street, started providing emergency food and clothing to the needy on Friday.

“Senior citizens and pregnant ladies first!” called out Angel Ganivet as a queue of people lined up next to a Ralphs truck loaded with groceries.

Rev. Timothy Green, 79, leaned on his cane as he waited his turn to pick up a bag of groceries.

“I came for food, because the Home Savings burned up,” he said.

Alan Flagg, a 41-year-old volunteer, said the long lines for provisions should make it obvious that the vast majority of people are innocent victims of the mayhem.

“You want to talk about looting? The guys in the S&Ls; were the biggest looters in the history of this country,” Flagg said angrily. “Let America look at that. And how many of those guys were black?”

Even on the relief line, tempers sometimes flared. Two relief volunteers who had gotten into an argument were on the verge of blows when a third voice rose above the noise. “I want everybody’s attention!” a man said. “Everybody’s attention! Does everybody want to see these guys fight?”

Nobody did. And the two men went their separate ways.

Over the Mountain

Leaders of the motor caravan that arrived in Simi Valley on Tuesday morning were determined to be heard. Speaking over a portable public address system on the courthouse steps, they denounced racism and called for the rebuilding of riot-torn sections of Los Angeles.

But on the edges of the crowd, several shouting matches erupted between the demonstrators and Simi Valley residents.

Some onlookers defended the not guilty verdicts, while others argued that their city was being unfairly blamed for the trial’s outcome and the riots it ignited.

“We have housewives here who are petrified that you’re going to burn our community down,” Suzanne Heffernan, 32, of Simi Valley, told the protesters. “Why don’t you take the issue back to L.A.? It has nothing to do with Simi Valley.”

One of the rally’s leaders, Phill Wilson of the Black, Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum, said he thought the local critics had missed the point.

“Quite frankly, that’s a challenge that white people often have when people of color talk about the pain we’re experiencing. People of color say: ‘I’m in pain,’ and white people say, ‘I didn’t hit you.’ . . . It’s the same thing here.”

The protesters, who included black community leaders and members of ACT UP/Los Angeles, Colors United, Queer Nation, the Gay and Lesbian Center in West Hollywood and the Black Men’s Exchange, demonstrated outside the Federal Building in Westwood on Tuesday morning before driving together to the courthouse.

In Simi Valley, the protesters chanted, “No Justice! No Peace!” and one held a sign saying, “Simi Valley--Death Valley.”

That angered Ed Oswald, 30, a Simi Valley resident who told protesters he resented their message: “You can’t blame Simi Valley. You can’t blame all white people. You don’t know me. I’m white and I’m not prejudiced.”

Despite the spontaneous and heated debates, the rally remained peaceful--in part because the protesters had designated some of their own members as security officers to help maintain order.

Simi Valley police said they were prepared for any outbreak of violence. While the rally was under way, officers in riot helmets and bulletproof vests took up positions in the courthouse and on the roof.

But most officers remained out of sight, and no arrests were made. After about an hour, the rally participants returned to their cars, flipped on their headlights as a sign of solidarity and drove back to Los Angeles.

This report was written by Times staff writer Amy Wallace

Also contributing to today’s coverage were Laurie Becklund, Leslie Berger, Edward J. Boyer, Stephen Braun, Ashley Dunn, David Ferrell, Andrea Ford, Paul Dean, Lee Harris, Carlos Lozano, Penelope McMillan, Patt Morrison, Frederick M. Muir, Lisa R. Omphroy, Mark Platte, Amy Pyle, James Rainey, Carla Rivera, John Schwada, Doug Shuit, Richard Simon, Phil Sneiderman, Henry Weinstein and Jim Herron Zamora.

The Toll

As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, authorities reported the following:

Deaths: 58

Injuries: 2,383, including 227 critical. Among the injured are 10 firefighters and 71 law enforcement officers.

Fires: 5,383 structure fire calls.

Arrests: 14,103 including 2,628 felonies.

Damage estimate: $785 million, including Long Beach; 5,273 buildings damaged or destroyed, including at least 1,600 severely damaged or burned businesses; 3,100 businesses affected by rioting or looting.