Powell’s Retrial in Beating Case

Regarding the retrial of Powell: One of the key defense strategies in the King beating trial was to make the jurors empathize with the fears and pressures that officers face in a dangerous situation. But the failure of the prosecution was in not addressing this issue adequately. The prosecutor should have said the same thing that we heard so many times by white people about the looters after the rioting: “I understand, but I can’t condone.”

While we should all be mindful and respectful of the dangers that brave cops face daily on our behalf, in this case they went too far. The videotape shows that King may have resisted in the beginning, but by the end he lay helplessly as the blows rained down upon him.

We must understand the fears and pressures and peer group influences that affect our police. We must also understand the underlying social problems that drive hopeless, impoverished citizens into desperate acts of violence and looting. In both cases, it’s still a crime. “I understand, but I can’t condone.”

DOUGLAS DUNN, Oceanside