Black Caucus Urges Appeal of King Sentences

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and 24 other members of the Congressional Black Caucus have written to Atty. Gen. Janet Reno requesting that she appeal the sentences handed down by U.S. District Judge John G. Davies last week to two LAPD officers in the Rodney G. King civil rights case.

The 2 1/2-year sentences--significantly less than prosecutors had requested--have been criticized by African-American and other community leaders as far too lenient.

Sgt. Stacey C. Koon and Officer Laurence M. Powell, convicted of civil rights violations in the 1991 beating of King during an arrest for speeding, could have received maximum sentences of 10 years. Instead, Davies, blaming King for provoking the incident by initially refusing to submit to the officers’ orders, handed down low-end sentences and no fines.

In their letter to Reno, dated Aug. 6 but not released publicly until Thursday, caucus members said Davies did not adequately consider the message the sentence would send concerning proper conduct for law enforcement officers.

“Are police officers going to be held responsible for excessive use of force or not?” they asked in the letter. “We think what has been lost, in all this, is that police officers have an enhanced responsibility to uphold the law.”

Meanwhile, Reno, who has 30 days to make a decision, received a preliminary report from prosecutors in the case Thursday on whether she should file an appeal. Justice Department spokeswoman Julie Anbender refused comment on the contents of the report.

Prosecutors had requested that Davies sentence Powell to seven to nine years in prison and Koon to nine to 10.