Wary L.A. Braces Itself to Hear Denny Verdicts : Trial: Judge is expected to reveal nine decisions, rule on deadlocked counts. Agencies begin tentative mobilization.

Roused by the announcement of partial verdicts in the Reginald O. Denny beating trial, a wary and weary city braced itself Sunday for a crucial chapter in the tumultuous trial of two men accused of beating Denny and others at Florence and Normandie avenues.

Superior Court Judge John W. Ouderkirk is expected today to accept and make public nine of the verdicts reached by the jury in deliberations on 15 total charges against defendants Henry Keith Watson and Damian Monroe Williams, prosecutors and defense attorneys said.

In addition, Ouderkirk said that he will decide this morning whether to order the jury to continue working on six deadlocked counts or to conclude deliberations and declare a mistrial on the unresolved charges.

Ouderkirk’s impending announcements prompted law enforcement and emergency agencies to begin a tentative mobilization in case of unrest after the verdicts.

“You will see a heavy presence again,” as occurred last spring before verdicts were read in the Rodney G. King civil rights trial, Los Angeles Police Department Cmdr. David J. Gascon said. “Even though we’re not anticipating any problem, we’re going to be prepared for any eventuality.”

Los Angeles city and county officials said they intend to activate their emergency operations centers, typically used during severe natural disasters, this morning.

Mayor Richard Riordan scheduled a meeting with Police Chief Willie L. Williams this morning to discuss verdict plans.

“We’re prepared--very much prepared--for the verdicts to come out,” Riordan said, adding that he was expecting the verdicts to be announced around 10 a.m. The mayor would not say whether he plans to go on television again to address the city as he did immediately after the verdicts in the King civil rights trial.

The relatively low-key preparations--in contrast to the full-scale mobilization prior to the King verdicts--were matched by the calm on the streets after the judge’s announcement Saturday evening that the verdicts were imminent.

On 71st Street in South-Central Los Angeles, a block from the corner of Florence and Normandie, families strolled beneath a brilliant autumn sky.

“It will be good to see some closure brought to this whole thing,” said resident Mildred Daramola. “This has been hard on the neighborhood.”

Resident Ollie Whitmore, who spent the morning watering her lawn, said: “I’ve never in my life seen a trial like this. . . . I’m glad to see that it’s coming to an end.”

Since the Denny beating trial began 2 1/2 months ago, the case has carried a power beyond the criminal issues at hand.

The attack on Denny, seen by millions across America on television, has become a symbol for many people of the chaotic violence of last year’s riots, which claimed at least 53 lives and left thousands injured. Few perpetrators have been arrested and even fewer convicted.

For others, the trial has come to stand as yet another disturbing symbol of the inequities of the criminal justice system.

The potential life sentences faced by Williams and Watson, the judge’s dismissal of a black juror last week for “failing to deliberate,” and the longstanding defense contention that the defendants, both African-American, are scapegoats for the riots have created the perception that the system is hopelessly tainted.

At a community forum in the Crenshaw district Sunday, attended by more than 100 people, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) complained that the trial from the beginning “has been fraught with bizarre and inexplicable peculiarities.”

The dismissal of the juror “for ambiguous reasons, has called into question our simple and fundamental demand for fairness,” Waters said.

Williams’ attorney, Edi M.O. Faal, criticized Ouderkirk at the forum. “If there are any acquittals tomorrow, it’s not because the court has done the right thing. The court has done everything it could to bring about convictions.”

For a city that is laboring to free itself from the specter of last year’s upheaval, the approaching verdicts brought a sense of weariness.

South-Central Los Angeles resident Eleanor Smith said she has a desperate desire for the community to move beyond the riots and their aftermath.

“I look (at the trial on television) sometimes and sometimes I don’t want to look. It just hurts,” she said.

“It keeps people on edge a little too much. They just want to see it over with and get on with their lives,” said Kaffie Powell, the head of a community board that works with the Police Department.

Coralia Lopez, whose husband, Fidel, was among the beating victims at Florence and Normandie, said Sunday that the months of trial and 12 days of jury deliberations have been “very hard for the family.”

Her husband, she said, has faced verbal harassment from some people for his testimony in the trial. Now, the family fears violent retribution if the jury returns guilty verdicts against Williams and Watson.

“I feel very scared about this. Imagine if they go to jail,” said Coralia Lopez, who has three daughters ranging in age from 9 to 19.

As a result, her husband, who works in construction, spent Sunday looking for a new home in northern Los Angeles County, more remote from one of the riots’ flash points.

Denny, the best-known victim of the violence at Florence and Normandie, said through his attorney, Johnny Cochran, who is representing him in a lawsuit against the city, that he hoped the case could be resolved without a second trial on the counts that have stymied the jury.

“He’s more than made peace with himself and the events a long time ago,” Cochran said. “He’s interested in the community doing the same thing.”

The verdicts that have been reached by the jury cover five charges involving Williams and four involving Watson.

The Williams verdicts are: aggravated or simple mayhem in the Denny attack, robbery of Denny with great bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon on motorist Takao Hirata, assault with a deadly weapon on firefighter Terrance Manning and assault with a deadly weapon on firefighter Fred Mathis.

The deadlocked counts involving Williams are: the attempted murder of Denny, assaulting motorist Alicia Maldonado with a deadly weapon, robbing Hirata, assaulting Jorge Gonzalez and assaulting Fidel Lopez.

Defense attorneys were heartened Saturday that the jury was unable to reach a verdict regarding the most serious charge against Williams--the attempted murder of Denny, which carries a life sentence.

But the deadlock may be of little consolation because Williams could still face a life sentence if convicted of aggravated mayhem.

The verdicts reached involving Watson are: the attempted murder of Denny, robbery of Denny with great bodily harm, assault with a deadly weapon on Maldonado and robbery of truck driver Larry Tarvin with great bodily injury.

The jury is deadlocked on a single count concerning Watson: assault with a deadly weapon on Tarvin.

Although Ouderkirk has indicated that he will read the decided verdicts today, there is the possibility that he could change his mind.

Prosecution and defense attorneys are confident that the nine decided verdicts will be read because Ouderkirk said in court Saturday that he intends to “take” the decision from the jury. “Take” is a specific court term meaning that the judge will accept and read verdicts in open court.

“It is our understanding they are going to be announced tomorrow. Period,” Suzanne Childs, director of communications for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, said Sunday.

Times staff writers Richard Simon, Larry Gordon and Bettina Boxall contributed to this story.