COMPTON : County Offers Community Mediator to Calm Tension
Seeking to calm reaction to the videotaped beating in Compton of a 17-year-old Latino youth by a black policeman, Los Angeles County officials are offering the assistance of the county ombudsman and Human Relations Commission to serve as “nonpartisan” mediators.
The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to offer the services for 90 days, to promote “community dialogue and understanding, neighborhood peace and racial harmony.”
“The level of emotion being experienced in Compton and the questions being raised about the long-term impact of this incident should be addressed in a sensitive and forthright manner,” said Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, who, with Supervisor Gloria Molina, sponsored the motion. “We do not need more divisiveness and ethnic tensions in L.A. County.”
The July 29 incident focused attention on festering racial tensions in a city that is largely governed by black officials but whose population is increasingly Latino.
Latino leaders have compared the incident to the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney G. King by white police officers. Protesters have gathered outside Compton City Hall, demanding apologies from the mayor and the resignation of the police chief.
No Compton officials could be reached to comment on the county’s offer.
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