DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES : Protesters Call for LAPD Reinstatement of Parks
Several dozen protesters demonstrated outside Los Angeles police headquarters Tuesday, calling for the reinstatement of Assistant Chief Bernard C. Parks to the No. 2 spot in the LAPD, a job that Chief Willie L. Williams has moved to strip from his top aide.
“We feel that management has done an injustice,” said Herbert Andrew, one of those who gathered outside the headquarters carrying signs saying “Parks: We Support You.”
Several of the demonstrators angrily denounced Williams, who said last week he was demoting Parks and restructuring his management team to propel the department toward change. Since then, the demotion and the restructuring have stirred the most contentious political debate of Williams’ tenure.
The demonstrators had hoped to address the Police Commission, but that group’s weekly meeting was canceled because commissioners could not muster a quorum. Meanwhile, Parks was granted a 30-day extension of a deadline to decide whether to accept a demotion or a deal under which he would be allowed to retire at his current rank in February, when he will mark his 30th year with the LAPD.
In return for being allowed to retire at his highest rank and pay, Parks would have to agree not to sue the city, the mayor or Chief Williams.
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