LA officials on hot spot in cop brutality case

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5th Annual Socialist Educational Conference Saturday, May 4, U. Mass., Boston, Downtown Campus Speaker: Roger Sheppard, National Committee, Socialist Action ¡uba and the 'New World Order': An Eyewitness Repor Speakers: Rev. Graylan Ellls-Hagler, Church of the United Community;

Pressure is mounting on the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law those cops responsible for the brutal March 3 beating of Black unemployed construction worker Rodney King.

King, a member of the Laborers International Union, continues to suffer from painful headaches and numbness on the right side of his face, where bones of his cheek and eye were fractured "like an eggshell," according to a plastic surgeon.

The vicious assault on King gained worldwide attention when a homemade videotape was played on television. The tape prevented the cops from covering up their crime.

The Coalition for Justice and an End to Police Brutality is calling for the removal of LAPD Police Chief Daryl Gates, prosecution and conviction of the 27 cops involvea in the assault on King, and the creation of an independent, publicly accountable commission to oversee the direction of the police department.

In response to this growing public campaign, Gates and the police department have tried to limit the damages. The Los Angeles Times has revealed that documents from the LAPD's Internal Affairs Division (IAD) call for the firing of four cops directly involved in the beating.

The four cops-Stacey Koon, Lawrence Powell, Timothy Wind, and Theodore Briseno-have all been indicted on felony charges. But despite the IAD recommendations, Gates says none of the attackers will be fired before a hearing is held.

Meanwhile, outrage against Gates and the cops continues to expand. Jesse Jackson led a protest of some 5000 people outside police headquarters on April 7.

move Gateism. We know the absence of Gates is not the presence of justice. The aberration wasn't the violence, it was the video camera. The beating of Rodney King exposed a national malady."

Another protest is set for May 11, with a rally at police headquarters at 2 p.m. The Kat teen (an/ oc aist: Liction slogans are: "Stop Police Brutality" and "Community Control of the Police." Sponsoring groups include the Rainbow Coalition, NAACP, American Civil Liberties Union, Brotherhood Crusade, and LA Coalition Against U.S. Intervention in the Middle East.

In other developments, a petition drive has been launched to recall Gates. Petition organizer Kerman Maddox, an instructor at Los Angeles Southwest Community College, Rev. Graylan Ellis-Hagler "it is a sin to let Flynn take all these votes out of the Black and Latino community." He envisions a campaign that "starts in the housing projects and on the street corners."

"Our campaign will turn this city upside down," Savina Martin told the meeting. "We're going beyond a campaign," she said. "We're reaching out for our survival. In this community, we're always underrepresented, misrepresented, slandered, and lynched. It's time to reclaim our streets and our neighborhood."

Martin highlighted the issues of inequality of education, lack of proper healthcare, infant says 63,000 signatures are needed to put the issue on the ballot.

Supporters of Gates have threatened to launch a petition drive of their own to recall LA Mayor Thomas Bradley, who also calls for Gates' resignation. While expressing solidarity with Gates, however, the Los Angeles Police Protective League's board of directors voted on April 17 not to join the effort to recall Bradley.

One reason is that the police are feeling heat from inside the department itself, where Black cops charge they receive racist abuse from fellow officers.

The community pressure is also great. "We feel a little picked on," said Capt. Bruce Mitchell, commander of the LAPD's North Hollywood Division, discussing the aftermath of the beating of King. "Everybody's treating us like an occupying army."

Because Gates has refused to resign, the city fathers are having a hard time sweeping the King beating under the rug. On April 4, the Police Commission placed Gates on a 60-day paid leave of absence. The next day, the LA city council instructed the city attorney to settle Gates's suit by placing him back on the job.

On April 8, Superior Court Judge Ronald Sohigian issued a temporary restraining order barring the Police Commission from placing Gates on leave. Afterwards, Bradley and Gates held a joint press conference saying they were united in achieving justice.

A cover up is clearly unfolding. Public protests demanding full prosecution and the resignation of Gates are the most effective ways to force the city goverment and cops to pay a price for their "normal" use of force against Blacks and other working people in the city of Los Angeles.

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Jackson was cheered when he said, "We must not just remove Gates, we must re-

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