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Police Misconduct
"I’m always a little worried that a cop giving me a sideways glance might decide that I look like a young terrorist who needs to be put away."
By Luis Sierra
Members of the civilian Police Commission on Tuesday pressured officials at the Los Angeles Police Department to recommend discipline for officers who were videotaped hitting journalists and demonstrators at the May Day protests earlier this year. Youth Radio’s Luis Sierra remembers that day vividly and gives his analysis of police misconduct.
I noticed a clear distinction between the way the Los Angeles Police Department handled the two rallies. When demonstrators arrived at Macarthur Park, they were greeted by large numbers of officers in riot gear, whereas LAPD officers at the downtown rally wore regular uniforms. Macarthur Park is located in a working class Latino neighborhood, and the rally there was the only one catering to young people. It was scheduled during after school hours, organizers recruited heavily from South LA and South East LA high schools, and even the march to the park was strategically located to maximize student involvement.
Many youth of color find plain clothes police officers unsettling. Too many of us are used to being harassed by the cops because we’re guilty of being Latino, Black, or young. But for young people at the Macarthur Park rally, the riot ready cops were downright scary – it was like they were expecting a fight.
I can’t say that I was surprised by LAPD’s overreaction to a small number of rowdy kids throwing plastic water bottles and rocks – the organization has a long history of over-reacting to youth of color. When former Police Chief Daryl Gates announced a war on gangs, he promised to “take the little terrorists off the street.” And less than a decade later, it was discovered that the Rampart Division was doing this by any means necessary, including perjury, intimidation, and falsifying evidence.
This kind of renegade policing makes it difficult for youth of color like me to trust the police in this town. I’m always a little worried that a cop giving me a sideways glance might decide that I look like a young terrorist who needs to be put away.
Since I shaved my head, LAPD officers have pulled me over twice in the last three months. When I asked the cops why they stopped me, both times they told me that they wanted to insure that my paperwork was valid.
There isn’t any question in my mind why the Macarthur Park demonstration ended in violence – police in this city don’t trust minority youth. If it was a rally full of white youth at a park in West LA, I absolutely believe that the police would have reacted differently.
I recently read that the LAPD will put a high-definition video camera on helicopters and tape any major incidents starting next month.
And you know what I say to this is: What a joke, all this will do is give the police another angle on an issue they still aren’t addressing. Equality. Immigrants, and youth just don’t have rights, and some officers abuse their powers. Capturing it on department-owned, tax-payer paid-for video doesn’t mean change.
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