Detroit May Day, 2007 speakers' stage in Clark Park on the southwest side of the city. PANW editor, Abayomi Azikiwe, is standing fifth from the left on the stage.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos.
FBI Announces Inquiry Into Violence at Immigration Rally
By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ
AP
LOS ANGELES (May 4) - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa cut short a trade mission to Mexico to deal with fallout from his Police Department's use of batons and more than 200 rounds of rubber bullets to clear out a park where immigration rights activists were holding a rally.
"I think it is necessary to make sure people know everything is in order and we will conduct a thorough and transparent investigation," the mayor said late Thursday in Mexico. He was expected back in Los Angeles at midafternoon Friday for a news conference to talk about the incident, which is the focus of four investigations, including one by the FBI.
No one was seriously hurt, but images of officers swinging batons and knocking people to the ground have been played repeatedly on cable TV newscasts, increasing the pressure on Villaraigosa to return.
Criticism of Tuesday's police action at MacArthur Park grew Friday along with potential legal and political consequences arising from scenes of rally-goers and journalists being struck by officers.
KTTV television news camerawoman Patti Ballaz filed a claim for unspecified damages against the city and Police Department. Kathy Pinckert, a spokeswoman for Ballaz's attorneys, said the claim alleges civil rights violations but the nature of Ballaz's actual injuries were not yet clear.
Ballaz suffered a fractured wrist and injuries to her ankle and was hit in the breast with a police baton, Pinckert said. Ballaz was also suffering from insomnia and mental and emotional distress, Pinckert said.
There was no official count of how many reporters were struck by police. Local media groups said they would meet this weekend to determine how to proceed.
State legislators, immigration activists and others gathered Friday at MacArthur Park to denounce police conduct.
"There are no excuses, a simple apology is not going to suffice," said state Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. "To say we are outraged is an understatement. We want those responsible in the highest levels of the LAPD to pay consequences."
Nunez said the department's handling of the rally should be considered in determining whether Chief William Bratton should be given another five-year contract.
"I don't think you heard anybody say Chief Bratton is immune to any of this," Nunez said.
Bratton has expressed "grave concern" about what happened and promised a full investigation. He has said the use of force began while officers were dealing with 50 to 100 "agitators" and that objects were thrown at officers.
Victor Narro, an attorney with the National Lawyers Guild who helped organize Tuesday's event, said police had promised to keep him abreast of any potential trouble but his liaison, a police captain, was unreachable.
The guild is reviewing videotape and determining whether to sue the Police Department. He noted that in one tape he saw police fire a rubber round at a boy who appeared to be 10 and "toss him aside like a piece of meat."
John Mack, president of the Police Commission, the civilian overseers of the Police Department, told reporters the clash was "a terrible breakdown" and the panel wants to get to the bottom of who was in charge at the time.
"We have a responsibility to protect individuals while they're expressing themselves," Mack said.
The MacArthur Park melee occurred with the mayor away on a city mission to Central America. Villaraigosa was in El Salvador at the time and continued the trip after video and photos of the incident began to show its scope. His staff said he was in constant contact with police and other officials.
"I was very disturbed by what I saw," Villaraigosa told reporters in Mexico City, where he arrived Thursday.
Also on Thursday, the FBI said it will open a preliminary inquiry to determine "whether the civil rights of protesters taking part in the May 1st immigration rally were violated."
The FBI probe is the fourth official investigation of the incident. The Police Department opened two investigations, one to create an "after-action report" that evaluates planning and operations, and another by internal affairs to probe complaints against officers.
An independent review also has been undertaken by the investigative arm of the Police Commission, a five-member board of mayoral appointees that sets policy for the Police Department.
Bratton said he hoped a federal review would show the department has nothing to hide while dispelling any claims that police targeted immigrants or immigrant rights activists.
Associated Press Writers Julie Watson in Mexico City and Andrew Glazer in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Mexican American Political Association
Greetings!
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LOS ANGELES MAY DAY MARCH DISRUPTED BY POLICE
Below is our letter to the Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and President of the Police Commission, John Mack, which demands an immediate investigation into the events of May 1, 2007 in Los Angeles.
We call on all organizations to unite around the demand to investigate the police brutality and abuse heaped on innocent men, women, and children - the only violence yet recorded in the hundreds of marches during 2006 and 2007 in favor of the rights of immigrants.
Please use this letter as a basis to send your own, either individual or organizational.
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May 2, 2007
Chief William Bratton
Los Angeles Police Department
150 N. Los Angeles Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Dear Chief Bratton:
On behalf of the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA) and the Hermandad Mexicana Latinoamericana, and the tens of thousands of our members in the city of Los Angeles, I would like to convey my emphatic protest at the behavior and performance of the LAPD on the evening of May 1, 2007 at MacArthur Park, the site of the MIWON- sponsored MAY DAY event.
Thousands of my organization's members attended and were literally shocked at the excessive use of force and over-reaction by officers of the department.
We call upon you to conduct a thorough, exacting, and transparent investigation into the events of May 1st. Additionally, we call for you to certainly conduct your internal investigation, but that you also conduct open public hearings and allow persons from the public to provide oral and written testimony.
I am aware that a relatively small group of individuals sought to disrupt the event, as they did on May 1, 2006, however, the LAPD's tactics on this occasion were not targeted at this particular group alone, were excessive in the use of force, were generalized to all rally attendees in that general vicinity, and harmed women and children, innocent attendees, and members of the news media.
The tactics employed by the department on May 1, 2006, for example, were more appropriate, measured, and intelligent, targeted to isolate the disrupters, and did not snarl other attendees in their sweep.
It is my best hope that we can better coordinate our security efforts in the future to avoid any repetition of such incidents as it is our plan to continue to organize similar marches.
We await your response to our request for a public investigation where in the public will have an opportunity to present their views.
Sincerely,
Nativo V. Lopez
National President
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May 2, 2007
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Office of the Mayor
200 North Spring Street, Room 303
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Honorable Mayor Villaraigosa:
On behalf of the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA) and the Hermandad Mexicana Latinoamericana, and the tens of thousands of our members in the city of Los Angeles, I would like to convey my emphatic protest at the behavior and performance of the LAPD on the evening of May 1, 2007 at MacArthur Park, the site of the MIWON- sponsored MAY DAY event.
Thousands of my organization's members attended and were literally shocked at the excessive use of force and over-reaction by officers of the department.
I call upon you to conduct a thorough, transparent, and public investigation into the events of May 1, 2007.
The behavior of the LAPD officers was over-the-top in their reaction to a relatively small group of rally disrupters, especially in the generalized use of excessive force without prior loud-speaker notice to disperse.
The marches and rallies that we have organized, either solely or in conjunction with other organizations, have been characterized by their peaceful, festive, and cooperative comportment. This has been repeatedly described by the media. Never before have millions of individuals repeatedly taken to the streets and protested in the United States without incidents of disruption, property damage, violence, or even litter.
We have every intention to not only continue our organizing activities throughout the city, including marches, rallies, pickets, sit-ins, etc., but also we have every intention to strengthen our cooperation with the LAPD to prevent any repetition of the incidents that tarnished our mutual record.
I look forward to working with your office to assure an expeditious investigation, a full public airing of the corrective recommendations, and the implementation of the same.
I am available to meet with you at your convenience. I can be reached at (323) 269-1575.
Sincerely,
Nativo V. Lopez
National President
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Join us in this prolonged campaign for driver's licenses and visas for our families. The first step in making change is to join an organization that pursues the change we desire. We welcome you to our ranks.
Other organizations leading this movement include: Hermandad Mexicana Latinoamericana, Mexican American Political Association (MAPA), MAPA Youth Leadership, Liberty and Justice for Immigrants Movement, National Alliance for Immigrant's Rights, and immigrant's rights coalitions throughout the U.S..
CONTACT:
Nativo V. Lopez, National President of MAPA (323) 269-1575
Sincerely,
Mexican American Political Association
email: newsletter@mapa-ca.org
phone: 323-269-1575
web: http://www.mapa.org
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