Bernard Parks Responds to Our Coliseum Story -- Plus, Los Lobos

Concerning the objection by L.A. City Councilman Bernard Parks to L.A. Weekly writer Gene Maddaus' artiicle: L.A. Coliseum Fallout Continues ---

Parks writes, "It's been said that facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. Someone should tell that to Gene Maddaus....."

and

"Throughout the article, when Maddaus wasn't picking and choosing the facts as he pleased, he was making baseless statements....."

maybe someone needs to remind Mr. Parks that facts are not borne into existence simply because he imagines them and desperately needs to use them as props in defending the excessive actions of the organization of which he is the top manager.

Mr. Parks is somewhat of an expert in the area of picking and choosing facts. Actually Mr. Parks has demonstrated experience in exaggeration, mischaracterization, distortion and blatant outright and total fabrication.

Mr. Parks placed his skills on view when he was Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. He authored the article which was printed in the Los Angeles Times August 16, 2000 titled: 

                         Commentary: Protecting the Lives -- and Rights -- of All

As Chief of the LAPD, Bernard Parks tendered this article to the people of Los Angeles via the L.A. Times. This was Chief Parks response to the criticism earned by his department for their behavior on the first night of the Democratic Party National Convention held at the Staples Center in August 2000.

Chief Parks offered a version of events and a justification for his departments actions that night which also preserved for the records an example of his talent for the tactics of misleading, simple lying, complex lying and detailed compound complex lying.

You claim that the crowd had been whipped into a frenzy by the "pro-violence" rock group Rage Against the Machine. Mr. Parks - Rage Against the Machine had concluded their performance for quite some time and the attendees were enjoying the performance of Ozomatli when the bands P.A. was abruptly cut off and an LAPD Lt. made the announcement which served as the only warning the LAPD tactical alert ensemble would begin their pro-violence tour-de-force.

You describe a scenario where your officers had restrained themselves for over an hour prior to LAPD Lt. announcement, an hour that your men endured as the targets of rocks, concrete blocks and water bottles.

Mr. Parks - were you even at the Staples Center that evening? Because nobody was throwing rocks or concrete blocks at your officers or anyone else. There were a few instances in which individuals attempted to lob a water bottle up and over the 12-16 ft, high chain link fence which had been erected as part of the street barricades. Anybody on the other side of the fence could easily step aside and avoid a water bottle falling from above.

Mr. Parks - I don't think you were even there during the time you describe. But if the rock and concrete block assault had occurred - then its the job of your officers to arrest the perpetrators and present them to the City Attorney or the District Attorney for prosecution.

I know its been twelve years since, but you are the former Chief of the LAPD and current member of the L.A. City Council - I'm sure you can get quick action on a request to pull up files on arrests and bookings for the rock and block throwing which you claim was committed prior to the unleashing of your depts helmeted firing lines and mounted centurions.

In your L.A. Times Commentary, Mr. Parks - you describe the plight of your officers surrounded as they gaze over a horizon of fires lit and burning all around them. Your  story was several lights years of hyperbole removed from the reality of that evening.

There were two or possibly three fires burning. Maybe they were intentionally lit, but we have no evidence to draw that conclusion. Because the fires were contained to metal rubbish containers and may have been caused by the disposal of a cigarette not properly extinguished.

The proper response to rubbish which is burning in a rubbish can would be to escort a member of the fire department to the location so that a fire extinguisher can be directed to it - not to order the expenditure of several modes of non-lethal projectile without warning at peaceful and compliant citizens. That response is completely unwarranted and dangerous - the ensuing panic can result in injury and even death.

You really pulled out the stopper on the septic tank to fill your your piece describing the first night of the 2000 DNC Convention at Staples. You went low, very low. So low that you attempted to gather undeserved sympathy for your department with an account of police horses being intentionally struck and injured as the target of slingshots.

Mr. Parks, I am ready to make a charitable donation of $10,000 to the non-profit organization which your wife serves as vice-president upon your presentation of evidence that any of your horses were injured by slingshot.

The nature of projectile fired by slingshot requires a straight and unobstructed pathway to the target. Which means that nobody and nothing stands between the person firing the slingshot and the target which is struck. Offering the most favorable circumstances for viewing, identifying and arresting the slingshotter. All you need to do is produce one slingshotter, Mr. Parks, and your wife's favorite non-profit is the beneficiary.

I confess that I don't have the knowledge of the details about the Coliseum Commission Controversy required to make an informed comparison between The L.A. Weekly article and Mr. Parks response.

However, the credibility and reputation for honesty of  the writer is always a legitimate factor for consideration in evaluating the factuality of anything which he offers.

I consider myself somewhat of an amateur expert  on the events which occurred outside of Staples Center immedeately prior and subsequent to the announcement of an unlawful assembly issued by LAPD Lt. so-and-so (yes, the recollection of his name escapes my vivid memory of the events which followed).

Mr. Parks sacrificed his credibility and reputation for accuracy in his attempt at making a case for the LAPD's notorious actions that August night in 2000.

Mr. Parks deserves respect for all of his upstanding and ethical actions as a member of the LAPD and his tenure as Chief, as well as the good conduct which can be found in his time serving on the City Council. He still has the opportunity to redeem himself from the canard which he offered us 12 years ago. An honest revision of his L.A. Times Commentary could lift his reputation from the trough where it floats among the rest of the politicians on the City Council.

The fact is, that twelve years following the LAPD's merciless non-lethal assault against peaceful citizens gathered to attend a planned and permitted event held on their public street and their public sidewalk, Chief Parks attempt at creating a myth to justify the excessive actions of his department  remains the most insulting and offensive piece I have ever read on the subject.

I can't say what was the reason behind the LAPD action of that night. Mr. Parks is much closer to knowing the real cause than I will ever be, but it certainly was not in response or in relation to any action of  members of the public who were gathered there.

It truly appeared to have been planned, rehearsed and predetermined. It followed its own strict timeline unrelated to any provacation from the public. The only reason that I can conjecture is that the city fathers and convention organizers and the LAPD wished to reclaim their superiority and set the dominant tone for the duration of the convention.

 The DNC convention planners and hosts had fought long and hard to establish and enforce an administrative buffer zone around Staples Center where the convention delegates were ensured to be free of any irritation caused by the exercise of free speech. The courts were not ruling favorably on the need for the exclusion zone, instead the court carved out an area designated specifically for the exercise of assembly and free speech. The court placed the designated zone right where the public sidewalk meets the property line of the Staples Center parcel.

Inside of Staples Center the delegates were closing the evening with a performance by their rock star - outgoing President Bill Clinton. Outside of Staples, the kids gathered on Figueroa were treated to a complimentary performance by their rock stars Rage Against the Machine, followed by Ozomatli.

The actions of the LAPD were perfectly timed to prevent any interaction between those two audiences. The delegates could emerge from Staples pumped-up on Bill Clinton induced euphoria and emerge into a glistening and quiet downtown L.A. Summer night. The delegates could make their way to the hundreds of livery town cars and limousines which packed the lots around Staples awaiting them. They were guests booked into their own private resort, their own private island. The LAPD tactics had captured the public outside the arena like rats, had sent them stumbling and rushing into and through the obstacle course of structures and barricades. And a final barrage of non-lethal flushed the last remnants of a stunned public west on Olympic Blvd. below the overpass and out of sight onto the other side of the 110 harbor freeway - just as the delegates emerged into their magical silent night.

I will leave the story about the 45-60 minutes between the first round of non-lethal and the last for some other time, but I think you need to know something Mr. Parks. Maybe even more important than the correction of your story which is needed, would be your consideration to offer us an apology.

Because it was not some or even a few miscreants among the crowd whose behavior forced the heavy hand of  your department to react with military manuevers.

Your supervisors at the scene had their own game plan. Their troops had been whipped-up by their own coaches in their locker room. By the time they were set loose, some of them were in a visibly trance-like state. And your supervisors don't play fair. The mostly obedient members of the public are rewarded with a booby prize.

Lt. so-and-so commandeered the P.A. from Ozomatli. He declared an unlawful assembly. He declared 15 minutes were allowed before we would be subject to arrest.

He also recommended  following a group of drummers as the preferred route to exit the unlawful zone. I don't cotton well to following an unlawful declaration of an unlawful assembly. I stayed put and meandered around near the stage as the bulk of the crowd followed orders and were led north on Figueroa toward the intersection with Olympic Blvd..

Mr. Parks, I believe that you should know, and anyone interested in our history in Los Angeles involving the LAPD and certain planned and permitted assembly of citizens should know that:

1. we didn't get the 15 minutes your Lt. spoke about 

2. your officers had very little interest in making arrests that night

3. the crowd who had followed instructions on the proper course for exit became the target of your first line of non-lethal to swing out and open fire.