LAPD Attacks Prompt Investigation, Shakeup, Public Hearings

^{Background: LAPD Attacks Protesters, Reporters, Cameras}

LAPD Chief William Bratton. Image courtesy of the U.S. Senate.

So far, LAPD Chief William Bratton has responded in a meaningful and vigilant way to last week's MacArthur Park incident. Here's a brief recap:

• On May 1st, protesters gathered in MacArthur Park to protest harsh U.S. immigration policies. They had a permit to protest until 9pm. Shortly before 7pm, officers demanded that protesters vacate the park, then attacked remaining protesters with batons and foam bullets. Journalists who attempted to cover the event were beaten, and several officers made an attempt to destroy cameras that journalists had used to videotape the beatings.
• Original reports stated that ten civilians were hospitalized as a result of the beatings. As the LAPD investigation has progressed, it appears that the officers had injured 24 civilians during the attacks--and ten of the 24 civilians were local journalists.
• There have been sixty civilian complaints filed against officers in connection with the MacArthur Park beatings.
• Deputy Chief Cayler "Lee" Carter, who was responsible for the LAPD's Central Division and had organized the LAPD response to the MacArthur Park protest, has been demoted and reassigned.

Even before the MacArthur Park incident, Carter was a divisive and problematic figure. In February, 31-year-old Mauricio Cornejo, a resident of the Ramona Gardens Housing Project, died suspiciously while in police custody. Witnesses said that officers had beaten Cornejo while he was handcuffed. Officers admitted to beating Cornejo with batons, but denied that he was handcuffed at the time. One witness produced footage of the beating in an attempt to disprove the officers' account, but the footage was recorded on a cell phone camera and too grainy to be of use.

The Cornejo situation alone would have been enough to raise eyebrows, and it did technically happen under Carter's jurisdiction, but the actual death of Cornejo wasn't what earned Carter notoriety. What earned Carter notoriety was what happened several days after Cornejo's death, when other residents of Ramona Gardens held a car wash outside the housing project in an effort to help Cornejo's family pay funeral expenses. In a bizarre move, Carter ordered dozens of police officers to the scene. Armored in full riot gear and carrying shotguns and batons, the officers put an end to the fundraiser.

Carter has been replaced by Sergio Diaz, a 30-year LAPD veteran and strong advocate for healthy community-police relations. Investigations into the officers' conduct continue. A preliminary report will be issued on May 30th.

Read more:

• LAPD Shake-up Continues; Melee's Toll Grows (Los Angeles Times)
• Bratton Announces Sergio Diaz as Central Division Replacement (Witness L.A.)