Letters between Brestoff & Independent Commission, 1991-05, re excessive force |
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Warren Cluistopber
OWll
John A. Arguelles
V1CI! OIA.llt
MEMBERS
Roy A. Anderson
Willie R. Baroes
Prof. Leo F. Estrada
Mickey Kantor
Richard M. Mosk
I .
INDEPENDENT COMMISSION
ON THE Los ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT
May 15, 1991
John W. Spiegel
OENE.RAL COUNSEL
DEPVTY GENERAL COUNSEL
Percy Anderson
Ri chard E. Drooyan
Gary A. Fccss
Raymond C. F isher
Ernest J. Getto
Lawrence B. Gotlieb
Thomas E. Holliday
Andrea Sheridan Ord.in
John Brooks Slaughter
Robert E. Tranquada. MD.
Barbara J. Kelley
Louise A. LaMotbe
Yolanda Orozco
Dennis M. Pcrluss
Gilbert T. Ray
EXECUT1VB DUU:CTOR
Prof. Bryce Nelson
DIRECTOR POR PR£SS
INFQRMATION
Nelson E . Brestoff, Esq.
24975 Eldorado Meadow Road
Hidden Hills, California 91032
Dear Mr. Brestoff:
John B. Sherrell
Brian A. Sun
On behalf of Warren Christopher and the Independent
Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, I am writing
to thank you for your letter of April 3, 1991.
With its very short deadline and heavy
responsibilities, the Commission hopes that you will
understand that it is not possible to respond in detail to
your letter. Howeve r, your letter has been read and will be
made a part of the Commission files for further review by the
Commissioners and staff.
GTR
We again thank you for writing.
Very truly yours,
~77 Gilbert T. Ray
Executive Director
Suite 1910 400 South Hope Street Los Angeles, California 90071-2899 Tel ephone (213) 622 -5205 Facsi mile (213) 622-7318
NELSON E. BRESTOFF, ESQ.
24975 Eldorado Meadow Road
Hidden Hills, California 91032
Warren Christopher, Esq.
( · O'Melveny & Myers
' 400 s. Hope Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071
April 3, 1991
Re: Christopher Commission
Dear Mr. Christopher:
RECEIVED
APR 4 1991
W.C.'s OFFICE
Recent events compel me to relate to you my experience with
the Los Angeles Police Department in late 1975 or early 1976.
At that time, I was a Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney in
training. Part of our training involved the opportunity to " ride
along" with the police department.
While I cannot recall very many specifics of the incident, I
witnessed a beating similar to the one to which Mr. King was
subjected.
I was riding in the back seat of a patrol car when a call came
in that a suspect was fleeing the police on the 405 freeway
eastbound. Our car exited the freeway at an off-ramp on the
Pasadena freeway, just east of the downtown area. The fleeing
suspect, I was told, was "rabbi ting," i.e . , running from the
police . When the suspect passed our location he was being followed
by a host of patrol cars. We took off in pursuit. Soon we sped
ahead of the suspect and tried to slow him down by slowing ahead
of him. The suspect wanted none of that and tried to ram us. We
saw his tactic and sped up to match speeds and minimize the impact .
Since our strategy had not worked , our car backed off. Soon
we were nearing the end of the Pasadena freeway , which becomes
Arroyo Parkway. When we went thro ugh this area, we were joined by
South Pasadena and Pasadena police .
•
r
.... "
Warren Christopher, E sq.
O ' Me l veny & Myers
Apr il 3, 1991
Page Two
Once the suspect was on the Arro yo Parkway, the police sped
ahead of him to warn motorists away from intersections where the
suspect was going to go through, and did go through, a series of
red lights .
Finally, somewhere north of Colorado Blvd., the suspect turned
into a dead end, and stopped his car . When we got there , he h a d
been surrounded and was being beaten by t he police. In fact, it
seemed as though officer s from every jurisdiction participated, in
solidarity with the others. The officers from my car joined the
fray.
On the way back to the station, I asked them why the man had
been beaten. I was told that a beating is administered to anyone
who " rabbits" because (a) running from the police, especially at
high speed and through red lights was life-threatening; (b) the
police had to let people know that such behavior was going to be
dea l t with harshly to deter it; and (c) because the prosecutors,
cour ts and jail system f ail to deal properly with such peop l e, so
that the beating was the only real punishment he would get.
What I saw, I was told, was "street justice . "
I was not
mornin g, I was
Officer and ,
Department. I
that .
happy with what I had seen . At 2:00 a.m. the next
describing what I had seen to a Community Relations
as I recall, to members of Internal Affairs
do not know what actions were taken by anyone after
That was 15 years ago . From what I have read of the Rodney
King affair, he too was a "rabbit. " Whether or not some of the
officers made racial slurs, it seems to me that whut was meted c ut
to Mr. King was the same " street justice'' I had seen. My point is
that our police department , along with others in the region, may
have been engaging in this similar, extreme behavior for many
years, and that what befell Mr. King is probably not an isolated
incident. I cannot help you further with details of the event I
witnessed, but please feel free to contact me if you wish.
NEB:bas
Object Description
| Title | Correspondence: complaints against LAPD (1 of 2), 1968-1991 |
| Description | Correspondence: complaints against the Los Angeles Police Department (1 of 2), 1968 February 22 - 1991 July 19. PART OF A SERIES: Materials in the series fall into one of several categories related to the Independent Commission's work product: (1) Commission meeting materials, which include meeting agendas, work plans, memoranda, and articles about police misconduct that were circulated and reviewed during the Commission's internal meetings; (2) public correspondence, which includes citizen complaints against the LAPD in the form of written testimony, articles, and an audio cassette tape, as well as letters drafted by citizens in support of the LAPD; (3) summaries of interviews held with LAPD officers regarding Departmental procedures and relations; (4) public meeting materials, which include transcripts, supplementary documents, and witness statements that were reviewed at the Commission's public meetings; (5) press releases related to the formation and work product of the Commission; and (6) miscellaneous materials reviewed by the Commission during its study, including LAPD personnel and training manuals, a memorandum of understanding, and messages from the LAPD's Mobile Digital Terminal (MDT) system. |
| Coverage date | 1968-02-22; 1979-03-26; 1980-02-20; 1981-10-15; 1982-01-07; 1984-09-17; 1986-07-15; 1987-02-22; 1987-05-17; 1987-07-21; 1987-07-23; 1987-10-30; 1988-06-08; 1988-06-23; 1988-07-13; 1989-04-01; 1989-04-04; 1990-05-30; 1990-06-05; 1991-02-09; 1991-04-03; 1991-04-04; 1991-05-15; 1991-05-20; 1991-05-22; 1991-05-23; 1991-05-27; 1991-06-05; 1991-06-07; 1991-06-11/1991-06-15; 1991-07-05; 1991-07-19 |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California |
| Date created | 1968-02-22; 1979-03-26; 1980-02-20; 1981-10-15; 1982-01-07; 1984-09-17; 1985-12-05; 1986-07-15; 1987-02-22; 1987-05-17; 1987-07-21; 1987-07-23; 1987-10-30; 1988-06-08; 1988-06-23; 1988-07-13; 1989-04-01; 1989-04-04; 1990-05-30; 1990-06-05; 1991-02-09; 1991-04-03; 1991-04-04; 1991-05-15; 1991-05-20; 1991-05-22; 1991-05-23; 1991-05-27; 1991-06-05; 1991-06-07; 1991-06-10/1991-06-15 |
| Date issued | 1988-11-17; 1989-02-01; 1989-02-17; 1989-02-21; 1989-02-22; 1989-02-25; 1991-07-19 |
| Type |
texts images |
| Format | 191 p. |
| Format (aat) |
actions (judicial events) advertisements affidavits articles business cards checks (bank checks) clippings (information artifacts) correspondence envelopes faxes hospital records legal documents magazines (periodicals) mailing labels reports songs (documents) summaries |
| Format (imt) | application/pdf |
| Language | English |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Part of collection | Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, 1991 |
| Series | Independent Commission File List |
| File | Complaints, suggestions, and support |
| Box and folder | box 23, folder 3 |
| Provenance | The collection was given to the University of Southern California on July 31, 1991. |
| Rights | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained. |
| Physical access | Contact: Special Collections, Doheny Memorial Library, Libraries, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189; specol@dots.usc.edu |
| Repository name | USC Libraries Special Collections |
| Repository address | Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189 |
| Repository email | specol@dots.usc.edu |
| Filename | indep-box23-03 |
Description
| Title | Letters between Brestoff & Independent Commission, 1991-05, re excessive force |
| Description | Gilbert T. Ray (Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department), 400 South Hope Street, Los Angeles, California, 1991 May 15, to Nelson E. Brestoff, 24975 Eldorado Meadow Road, Hidden Hills, California. ❧ Nelson E. Brestoff, 24975 Eldorado Meadow Road, Hidden Hills, California, letter, 1991 April 3, to Warren Christopher (O'Melveny & Myers), 400 South Hope Street, Los Angeles, California, re Christopher Commission. |
| Geographic subject (roadway) | 400 South Hope Street; 24975 Eldorado Meadow Road |
| Geographic subject (city or populated place) | Los Angeles; Hidden Hills |
| Geographic subject (county) | Los Angeles |
| Geographic subject (state) | California |
| Geographic subject (country) | USA |
| Geographic coordinates | 34.051552,-118.255687; 34.1735199,-118.6694951 |
| Coverage date | 1991-04-03; 1991-05-15 |
| Creator |
Ray, Gilbert T. Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department Brestoff, Nelson E. |
| Contributor |
Christopher, Warren, recipient O'Melveny & Myers, recipient Brestoff, Nelson E., recipient |
| Date created | 1991-04-03; 1991-05-15 |
| Type | texts |
| Format | 3 p. |
| Format (aat) | correspondence |
| Format (imt) | application/pdf |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Series | Independent Commission File List |
| File | Complaints, suggestions, and support |
| Box and folder | box 23, folder 3, item 3 |
| Physical access | Contact: Special Collections, Doheny Memorial Library, Libraries, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189; specol@dots.usc.edu |
| Full text | Warren Cluistopber OWll John A. Arguelles V1CI! OIA.llt MEMBERS Roy A. Anderson Willie R. Baroes Prof. Leo F. Estrada Mickey Kantor Richard M. Mosk I . INDEPENDENT COMMISSION ON THE Los ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT May 15, 1991 John W. Spiegel OENE.RAL COUNSEL DEPVTY GENERAL COUNSEL Percy Anderson Ri chard E. Drooyan Gary A. Fccss Raymond C. F isher Ernest J. Getto Lawrence B. Gotlieb Thomas E. Holliday Andrea Sheridan Ord.in John Brooks Slaughter Robert E. Tranquada. MD. Barbara J. Kelley Louise A. LaMotbe Yolanda Orozco Dennis M. Pcrluss Gilbert T. Ray EXECUT1VB DUU:CTOR Prof. Bryce Nelson DIRECTOR POR PR£SS INFQRMATION Nelson E . Brestoff, Esq. 24975 Eldorado Meadow Road Hidden Hills, California 91032 Dear Mr. Brestoff: John B. Sherrell Brian A. Sun On behalf of Warren Christopher and the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, I am writing to thank you for your letter of April 3, 1991. With its very short deadline and heavy responsibilities, the Commission hopes that you will understand that it is not possible to respond in detail to your letter. Howeve r, your letter has been read and will be made a part of the Commission files for further review by the Commissioners and staff. GTR We again thank you for writing. Very truly yours, ~77 Gilbert T. Ray Executive Director Suite 1910 400 South Hope Street Los Angeles, California 90071-2899 Tel ephone (213) 622 -5205 Facsi mile (213) 622-7318 NELSON E. BRESTOFF, ESQ. 24975 Eldorado Meadow Road Hidden Hills, California 91032 Warren Christopher, Esq. ( · O'Melveny & Myers ' 400 s. Hope Street Los Angeles, CA 90071 April 3, 1991 Re: Christopher Commission Dear Mr. Christopher: RECEIVED APR 4 1991 W.C.'s OFFICE Recent events compel me to relate to you my experience with the Los Angeles Police Department in late 1975 or early 1976. At that time, I was a Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney in training. Part of our training involved the opportunity to " ride along" with the police department. While I cannot recall very many specifics of the incident, I witnessed a beating similar to the one to which Mr. King was subjected. I was riding in the back seat of a patrol car when a call came in that a suspect was fleeing the police on the 405 freeway eastbound. Our car exited the freeway at an off-ramp on the Pasadena freeway, just east of the downtown area. The fleeing suspect, I was told, was "rabbi ting," i.e . , running from the police . When the suspect passed our location he was being followed by a host of patrol cars. We took off in pursuit. Soon we sped ahead of the suspect and tried to slow him down by slowing ahead of him. The suspect wanted none of that and tried to ram us. We saw his tactic and sped up to match speeds and minimize the impact . Since our strategy had not worked , our car backed off. Soon we were nearing the end of the Pasadena freeway , which becomes Arroyo Parkway. When we went thro ugh this area, we were joined by South Pasadena and Pasadena police . • r .... " Warren Christopher, E sq. O ' Me l veny & Myers Apr il 3, 1991 Page Two Once the suspect was on the Arro yo Parkway, the police sped ahead of him to warn motorists away from intersections where the suspect was going to go through, and did go through, a series of red lights . Finally, somewhere north of Colorado Blvd., the suspect turned into a dead end, and stopped his car . When we got there , he h a d been surrounded and was being beaten by t he police. In fact, it seemed as though officer s from every jurisdiction participated, in solidarity with the others. The officers from my car joined the fray. On the way back to the station, I asked them why the man had been beaten. I was told that a beating is administered to anyone who " rabbits" because (a) running from the police, especially at high speed and through red lights was life-threatening; (b) the police had to let people know that such behavior was going to be dea l t with harshly to deter it; and (c) because the prosecutors, cour ts and jail system f ail to deal properly with such peop l e, so that the beating was the only real punishment he would get. What I saw, I was told, was "street justice . " I was not mornin g, I was Officer and , Department. I that . happy with what I had seen . At 2:00 a.m. the next describing what I had seen to a Community Relations as I recall, to members of Internal Affairs do not know what actions were taken by anyone after That was 15 years ago . From what I have read of the Rodney King affair, he too was a "rabbit. " Whether or not some of the officers made racial slurs, it seems to me that whut was meted c ut to Mr. King was the same " street justice'' I had seen. My point is that our police department , along with others in the region, may have been engaging in this similar, extreme behavior for many years, and that what befell Mr. King is probably not an isolated incident. I cannot help you further with details of the event I witnessed, but please feel free to contact me if you wish. NEB:bas |
| Filename | indep-box23-03-03.pdf |
| Archival file | Volume73/indep-box23-03-03.pdf |
