Bruins accuse LAPD of brutality
Police claim they will investigate all filed complaints
By Nancy Hsu
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Students and members of the Coalition Against Police Abuse
gathered petitions on Bruin Walk Monday afternoon from people who
said they were assaulted, or witnessed an assault, by police
officers in Westwood after the NCAA men’s basketball championship
game.
About 15 students were arrested in Westwood on April 4 after
UCLA’s win over Arkansas. More than 350 police, 250 who were
outfitted in riot gear, attempted to clear more than 5,000 revelers
from village streets.
So far, more than 10 students have submitted statements on what
happened to them, where the incident happened, along with the names
and badge numbers of officers who they said beat them without
reason, said Andi Meck, a third-year sociology student and
coalition member.
Eight people have also called the coalition’s South Central L.A.
office to register complaints, said Michael Zinzun, coalition
chairperson. By compiling the complaints, the coalition will also
be able to see whether certain ethnic groups were singled out, he
added.
"The point is that we want to make it clear that police abuse
does exist," Zinzun said. "One young kid got his nose broke by a
police officer for allegedly throwing a bottle into the crowd. They
charged him with assault on a police officer. He had no idea what
happened. Another kid came up and said, ‘He had nothing to do with
it, it was me.’ They still kept him in jail on $75,000 bail. It is
interfering with his schooling. He has no arrest record, no
convictions or anything like that."
One student who submitted a petition Monday afternoon said he
did so because he is angry at being "maced in the face for no
reason.
"There was no provocation or anything," said Brian Kelley, who
explained he was doing the "eight-clap" with friends on the corner
of Weyburn and Gayley Avenues when he turned around and was sprayed
in the face.
"A couple of friends had to rush me to the hospital where I was
treated. It was completely unjustified," Kelley added.
Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department said Monday that
allegations of police misconduct are not uncommon in large
disturbances. They also encourage anyone who feels they were
unjustly treated by officers to file a complaint.
"We believe that anyone that was there that believes our
officers acted inappropriately should contact the police and they
can rest assured those matters will be investigated thoroughly,"
said Lt. John Dunkin. "Frequently, we find it’s a misunderstanding
of why we do what we do. More times than not, once people are
informed of the law, a lot of questions and concerns are cleared
up. (But) we need the people who were involved to come forward and
provide specific examples."
Petitions will be collected on Bruin Walk through Thursday.
Coalition members will hold an informational forum on police abuse
Thursday at 4 p.m.
Since they have not yet found a location for the event,
coalition members encourage anyone interested in the forum to look
for it in the "What’s Brewin" section of the Daily Bruin.
"We just want to make students aware of what their rights are
and we want to create a support network for students to file
complaints," Meck said. "I think students are pretty upset about
what happened and rightfully so. If I were to assault someone, I
would be arrested."