By J. Douglas Stevens
Staff Writer
Last week Los Angeles mayor James Hahn kicked off Black History Month by officially announcing his decision not to support the reappointment of police Chief Bernard Parks, much to the chagrin of African-American constituents.
Hahn voiced his dissatisfaction with Parks’ handling of three major issues: police reform, recruitment and retention, and community policing. And while the mayor’s concern for the safety of the public is honorable, his timing is despicable.
Did his press secretary forget to look at the calendar? February. It’s only 28 days long. Couldn’t he have waited until March 1 before assaulting the character of only the second African-American police chief in L.A.’s history on the month meant to recognize that same group in society?
Here are the facts. Los Angeles has seen a 17.3 percent increase in violent crime in the past two years, disrupting the overall trend of improvement which began in 1997, the same year as Parks’ appointment. Known for his rigid leadership style, Parks has been criticized for lowering morale and driving officers out of the force. Some say his harsh and unfair discipline procedures are the reasons the LAPD is 1,100 officers short of its 10,000-person capacity.
Chief Parks also eliminated the senior lead officer program, which was widely supported as an effective way to get the community involved in fighting crime. These issues are valid and raise questions regarding Parks’ performance, but local civil rights organizations are justifiably slow to condemn the man they have supported for the last five years.
Whenever civil rights is mentioned in today’s media, the so-called race card has been played. And whenever the race card is played, valid or not, controversy follows. So the question I pose is this: Is race an issue here?
Being that it is Black History Month, let us take a look at recent black history within the Los Angeles Police Department. Let’s start in 1991, a year the LAPD wishes we would all forget. March 3 will mark the 11-year anniversary of the infamous Rodney King beatings. Video footage of the excessive battering shocked America and weakened our faith in law enforcement, especially the LAPD, which has been at the forefront of corruption-within-the-force discussions ever since. Failure to convict those responsible for King’s extensive injuries sparked widespread rioting in 1992, the same year L.A. appointed its first African-American police chief, Willie Williams.
It could be that voters were overcome with a sense of guilt and wanted to compensate for the injustice, or perhaps felt it was time to add some color to the upper ranks of the police force to help ease the tension between the LAPD and black community in Los Angeles. It is also possible, and much more reasonable, that Williams was the most qualified man for the position.
Like Williams, Chief Parks has also faced racial issues during his short term in office. Despite this, he recently celebrated 37 years with the force, a remarkable accomplishment for a dedicated officer who endured his early years in a segregated LAPD. But now it’s seems the mayor thinks it’s time for him to go.
We cannot forget that Mayor Hahn won much of his support from the black community by so strongly backing Parks in his election campaign less than 10 months ago. So why is he switching sides now? Has Parks’ performance declined that drastically in the past year as to warrant Hahn’s position? Or was his temporary advocacy a ploy to secure black votes to gain victory over opponent Antonio Villaraigosa?
One of the mayor’s duties is to appoint members of the Civilian Police Commission, the body responsible for nominating police chief candidates and reappointing incumbent chiefs. Provided that Hahn properly packed the Commission to reflect his own agenda, Parks himself will be black history come mid-May when the final decision is made.
As a black man, I hate to see black public figures ridiculed, especially during our month of celebration. And as a man with integrity, it bothers me to see a governmental official go back on his promise to support Chief Parks, and so soon after the promise was made.
Only time will tell if Hahn’s opinion will be detrimental to Parks’ career as chief of police or his own career as mayor. I believe that a person’s genuine intentions can never truly be known, especially in the realm of politics, so it all comes down to how we, the people, perceive that intent. And in this case, our perception is muddied with issues of color, thanks to the untimely nature of Hahn’s announcement.
February 14, 2002