MEMBERS OF THE LAPD
AFRICAN AMERICAN PEACE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION
NEWS RELEASE
CONTACT: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Carl Lee-McGill
(310) 367-2821
LAPD REFORM OFFICERS ENDORSE SENATOR MARK RIDLEY-THOMAS FOR 2ND DISTRICT LOS ANGELES COUNTY SUPERVISOR
LOS ANGELES (October 28, 2008) - Carl Lee-McGill, CEO & president of the Black Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles County (www.blackchamberlac.org) and Western Regional Director for the Congress of Racial Equality (www.core-online.org),
endorse the Honorable Mark Ridley-Thomas, California State Senator,
26th District for 2nd District, for 2nd District Los Angeles County
Supervisor on November 4, 2008.
As a Los Angeles Police
Officer and president and founder of the LAPD African American Peace
Officers Association, Carl Lee-McGill was the internal leader for
reform of the LAPD in the early 1990s, preceding the March 3, 1991 LAPD
beating of Rodney King. In their efforts to bring reform to the LAPD,
the LAPD-AAPOA officers held community hearings and participated in the
investigation of LAPD misconduct.
On July 26, 1991, Council
member Ridley-Thomas signed a Los Angeles City Council resolution to
recognize the LAPD-AAPOA's efforts to internally reform the LAPD. In a
news conference and other community-based activities, the AAPOA
countered former LAPD Deputy Chief Bernard Parks and the Black LAPD
establishment's support of LAPD Chief Daryl Gates, as recognized by
Bill Boyarsky, LA Times, in an article dated February 12, 1993. Bernard
Parks lead the retaliatory persecution of all the AAPOA membership.
During this tumultuous time in the history of the City of Los Angeles,
support from African American public officials for African American
LAPD officers seeking to reform the LAPD and remove Chief Gates was
scarce. Not even Congresswoman Maxine Waters wanted to assist them.
However, then 8th District Los Angeles City Council member Mark
Ridley-Thomas was the only African American leader to support the
LAPD-AAPOA.
This endorsement is based on Senator
Ridley-Thomas' record of leadership as the head of the Los Angeles
Southern Christian Leadership Conference, leadership on the Los Angeles
City council, leadership in the California State Legislature, and his
record and position on issues important to the citizens of Los Angeles
and California. Therefore, Carl Lee-McGill, president and founder of
the LAPD-AAPOA, and the official representative of all the membership,
endorse the Honorable Mark Ridley-Thomas for 2nd District Los Angeles
County Supervisor.
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