Supporters of Riverside sheriff’s deputies hold rally

Wednesday, April 10, 1996

Supporters of Riverside sheriff’s deputies hold rally

Beating of Mexican immigrants prompts federal query protest

By Larry Gerber

The Associated Press

RIVERSIDE — About 400 people rallied outside sheriff’s
headquarters Monday in support of two deputies under investigation
in the videotaped beating of undocumented immigrants.

Demonstrators waved American flags and cheered the main speaker,
former Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates. They booed any mention
of beaten Mexicans, the news media or the federal government.

"I know there is no one in this whole country, perhaps the whole
world, that has reviewed more use-of-force situations than I have,"
Gates told the crowd.

"No matter how you use that club, people are going to
criticize," he said.

The "law enforcement appreciation rally" was sponsored by the
Riverside County sheriff’s deputies union in response to the outcry
over the April 1 videotaped beating of two unarmed Mexican
immigrants, a man and a woman, by deputies.

Gates resigned in 1993, under fire for the videotaped beating of
Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers two years earlier and
his handling of the ensuing riots. He was Los Angeles’ police chief
for 14 years.

On April 1, Riverside deputies pursued a pickup full of
immigrants who ran a Border Patrol checkpoint and led officers on
an 80-mile high-speed chase, forcing other motorists off the road.
Authorities said passengers tossed beer bottles and pieces of a
camper shell at them.

Deputies Kurtis Michael Franklin and Tracy Watson were shown on
helicopter news camera tape flailing at the prone couple with their
batons. They were taken off duty for investigation and have gone
into hiding. There was no sign of them Monday.

There were plenty of other signs, though.

"One flag, one nation, one language," said one. "Police yes,
Mexico no, ACLU sucks," said another. Placards advertised the John
Birch Society and Bob Dole for president.

Dan Swift, president of the Riverside County Sheriff’s
Association, said the rally wasn’t about immigration or race, but
many in the crowd clearly had other ideas.

Two people were arrested after fights erupted around
counter-demonstrators, said Steve Johnson, spokesman for city
police.

Police took away one man in handcuffs for roughing up Ricky
Sierra, a 20-year-old from Pomona who waded into the hostile crowd
carrying a Mexican flag.

Demonstrators shouted "go home." One man tried to burn Sierra’s
flag with a cigarette lighter. "I am home," Sierra shouted back.
"You go home."

"This isn’t support for sheriffs," the youngster said. "This is
support for race, that all it is."

Deputies at the rally wore T-shirts rather than uniforms. Most
of the others in the audience appeared to be retired people or
office workers on lunch hour.

Gates said he was tired of hearing the word "beating" in news
reports of the incident.

"That’s all you say," he said, turning to reporters. "Beating,
beating beating. Don’t you think that gives a negative
connotation?"

"Use of force" would be a more neutral term, he suggested.

Gates, who turned to talk radio after leaving police work, told
the flag-waving crowd that the federal government should stay out
of the investigation.

"We do not need the FBI," he said. The audience booed the
initials. "We do not need the civil rights section of the Justice
Department." More boos.

Riverside County Sheriff Larry Smith, who had met with Gates
just before the rally, also came in for jeers. Smith has said the
videotape shows "clearly an excessive use of force."

"Come to Riverside," several people shouted at Gates.

Urging support for deputies, Gates said many law officers are
confused by conflicting instructions, particularly on how to handle
high-speed pursuits of fugitives.

"What do we do?" he asked. "Shoot ’em!" someone yelled back,
getting growls of assent. "Come out of retirement, chief!" another
supporter hollered.

"There’s a Bill of Rights in this country, and we obviously
believe in that. They can say whatever they want" said Gilbert
Chavez, spokesman for the Mexican Political Association.

The group summoned its supporters to a later rally at Lincoln
Park, not far away.

"Riverside County has a black eye at the moment, and by bringing
Daryl Gates from Los Angeles … it’s just a travesty," said
Chavez.

"He came from a county where there were many complaints of
police brutality, and not until the beating of Rodney King did it
surface. And we have the same problem in Riverside County."