Rodney King Incident

Concerning "Drawing a Bead on Gates," April 10: I am shocked and horrified that you would publish a picture of so-called artist Robbie Conal's poster showing Chief Daryl F. Gates as a gun target. It is a gross lack of responsibility and points up The Times' biased coverage of the the Rodney King incident. If this isn't an incitement to riot, I never saw one.

The Ramona Gardens shooting that claimed the life of Arturo Jimenez on Aug. 3 once again highlights the reckless and wanton use of unneeded force among a few bad apples in L.A.'s law-enforcement units. As if the Rodney King incident wasn't much of a lesson, I think it is now time for the district attorney to come to grips with the reality that some law-enforcement officers just don't give a hoot for human lives, especially those of minority peoples. Ira Reiner should start demanding the death penalty for such utterly inexcusable incidents as Ramona Gardens and the Rodney King beating.

Under fire: In the wake of the Rodney G. King incident, critics demanded that Chief Daryl F. Gates resign, accusing him of having tolerated racism and brutality in his 13 years at the helm of the Los Angeles Police Department. Gates denied the charges. A county grand jury indicted four (at right) of the more than two dozen law enforcement officers at the scene of the beating on charges of assault and excessive force.

Hyundai is set to debut this week a new TV commercial for the Hyundai Sonata--featuring a high-speed police chase--that has sparked criticism because of similarities between the ad and the highly publicized police beating of Rodney G. King. Officials of Hyundai and its ad agency insist that the commercial bears no relationship to the police incident, which was taped by an amateur photographer.

"We're Paying for Voters' Haste in LAPD 'Reform' " (Commentary, Jan. 9) widely missed the mark by failing to understand the voters' wisdom in passing Proposition F. Those who lament the people's 1992 decision to remove the chief of police from civil service status disagree with ending what amounted to the chief's having permanent tenure without the mayor, City Council or the people being able to remove the chief unless he did something flagrantly illegal....

Who does Ice-T think he is to criticize the police when his personal record isn't so squeaky clean ("A Rapper Goes Hollywood," April 21)? He complains that the police treated him like he's "less than a dog," yet he freely admits that he used to engage in "robbing, stealing and hustling." Tell me, Ice-T, just how did you expect to be treated when you obviously treated others like dirt? What especially saddens me is that in light of the Rodney G. King incident, people like Ice-T have actually gained an undeserved credibility, fueled by the current media fad known as "cop-bashing."

The Ventura County branch of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People has accused the Sheriff's Department of racial insensitivity and an increased pattern of harassment that includes stopping blacks without cause and drawing guns on them. In a letter to the Board of Supervisors, John Hatcher, president of the branch, asked that the county hire a black consultant to give deputies racial-sensitivity training.

An attorney for an Oxnard man who contends he was beaten last month by Oxnard Police Officer Kenneth Dellinger filed a claim Friday against Dellinger, the city and Police Chief Robert P. Owens. Ventura attorney Tim Quinn filed the claim for Guillermo Hernandez. Dellinger had been suspended Oct. 1 with pay in connection with the Sept. 13 incident.

The Task Force For Our Fair Share, San Fernando Valley, is dedicated to the residents and businesses of the San Fernando Valley, ensuring that all receive their Fair Share by the city of Los Angeles and the state of California. The Task Force is concerned over the marked absence of a representative on the Board of Police Commissioners. With the relationship between City Hall, the Police Department and the people of Los Angeles extremely tenuous at best due to the Rodney King incident, we feel an even greater concern that the people of the San Fernando Valley are not represented, a population of well over 1.6 million.