KTLA News: "National Inquiry and Solution-Finding Hearing on Police Crimes" (1981)

I think that the significance of this is that fact that we recognize that police abuse is part of a whole systematic uh uh uh chains of of circumstances that occur to minority people within the so-called criminal justice system with the police being the first line uh of uh of involvement with people in the criminal justice system. >> It is a self-evident truth that I want to encourage all of you and >> to raise issues and victimized by racism are the most savvy repressed. Finally, come to the workshops tomorrow at Pepperdine Union. Their experiences while helping us to develop the practical ways and means by which we put an end to police lawlessness to and his remarks I am sure will give you further crime of the uh of Los Angeles. [Applause] many of the community residents and is running rampant in black community. We as a task force on police abuse recognize very clearly that the current attempts by a local but also joined in effort to try to pull together testimony to you. Crimes committed by the police. These crimes consist of murder. The type of murder testimony about involves the killing by police officers of persons who might have been >> Mr. Duran. I was listening to your remarks inside and I was particularly interested in what you see as the significance of this forum. >> All right. I think the significance of this forum is that uh for once uh people uh throughout this country and minority and poor communities have come together and created a quasi uh official type of hearing to begin to put together a national network of concerned legislators, concerned activists and people generally concerned about the injustices that occur within the criminal justice system as a whole. police abuses as isolated incidents then something >> no no we don't see police abuses as is isolated we feel that it's directly related to what we uh define as institutional racism which is the uh the continuing historical effects of of segregation uh deprivation and denial of opportunity we feel that many of the so-called crimes that take place are social economic crimes and really flow from the the lack of job opportunities the deteriorating educational opportunities uh provided for minority people. We feel this is directly uh related to the the rise in crime in this period when the economic system in this country is really deteriorating. >> What will happen now that you're having the hearing? Just what type of testimony? How many people and so forth? >> All right. We have commitments from about 12 states to send people here who have experienced uh abuses in the form of assaults uh political harassment uh to murder. >> He's just going to back off then. Uh the hearing I understand is a news conference and then we have more activities over the weekend, >> right? Uh we've planned a a