They may not have used those exact words, but the Los Angeles Police Department recognized that they may have “inappropriately” handled protesters at a Los Angeles pro-immigrant rally on May Day. The police asked for the public’s forgiveness for beating protesters and journalists covering the even earlier this year.

The apology and recognition of abuse didn’t come easily to the police department infamous for its brutality against people of color. It came after the release of a 90 page report pointing out a pattern and practice of brutality, of which the attacks at MacArthur Park was just one recent example.

What disturbs me is the inability or unwillingness of people to connect the dots. The current LAPD head is William Bratton. Bratton was current Republican presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani’s police comish during his first term as mayor. During that time, people of color communities in NYC were brutalized and killed by the NYPD without justification (Anthony Baez anyone?).

LA Mayor Villaraigosa said the acknowledgment was a good first step to fixing problems he was determined to fix in the LAPD. Sadly, I doubt that firing Bratton will be another step.

Via / Yahoo! News