On Monday, December 16, 2002, I, as an ex-candidate (for secession) and a group of about 60 other invited ex-candidates attended a "town hall" meeting at the Encino Community Center. From City Hall, was the Mayor himself, all of the City Managers and Police Chief Bratton (who arrived later).
Rather than a dialog type session, the meeting was conducted more like the usual council meetings where you get three minutes to make your presentation and the council member/s either don't address your question/s or ignore you entirely.
However, I insisted on an exchange and forced Mayor Hahn to answer at least part of my questions on Special Order 40. I pointed to Sheriff Baca's data showing that 23 percent of the county felons in the county jail are illegal aliens who could have been deported before they committed their crimes.
I pointed to gang statistics showing that most were illegal aliens who could be deported. I quoted City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo's post 9/11 statement: "When we encounter criminals already arrested on other matters who are also in this country illegally we cooperate fully with the federal authorities in these cases." I added that turning gang members over to the INS only when they are arrested as opposed to questioning them before they commit crimes, is like buying insurance after the accident.
Hahn said that in this country, we assume suspects to be innocent until proven guilty (as if the violation of our immigration laws is not in violation of some law). I responded that he, when he was city attorney, and now City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo have placed and presently placing injunctions on gang members which do not allow them to congregate in certain places, it is done without any charges against those gang members -- adding that, that wasn't giving gang members the benefit of being innocent until proven guilty.
He then brought up the old mantra that innocent victims and witnesses would be afraid to come forward. I shot back saying that gang members were not innocent victims or witnesses. He then said that it (the reporting of gang members to the INS) would nevertheless instill fear among the entire undocumented community (fear of what?).
When I said that he (Hahn) should be lobbying the U.S. Attorney General and INS to help with the illegal alien gang member problem, he responded by saying, that as a matter of fact, he and Los Angeles Police Chief Bratton were going to Washington to get help from the feds (from the FBI, but not the INS).
I had much more to say, but his aid was playing tug-of-war with me to take away the wireless microphone I had in my hand. Seeing that I was not giving up the floor, Hahn visually dismissed me and pointed to someone who had their hand up and said "I'll take your question."
I finally was virtually forced to take my seat. I got some kudo like gestures from a half dozen in the audience and one guy reached across several chairs to shake my hand.
Then in walks Police Chief Bratton. His speech was one of his pep talks without substance.
After the "show" was over, I walked up to Chief Bratton and shook hands with him. I asked him what it would take for an activist like myself to arrange a personal meeting with him. He said in an arrogant way in his New England accent , "there are 3 1/2 million people in Los Angeles" (as if they all wanted a meeting with him) -- "it's never going to happen."
I then asked Bratton why he didn't repeal Special Order 40 which would lower the gang member population significantly. He astonished me with his answer. He said that Special Order 40 was a city policy and he could work with it in place.
If he hadn't cut me off to talk to someone else, I would have said "Chief, Special Order 40 is not a city policy, it's an LAPD policy. The only person who can create or repeal LAPD special orders, is the police chief himself."
The Daily News reported the next day (December 17, 2002): "Only one candidate, Hal Netkin of Van Nuys, sparred with Hahn on an issue -- the immigration status question."
As can see, the reporter blurred the issue by referring to the "immigration status question" and left out the words "illegal" and made no mention of the real issue -- illegal alien gang members.
CONCLUSION: City Hall and LAPD Business is as usual. Nothing effective will be done to stem gang crime. You can expect the continued rise in gang crime.
