LAPD Charged With Racism

June 23, 1959, NAACP

June 23, 1959: The NAACP urges the City Council to investigate allegations of police brutality toward blacks and Mexicans.

In March 1959, Municipal Judge David Williams made headlines by dismissing charges against 25 African Americans with accusations that the LAPD selectively enforced gambling laws. His action brought an immediate denial and strong criticism from Police Chief William H. Parker.

The controversy was underscored by the resignation of Police Commissioner Herbert Greenwood, the only African American on the board, out of frustration over being criticized by the city's black newspapers and being stonewalled by officials in trying to investigate allegations of brutality against blacks.

On a recent trip to the city archives, Daily Mirror intern Devon McReynolds and I found these original documents in City Council file 89512
showing the exchange between Williams, the first African American federal judge west of the Mississippi, and Parker.

April 1, 1959, David Williams

April 1, 1959, David Williams

April 1, 1959: Judge Williams writes a personal letter to Herb Schurter in response to Schurter's criticism of dismissing charges against blacks.

"I feel that when police officials instruct their subordinate officers
to arrest only Negroes on a given charge, it will not be long before
their newly gained power will prompt them to enforce other statutes
only against certain other groups."

April 13, 1959, Chief Parker

April 13, 1959: Parker to Williams:

"In that I have no knowledge of any such instruction issued in this department ether orally or in writing, by any officer in authority, I believe I am entitled to the facts upon which you base such statements."

April 21, 1959, Judge Williams
April 21, 1959: Williams to Parker:

"Every person conversant with the true facts knows that vice officers ignore gambling elsewhere and concentrate mainly on Negroes. It is not denied that Negroes gamble, but gambling goes on  rampant in every section of the city and arrests should be made where it is conducted. This is not being done."

June 18, 1959, Wyman
June 18, 1959,

Police Commissioner Herbert Greenwood resigns and the Police, Fire and Traffic Committee moves to examine Williams' charges and Greenwood's resignation.

July 6, 1959, Williams
July 6, 1959

The Police, Fire and Traffic Committee invites Williams to discuss his allegations.

July 9, 1959, Davdi Williams, Page 4

July 9, 1959, Williams writes:

"During the greater portion of the last three and one-half years I have served in one or another of the divisions that heard all petty gambling cases, either on arraignment or for trial. I have noticed that the vast majority of the defendants appearing before these courts are Negroes and that the straggling few Caucasians are those caught in Negro games.

"I became very curious as to the reasons for this …."

July 9, 1959, Page 3

 Page 2:

"I am not urging the police to cease making arrests in Negro districts but only that they enforce the law equally in all districts. I hold strongly to the belief that when the public knows there is equal enforcement of the law resulting in all offenders being subject to arrest, there will be less resentment of the police as an authority figure and the courts will gain more respect."

July 9, 1959, David Williams, Page 2

Page 3

"May I suggest you ask the chief … If the imbalance between the number of Negro arrests and the number of Caucasian arrests for gambling as shown by the department's 1957-1958 statistics are to be taken as indicating that Negroes, who constitute approximately ten percent of the population, actually do about ninety percent of the gambling?"

July 9, 1959, David Williams, Page 1

Page 4

"I appreciate very much your willingness to entertain this matter and I deeply regret that my duties prevent me from personally attending your meeting."

–David W. Williams

July 10, 1959, Holland

July 10, 1959, the Police, Fire and Traffic Committee urges the Police Commission to review the matter.

July 22, 1959, Police Commission

July 22, 1959, the Police Commission notes that Williams' actions were overturned by the appellate department of the Superior Court and says:

"The position of this board is that subject file does not contain sufficient substance to justify exhaustive and time-consuming inquiry. This conclusion is also based on the board's personal knowledge of the policies and activities of the Police Department. It is, therefore, recommended the matter be filed."

Aug. 6, 1959, Commission

Aug. 6, 1959, Police Commission to the City Council:

"Judge Williams' letter consists of a rehash of public statements attributed to him and ignores the fact that the Board of Police Commissioners determines Police Department policy and is its Charter designated head. His repeated reference to the chief of police in a personal vein tends to indicate a personal attack rather than an official inquiry. This entire matter was carefully reviewed by the Police Commission with its general manager at the time of the judge's public utterances and no evidence was discovered to support his allegations."

Sept. 2, 1959, Council

Sept. 2, 1959, the Police, Fire and Traffic Committee moves that the matter be filed. The matter was closed. The Watts riots were six years away.

Parker died in 1966; Williams died in 2000.

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times
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1 Response to LAPD Charged With Racism

  1. Peter's avatar Peter says:

    Who looks bad in the light of history? Not the courageous Judge Williams, who was right about the gross racial imbalance in gambling arrests and prosecutions. He was legally incorrect in dismissing the charges without conducting an evidentiary hearing, and I suspect he knew that but wanted to bring public attention to the matter. He might have tried ordering an evidentiary hearing on his own motion on grounds it was necessary to preserve the integrity of the court since its processes were used as a tool of racially discriminatory law enforcement. The racist Chief Parker apparently had the City Council and its committees in his pocket.

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