By Sandy Mazza , Staff Writer, Pasadena Star News PASADENA -- Law enforcement
officials met with community leaders at All Saints Church on Saturday to ease
racial tensions and ultimately make peace between police and minorities in the city.
The promise of follow-up meetings was the only concrete plan of action decided
by the end of the six-hour meeting, but many attendees appreciated the chance to
discuss feelings openly in a diverse gathering. "It does my heart a lot of good.
I never thought I'd hear a police officer apologize," said Curtis May, director of Office
of Reconciliation Ministries, after Police Chief Bernard Melekian told the audience
he "deeply, sincerely" apologized for police repression of minority communities in the
past. May, an African American, has said he has been repeatedly mistreated by police,
including having a gun pointed at him when he was mistaken for a suspect. Office of
Reconciliation Ministries, which is a ministerial association, organized the event with
the Pasadena Police Department. It was not an open meeting; the nearly 300 attendees
-- mostly from community groups and churches -- were invited. The meeting was called
after two African-American men, Maurice Clark and LaMont Robinson, were fatally shot
by police officers within two weeks of each other last year. Both shootings were
determined to be justified, but many in the community criticized the Pasadena Police
Department, claiming the shootings were racially motivated. Racial profiling is a fact for
minorities, said Durrell Brown. "I can always remember being racially profiled," he
said, speaking from the podium Saturday. Brown, an African American, described some
of his experiences. He was pulled over on the freeway for "passing too many cars,
" though he was not speeding. In another incident, he was stopped by police to be
"checked out" - the only reason given. Two officers pulled their guns on him while he
was walking down a street, saying: "This is not a place you should be walking." Los Angeles
County Sheriff's Deputy Todd Deeds told attendees he shot an African-American man in
February 2000 after a car chase. When the chase ended in a collision, the suspect got
out of his car and fired five rounds at Deeds and his partner. He missed the officers, and
Deeds shot back, hitting the man in his torso. Afterward, Deeds fielded angry comments
and threats from people in the community who claimed he shot the man without
provocation. "I was very angry this guy was shooting at me," Deeds said. "I knew he
was trying to kill me ... I was scared." Western Justice Center Foundation participated
in the meeting, mediating discussion groups. The groups came up with several solutions
to end sour relations between police and minorities. Those solutions included respecting
one another, using painful lessons of the past to build future relationships, including
young people in community events, and encouraging positive media coverage of the city.
Mayor Bill Bogaard expressed hope the meeting would be a "new beginning" for Pasadena.
"This city isn't just bricks and mortar. ... What we're talking about is people: Housing, jobs,
quality of life," he said. To close the meeting, everyone sang "We Shall Overcome."

-- Sandy Mazza can be reached at (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2733, or by e-mail at
sandy.mazza@sgvn.com This email address is being protected from spam bots,
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