Black Religious Leaders Keep Pressure on LAPD Over Devin Brown Police Killing

Fearing an investigation into the police shooting of a 13-year-old boy would be swept under the rug, dozens of African-American activists told an LAPD panel today they still want answers about the incident. "We are not going away," the Rev. Ozell Cliff Brazil of Bethel AME Church in South Los Angeles told the Los Angeles Police Commission. He was joined by several other prominent religious leaders identifying themselves as members of the Community Call to Action & Accountability. The group, which was so large that the meeting had to be moved to the Parker Center auditorium, demanded answers from the civilian oversight panel regarding the shooting death of Devin Brown, who allegedly backed a stolen vehicle into a police cruiser. The Rev. Lewis Logan of Bethel AME stood and led the group in prayer just as the commission's public comment period began. He then accused city leaders of breaking their promise of a transparent investigation into the Feb. 6 incident. "We are concerned that the process is under a cloak of secrecy, that it's not open for the public to understand," he said. Another group member, who identified himself as Akili, expressed outrage over the shooting. "We have lost a child, and we will not suffer in silence and grieve by ourselves," he said. Following about an hour of testimony, commission President David S. Cunningham III assured the group that the investigation is being carried out according to department policy.  City News Service March 22, 2005 Tuesday