Questions abound about Pasadena shooting

Pasadena police spokeswoman Janet Pope Givens has responded to all media inquiries about the shooting with: “We are not talking any more about the case; we are not talking any more about the officers. At this particular point we’re not looking at making any more statements for the next 30 days or so.” Things are bad in Pasadena and people are mad.

The city tore down the impromptu memorial to Barnes that residents erected after the killing and it suddenly cancelled the annual Black History Month Festival, scheduled for Feb. 21. Joe Brown, president of the Pasadena NAACP, has filed an official request for information about the shooting and the NAACP has received the volunteer services of two “seasoned, first-class” criminal attorneys to assist with this matter.

Michelle White, president of the Pasadena ACLU is requesting an independent investigation of the shooting. This is shaping up into becoming a war zone reminiscent of the pre-Bratton LAPD era. We have to deal with this. Oh, and don’t forget the police killing of Dontaze Storey in Los Angeles and Richard Tyson, Michael Byoune, Ruben Walton Ortega and Kevin Weeks in Inglewood. Nobody’s paid for their murders, yet.

A BUSY WEEKEND — I went to the Inglewood Council of PTAs’ debate Saturday morning among the candidates for three school board seats and came away frustrated. The event was conducted by the Beach Cities League of Women’s Voters and their civility rules and procedures left the public chomping at the bit to have a go at Arnold Butler, the only incumbent board member who showed up.

Butler, who almost committed a Freudian slip and introduced himself as the school superintendent, had no visible fans in the audience and he spewed his usual lying gibberish throughout the debate, including his assertion that the city of Inglewood owes the school district money and won’t pay it. An angry city official said Butler is a damned liar.

The official said the city pays the salaries of the school crossing guards and kicks in some of its own police officers to serve the district because the school police force is undermanned, and that that’s the extent of the city’s obligation to the school district. Joyce Randall, who is vying to oust Butler from Seat No. 1, kicked his butt. Trina Williams, Butler’s partner in crime, did not show up for the debate. She claimed she had car trouble and yet she declined the league’s offer to chauffeur her to and from the debate. So Mary Bueno, who is vying to oust Williams from Seat No. 2, kicked her butt in absentia. Alena Cindy Giardina, Councilwoman Judy Dunlap’s candidate for school board Seat No. 3, also failed to materialize and Renee Dorn, who is seeking that seat, had her way in presenting her vision for reforming the dysfunctional school board.

Then I went to the two-day kickoff of Austin Williams’ campaign to unseat Dunlap, which was also attended by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and Assemblyman Curren Price. I missed state Sen. Rod Wright, who has also endorsed Williams, as well as Sunday’s participants, Mayor Roosevelt Dorn, the Rev. Howard Ashford, pastor of Inglewood’s influential First United Methodist Church and Bishop L. Daniels Williams, head of the Baptist Ministers Conference.

The opening of Williams’ headquarters coincided with the questionable opening of the first Police Community Center in Dunlap’s 2nd Council District in the 16 years she’s held that office. Police community centers have been operating all along in every Inglewood district except hers. Dunlap closed the one she had because she didn’t want to provide a site for community groups to meet and organize against her. They say this thing she opened Saturday has not received all its proper permits to operate, is a sham thrown together to placate her constituents and win some votes, and is rented by the city for $1 a month so she can quickly close it down if she’s re-elected.

I spent Sunday night over at Jerry Edwards’ big band party at his Flying Fox, which is the only sign of life in the awful remains of the Santa Barbara Plaza. It was a great party and I encountered quite a few fans and friends, including former assemblyman and present water board member Willard Murray, who, alas, appeared to me drunk as a skunk. Under the circumstances, I declined his offer to buy me a drink, but I did inquire as to how he got to the club, since his driver’s license has been suspended. He said his daughter brought him. OMG! Jerry asked: “What are we going to do about Willard?” I replied: “I’m going to write about him, me.”

THIS AND THAT — I learned at Jerry’s that my lifelong BFF, Reve Gipson, will marry Arthur Parks sometime this year, and she’s sporting an engagement diamond as proof of the formal commitment. Reve and Arthur have been going together for as long as I can remember (14 years!) and yes, he is Bernard’s brother. … Trojan officials are still fuming over David Roberts’ use of his USC e-mail account to send Damien Goodmon that unprofessional message about recent CPUC votes with respect to the Expo Rail Line battle.

Rep. Diane Watson has been named chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization and Procurement. … Just in the nick of time, Assemblyman Mike Eng introduced a bill last week to protect domestic violence victims from re-victimization. Specifically, his AB 688 would clarify that a person charged with a misdemeanor domestic violence incident may not be released on his/her own recognizance until first appearing before a judge or commissioner.

The Los Angeles Area and Culver City chambers of commerce have endorsed Curren Price for the 26th District state Senate seat to be decided in the special election on March 24. He is also endorsed by the former occupant of that seat, Supervisor Ridley-Thomas.

AND FINALLY — I am deeply saddened by the sudden, untimely and world-rocking death of Deputy Police Chief Ken Garner. He was making a difference in police-community relations in this city. In fact, he was making L.A. cops tolerable; likable, even. I may be wrong, but I don’t believe a city cop of such a high rank as Garner’s has died while still on the job since that OP (Original Pig) Chief William H. Parker shuffled off this mortal coil in 1966. I call him pig because he was one. He called us nigras, so yeah, he was the Original Pig. It’s ironic that the next highest cop to die in service — pretty much the same way Parker did — would be Garner, a man who worked hard at and was succeeding in eradicating that horrible LAPD image Pig Parker fostered so well. I mourn Garner’s passing. He will be missed.