Dorner case prompts LAPD community meeting

Community activist Morris Griffin holds a sign that echoed sentiments among some audience members at a meeting with L.A. Police Chief Charlie Beck. The Southern California Cease Fire Committee hosted the forum with Beck to address South L.A. residents’ concerns about the LAPD and the late Christopher Dorner’s manifesto, which blamed his firing from the department on racists and liars. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Feb. 22, 2013 4:25 PM PT

South L.A. residents speak with Chief Charlie Beck about the Los Angeles Police Department and Christopher Dorner’s manifesto blaming his firing from the department on racists.
Read more: Dorner and the LAPD legacy

LAPD Deputy Chief Bob Green, from left, Cmdr. Bill Scott, Chief Charlie Beck and Capt. Robert Arcos listen to residents at a community meeting at the Church of Scientology in South L.A. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, right, and Capt. Robert Arcos respond to residents at a community meeting. Ex-cop Christopher Dorner, who is believed to have gone on a killing rampage recently, had blamed his firing on racism and a code of silence. The crowd brought stories of wrongs they said police had committed against their family members. “This has given us an opportunity to talk through difficult issues, involving race and gender and ethnicity,” said Assistant Police Chief Earl Paysinger, the highest-ranking black officer in the LAPD. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, second from right, speaks with moderator Skipp Townsend, standing, of the Southern California Cease Fire Committee, at a community forum. “This is not us against them,” Townsend told the crowd. Townsend is a former gang banger who now works with the department in crime-prevention efforts. “We’re going to be together, whether we like it or not,” he said. “This is like a marriage.” (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)