Abcarian: In that racist leaked recording, L.A. sees its true reflection — and it’s ugly
With the exception of a few of the most talented performers in L.A., this year is a rough one for L.A.’s most famous musical export.
The Los Angeles Police Department released an audio recording last week that’s sparked heated discussions about racism in society and the arts at large. In the recording, a black female L.A. cop is heard complaining about her encounter with a young woman who was wearing a hijab at the LAPD’s Hollywood Division. She told the woman, “You look like a terrorist,” and then offered her a cigarette, saying she was addicted to the smoke.
In response, the young woman told her, “Fuck you. I’m not a terrorist.”
In the recording, you can hear the woman respond: “I’ll call your mother and tell her you died for nothing.”
The incident ignited a discussion about what constitutes racist incidents in our city, and it has caused controversy in the media.
The incident started with L.A.’s first Somali Muslim police officer, who filed a public record complaint about the recording, and the department released the recording in an attempt to quell the controversy.
Some felt that the recording was an attempt to cover-up police brutality against people of color, but this isn’t the only situation where a racist incident occurred at the LAPD, and the department itself has also been accused of racism.
On Aug. 18, the L.A. Times published an article about a homeless man who was arrested for fighting with a police officer, which was caught on police body worn cameras. According to the L.A. Times article, the officer did not want to arrest the man, but then the man pulled a gun on her.
A day later, the Times released an amended article that made it clear that L