Feedback from callers during a Los Angeles radio talk show revealed that though citizens are at odds with ex-LAPD Officer Christopher Dorner’s alleged killing spree, they can empathize with why he may be committing the crimes.
"I can honestly see why he's taking the actions he has taken," one caller said.
The Hutchinson Report, which airs on KPFK 90.7, hosted a town hall-style discussion on the 11,400-word manifesto allegedly penned by Dorner, and the relationship the LAPD has with the city’s African-American community.
In Dorner’s manifesto, he said racism and brutality in the LAPD is still as flagrant as it was during the time of the 1991 Rodney King beating.
"I can't tell you how, being a black man in America, how conflicted this can make us brothers feel," another caller said.
Dorner and his widely-publicized manifesto has prompted anti-police posts and garnered support online.
One Facebook page, which had garnered nearly 3,700 "likes" by Saturday afternoon, states: "A MAN WITH MORALS AND A HERO. A REAL REBEL WITH A CAUSE! THIS MAN IS STANDING UP FOR A CAUSE HE WILL BE REMEMBERED. HES TRYING TO STOP CORRUPTION. HAVE RESPECT FOR A MAN WHO IS WILLING TO DIE FOR SOMETHING INSTEAD OF LIVING FOR NOTHING."
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
Show host Dr. Earl Ofari Hutchinson said that though working relationships may not be ideal within the LAPD, the department has come a long way in the past decade. People of color make up two-thirds of the Los Angeles police force.
"It's not just an old white guy’s organization anymore," Hutchinson said during the show. "You have African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, gays, women -- so there have been changes."
Hutchinson went on to elaborate on the points Dorner attempts to make in his manifesto that have intrigued the residents following the Dorner story.
"But even having said that, the fact of the matter is, are there still problems in the LAPD?" Hutchinson said. "I don't think the LAPD would even deny that."
Still, Dorner, who is suspected of killing at least three people, is not seen by all as a credible whistle-blower. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck has dismissed Dorner’s supposed manifesto as "the rantings of a killer."
And a Hutchinson Report producer also denounced Dorner’s alleged method for dealing with the perceived injustice.
"I don't care whether the guy is a black man or not -- he killed people," Angela Hoffman said. "You don't go around killing people because you're angry."
