Dear Council Members:



Having just listened to the recording of the testimony of the farmers and Mr. Zine's response, I'm frankly shocked at Mr. Zine's unprofessional response. It is clear to me that instead of railing against the farmers, he should have owned up to the inappropriate late night visit, admitted the officers should have known that circling the farm, shining a spotlight at 10 p.m., would arouse reaction from the people on the farm. If Mr. Zine truly was interested in seeing the farm, it seems unlikely he could see much with a flashlight in the dead of night. Under these circumstances, it seems almost predictable that the farmers would approach Mr. Zine's unmarked vehicle in the manner he describes.



Finally, and most seriously, if one of the officers drew a gun and pointed it at a 13 year old girl, surely Mr. Zine and the other officer know that. Mr. Zine should not have tried evade responding by saying "I didn't see a gun." I believe These reservists should be disciplined, and should apologize to the farmers and to the community. They were wrong in all respects!



I also believe that if possible, Mr. Zine should be reprimanded as a council member for his unprofessional response to the farmers at a public hearing. Frankly, he sounded exactly like the kind of belligerent, arrogant police officer Los Angeles DOES NOT NEED, and one can only assume assuming that was his demeanor with the farmers late at night, out of public sight, was even more obtuse.



As a resident of Ms. Perry's district, I urge that she visit the farm and get involved in this issue, and that the City Council take appropriate measures to bring this matter to a fair conclusion. It seems to me that if a developer wants to build warehouses, there might be many other locations to suit his purposes. Thank you all.



Sincerely,

Tobi Dragert

Los Angeles