Slow Burn: The L.A. Riots | Ep. 3 – The Chief

Released: November 17, 2021
Host: Joel Anderson (Slate Podcasts)

Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, Slow Burn turns its focus to Daryl Gates—the powerful, polarizing Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department during the Rodney King era—and Los Angeles’ failed efforts to hold him accountable in the wake of massive police misconduct. Through archival footage and first-person interviews, the episode traces Gates’ rise, the LAPD’s deep-rooted issues, and the pivotal struggle sparked by the infamous Rodney King beating. Listeners are taken through battles at City Hall, the formation of the Christopher Commission, and the widespread attempts (and failures) to force real reform in the department that still profoundly shape L.A. and America today.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rodney King Beating—A Public Reckoning (00:01–02:29)

• After footage of the Rodney King beating went public, Chief Gates recommended felony charges against the offending officers but sought to frame the incident as a few "bad apples."
• Quote (Chief Daryl Gates, defending LAPD):

  "This is not representation of the good work of Los Angeles Police Department. And you won't find anyone, you will not find a police officer in this city that will in any way attempt to justify what those officers did." (00:38)

• The public and activists overwhelmingly rejected this view, seeing the incident as symptomatic of systemic problems—issues with "command and control, training, and the values of LAPD officers" (01:00).

2. Rising Backlash & Calls for Gates’ Resignation (02:06–05:41)

• LA’s political establishment finds itself under pressure:
  • Local black activists, the ACLU, AFL-CIO, and the LA Times editorial board join calls for Gates to resign.
  • City Council session features intense exchanges:
    • Quote (Michael Wu to Gates):

      "Are you saying that you will withhold support to fight crime in our districts?" (03:48)

    • Gates retorts:

      "That is the most insulting thing I have heard on this council floor in all the time I've been here, and I've been here a lot longer than you've been alive." (04:08)

• Wu becomes the first elected official to publicly call for Gates' resignation.

3. Gates’ Rise—From Rookie to Chief (06:55–11:08)

• Gates joined LAPD in 1949, quickly ascending after chauffeuring Chief Bill Parker, whose "paramilitary, white, male" model deeply influenced Gates and the department (07:02).
  • Quote (Jim Newton, LA Times):

    "The department saw itself... as a paramilitary organization, primarily white, almost all male, and viewed its fundamental charge as maintaining the peace." (07:02)

• Parker’s LAPD enforced racial boundaries and practiced discrimination; Gates inherited and expanded these policing philosophies.

4. Aggressive Policing and SWAT (08:50–12:45)

• Gates spearheaded more militarized policing after the Watts riots in 1965; he established the nation’s first SWAT team.
• By the 1980s, "gang sweeps" and the targeting of black and Latino neighborhoods intensified complaints of excessive force—the rate rising 33% over five years.

5. Infamous Quotes and Enduring Power (12:45–15:16)

• Gates made unapologetic, inflammatory remarks: claiming casual drug users "ought to be taken out and shot," and suggesting black people were more vulnerable to chokeholds than "normal people."
  • Quote (Zev Yaroslavsky):

    "He could have lit the city on fire with that comment, we're going to fire him. No, because he knew he couldn't fire him." (13:04)

• The city charter protected Gates—only the police commission could remove him, and only for "cause" (i.e., a crime).

6. Political Dynamics—The Mayor vs. The Chief (14:13–18:49)

• Mayor Tom Bradley, LA’s first Black mayor and LAPD veteran, was hamstrung by political vulnerability and the city charter. He quietly sought Gates’ removal by stacking the police commission and forming the Christopher Commission for reform.
• Quote (Jim Newton):

  "[Gates'] polestar, the principle by which he set his watch, was don't let politicians interfere... [Bradley] is the ultimate threat to his autonomy." (15:16)

7. The Christopher Commission—A Blueprint for Reform? (17:38–25:14)

• Warren Christopher, former Deputy Secretary of State and hostage negotiator, is tapped to chair the commission on reform. He insists it will be "different" and outcome-driven (17:38).
• Christopher’s commission, merged with Gates' own, is given 100 days and full investigatory power.
• Effort is made to include diverse voices, such as Black law students and community organizers.
  • Quote (Dermot Givens, community activist, on testifying):

    "Again, I want the audience to know I got the same skepticism that you have... But we know we've been down this road so many times, and it might be hope. But it's a little hope, ain't a whole lot of hope." (25:14)

8. Chief Gates Explains Himself: The Interview (26:17–30:56)

• At the Christopher Commission, John Spiegel's careful questioning exposes Gates' alignment with line officers, rationalization of abuses, and lack of self-awareness regarding his divisiveness.
  • Quote (Gates, pressed about racist radio messages):

    "Police officers work in the garbage pail all the time... Some of them get very cynical, some get very hard..." (28:37)

• Gates admits, "Probably I've stayed longer than I should..." and requests public support for himself and the department. (29:31)

9. Insiders Turn Against the Chief (31:03–34:29)

• Assistant Chief David Dotson and Jesse Brewer (the highest-ranking Black LAPD officer) devastate Gates' position with powerful, firsthand testimony:
  • Dotson:

    "In the last 13 years... we have not had... at the top, very effective leadership." (32:11)
    "That's an area that I believe we have failed miserably in, is holding people accountable..." (32:41)

  • Brewer, grading Gates’ discipline:

    "I would probably give him a D. I think I would be generous in giving him a D in discipline." (34:13)

10. Building a Unanimous Report—And Gates’ Defiance (35:05–40:25)

• The Christopher Commission achieves unanimity with all members, including those appointed by Gates, calling for his resignation and city charter reform (35:18).
  • Report details a systemic pattern of excessive force, “an appreciable number of disturbing and recurrent racial remarks,” and a culture of impunity—laying the blame atop Gates (36:42).
• Gates, maneuvering for time, seizes on language suggesting he should remain through a "transition," delaying his departure and retaliating against critics.
  • Quote (Gates’ attorney):

    "Things have to settle down." (40:25)

• Quote (Dermot Givens, on continued lack of accountability):

  "We don't need no hope for the future. What about today? I walk out here, the police gonna be with me. Can y' all do anything about that?" (39:55)

11. Aftermath: Reform Deferred (40:42–41:23)

• Despite overwhelming institutional and public will for change, Gates clings to his job for 11 more months.
  • Quote (Gates):

    "The support that I've had within this organization and with the community has been just outstanding. And I don't expect to just run, run away." (40:55)

• LAPD’s structure and culture remain deeply resistant to reform.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments—with Timestamps

• Chief Gates, responding to council:

  "That is the most insulting thing I have heard on this council floor... Absolutely not. This is a professional organization." (04:08)

• Jim Newton (on LAPD culture):

  "It saw itself as the thin blue line... In its absence, the violence of Los Angeles would just spread." (08:01)

• Zev Yaroslavsky (on firing Gates):

  "Council couldn't fire him, the mayor couldn't fire him. Only the police commission could fire him... You couldn't do that legally." (13:41)

• Warren Christopher (on the urgency of action):

  "All I can say is that our Commission, consisting of 10 members, three of whom were appointed by Chief Gates, concluded on a unanimous basis that the transition... should begin now." (39:05)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Rodney King beating aftermath & city response — 00:01–05:41
• Gates’ early years & LAPD legacy — 06:55–13:25
• Political struggles (Bradley, police commission, city charter barriers) — 13:25–18:49
• Formation and investigation by the Christopher Commission — 17:38–25:14, 35:05–37:46
• Turning point interviews (Gates, Dotson, Brewer) — 26:17–34:29
• Report release and Gates' counter-narratives — 35:18–40:25

Tone & Language

The episode maintains a tense, investigative tone throughout—frank, skeptical, and deeply contextual. It weaves together incisive archival clips, candid contemporary interviews, and immersive scene-setting to highlight the power struggles and enduring skepticism of Angelenos toward promises of police reform.

Summary for New Listeners

This episode is essential for understanding how institutional inertia and political structures can stymie even the strongest reform efforts. It delves into the roots of LAPD's problems under Daryl Gates, and explains—through memorable testimonies and pivotal confrontations—why, even in moments of apparent consensus, true change can remain just out of reach.