Organisation By Gangs Claimed

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30830, 16 August 1965, Page 13

Organisation By Gangs Claimed

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 15.

The Governor of California, Mr Edmund Brown, last night took personal command of the State’s efforts to quell the rioting in Los Angeles, and charged the outbreak was “the work of organised gangs.”

“1 have reviewed the situation in Los Angeles with law enforcement officers and assumed personal direction

]of the State’s efforts to round | [up the terrorists responsible] foi looting, burning and snip ] in?; in Los Angeles,” he said, j ; “It is clear from our latest; reports that the lawlessness] in Los Angeles is the work of, organised gangs, and I have! directed the Commissioner of i Public Safety, Mr Bradford Crittenden, to maintain an ag-! gressive posture in pursuing, these men and arresting; them,” he said. Mr Brown said the first goal was to “restore peace and the rule of law to Los Angeles.” The second task, he said. I was to “make sure this does not happen again.’” ‘Our third task is to find out why this happened, to trace the roots of this disorder, and to work to secure a basic and lasting rule of lav in this city, not just to sew a patch of peace over the root causes.” The Governor said that once order was restored, he would begin meeting local groups to restore harmony to Los Angeles.