Forty years ago, when Samuel W.Yorty, one of the last conservative Democrats, was mayor, Los Angeles enjoyed low unemployment as well as low housing costs—as noted by the pop singer Neil Diamond in his 1971 hit record, “I am, I Said.” Crime was also kept at a relatively low rate by an efficient police department led by tough, no-nonsense police chiefs such as William H. Parker, Tom Reddin, and Ed Davis.
After Tom Bradley, a left-leaning Democrat, ousted Yorty in 1973, one of his first acts was to cut funding for the police department. One doesn’t need a Ph. D. in social science to figure out what would follow.
led by tough, no-nonsense police chiefs such as William H. Parker
Speaking of Bill Parker, I met him and he let me sit at his desk while he was the Chief. At the time Daryl Gates was his personal driver. I think I was all of 14 at the time. Big changes since that period.