Lessons in L.A. Law

THE MOST LIVID SCAR FROM LAST SPRING'S RIOTS IN South Central Los Angeles, the intersection of Florence and Normandie where the videotaped beating of truck driver Reginald Denny took place, was lacerated anew last Monday. What started as a peaceful demonstration for the "L.A. 4," still awaiting trial for the Denny beating, degenerated into a melee of brick and bottle throwing that injured 12. This time, however, the L.A.P.D. piled in immediately. Three hundred officers in riot gear made 55 swift arrests, overwhelming the disorder. With both the Denny case and the Rodney King case coming up in February and March, odds are that L.A. police will continue to come down as hard and fast as they did last week. "On a scale of 1 to 10," police chief Willie Williams estimated, "I give us a 9."