The Trial This Time

THE LAST TRIAL OF FOUR LOS ANGELES POLICEMEN unleashed the worst riots in modern American history. The jury's acquittal of all but one for the beating of black motorist Rodney King seemed so at odds with a highly publicized home video that the city exploded in protest. This time, as pretrial maneuvering ended for the long-awaited civil rights version of the same case, scheduled to begin this week, federal attorneys have tightened their arguments. The prosecution will call civilian eyewitnesses, who have told a grand jury that King did not attack his tormentors, as well as an L.A.P.D. use-of-force expert who testified that the kicks and blows to King were violations of department policy. A transcript has surfaced quoting police- and fire-department dispatchers as they sarcastically imply that King was being punished because he led the cops on a high-speed chase. Another difference: this time U.S. District Judge John G. Davies has reversed an earlier ruling that King's civil rights were violated only if prosecutors prove that he was bloodied for racial reasons. (See related story on page 35.)