WILDER: VERDICT IS FAIR IN LA TRIAL

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, April 18, 1993                   TAG: 9304180189
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: D-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By Associated Press
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
WILDER: VERDICT IS FAIR IN LA TRIAL
Gov. Douglas Wilder said the split decision verdicts in the racially charged Rodney King beating trial were reached fairly, and the public should accept them.
Wilder spoke Saturday, hours after a Los Angeles jury returned guilty verdicts against two of the four white officers accused of violating King's civil rights when they beat him during an arrest two years ago.
"I think the American people need to respect that verdict and I think the people in Los Angeles should respect that verdict," Wilder said.
King, who is black, was severely injured in the beating on a Los Angeles street. The beating, which followed a high-speed car chase, was videotaped by a bystander and the tape was replayed worldwide.
Wilder and others said they do not foresee renewed rioting in response to the verdicts. Aquittals by an all-white jury in state court last year set off three days of rioting in Los Angeles that killed 54 and caused $1 billion in damage, and unrest hit other cities from Atlanta to San Francisco.
There were no major disturbances last year in Virginia, but students and civil rights activists marched or held demonstrations in several cities.
In Richmond, a group mostly made up of black college students marched to the state Capitol chanting, "No Justice, No Peace."
As Los Angeles greeted the verdicts with calm Saturday, tensions eased elsewhere.
"I did think there was the potential for violence if there had been another acquittal," said James Farmer, a civil rights activist who teaches at Mary Washington College.
The Los Angeles Police Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency called state law enforcement agencies Friday night, saying a verdict appeared imminent.
"We got a call last night, and then the state police notified local jurisdictions, just to let them know," said Lisa Katz, a spokeswoman for Wilder. She said Secretary of Public Safety Randolph Rollins did not order special precautions.
"The public should be advised that it's not for them to settle matters one way or the other, notwithstanding their dissatisfaction with the verdict," Wilder said.
The officers were charged with violating King's rights not because he is black but because they misused their authority.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB