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Tensions Cool in Benton Harbor

Aired June 19, 2003 - 13:27   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Overnight rain may have helped to cool tensions in that troubled town in southern Michigan. After two nights of riots, police in Benton Harbor reported just a single case of arson last night. Even so, a heavy police presence is expected again tonight.
CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Benton Harbor to tell us the latest from there -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

Well, we just spoke with the police chief here in Benton Harbor, and he said it was a combination of different things that helped the situation last night -- the rain, the 300 police officers that showed up in this neighborhood, and also the calls for calm that were issued by not only the police chief and the mayor, but also the brother of the 28-year-old motorcyclist that was killed in that high-speed chase Sunday night and going into Monday morning. And they say that that combination of events is what they believe kind of helped everything stay calm.

Last night, only one person arrested in that situation. This is the area where some of the most violent riots had occurred in the previous two nights. Although everything was calm last night, the police chief says they will return with the exact same amount of police force tonight, in hopes that that will send a clear message to folks around here that they need to calm down and that they need to get back to the table and discuss issues that have been on the table and are kind of lingering out there. That's what the police chief wants to do.

And he says he wants people to remember that it's only a small portion of this population that is causing problems.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One percent is the people that are causing this problem. The other 99 percent of the people that live in the city of Benton harbor are law-abiding, good citizens. If you could hear some of the messages that I'm receiving on my telephone from those citizens, you'd be -- your spirits would be up. That's why I'm here, still working, because of the good people in the city. Do not judge us by the incidents that have been occurring the last few days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Kyra, now, the way this worked out last night, there were some 300 officers working this area. The state police officers divided up into about five or six different platoons, I think they described them as, and they would line up in rows of car, and they would just drive up and down the neighborhoods with their lights on and that sort of thing.

They say they will do that exact same thing, and we've talked to a lot of residents around here throughout the day who have said that they were surprised to see that much turnout from law enforcement circles, and that's exactly what authorities here wanted to do, to issue that kind of, say, hey, we're here and we're paying attention to what's going on, and we're going to make sure nothing like this -- that happened here Monday and Tuesday nights -- happens again -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, well, it seems like it's already working. Ed Lavandera, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired June 19, 2003 - 13:27   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Overnight rain may have helped to cool tensions in that troubled town in southern Michigan. After two nights of riots, police in Benton Harbor reported just a single case of arson last night. Even so, a heavy police presence is expected again tonight.
CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Benton Harbor to tell us the latest from there -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

Well, we just spoke with the police chief here in Benton Harbor, and he said it was a combination of different things that helped the situation last night -- the rain, the 300 police officers that showed up in this neighborhood, and also the calls for calm that were issued by not only the police chief and the mayor, but also the brother of the 28-year-old motorcyclist that was killed in that high-speed chase Sunday night and going into Monday morning. And they say that that combination of events is what they believe kind of helped everything stay calm.

Last night, only one person arrested in that situation. This is the area where some of the most violent riots had occurred in the previous two nights. Although everything was calm last night, the police chief says they will return with the exact same amount of police force tonight, in hopes that that will send a clear message to folks around here that they need to calm down and that they need to get back to the table and discuss issues that have been on the table and are kind of lingering out there. That's what the police chief wants to do.

And he says he wants people to remember that it's only a small portion of this population that is causing problems.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One percent is the people that are causing this problem. The other 99 percent of the people that live in the city of Benton harbor are law-abiding, good citizens. If you could hear some of the messages that I'm receiving on my telephone from those citizens, you'd be -- your spirits would be up. That's why I'm here, still working, because of the good people in the city. Do not judge us by the incidents that have been occurring the last few days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Kyra, now, the way this worked out last night, there were some 300 officers working this area. The state police officers divided up into about five or six different platoons, I think they described them as, and they would line up in rows of car, and they would just drive up and down the neighborhoods with their lights on and that sort of thing.

They say they will do that exact same thing, and we've talked to a lot of residents around here throughout the day who have said that they were surprised to see that much turnout from law enforcement circles, and that's exactly what authorities here wanted to do, to issue that kind of, say, hey, we're here and we're paying attention to what's going on, and we're going to make sure nothing like this -- that happened here Monday and Tuesday nights -- happens again -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, well, it seems like it's already working. Ed Lavandera, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.