Knowing the Fear

Ruth Galanter, the run-off opponent of Los Angeles City Council President Pat Russell, suffered stab wounds early Wednesday that threatened her life. She remains hospitalized. We wish her a full and speedy recovery.

Galanter was attacked before dawn in her home in Venice. Her screams alerted neighbors, who rushed to her aid and summoned police. Those neighbors deserve commendation for their insistence in getting involved.

The neighbors were practicing what Galanter has been preaching. An active member of the Neighborhood Watch on her block, she has refused to merely sit back and accept crime as one of the givens of city living. She has urged neighbors to report all incidents, including minor crimes like car vandalism and gang graffiti, to keep the police informed about the needs of the area. Earlier this week she had reported that someone had slashed a window screen and tampered with her back door.

Police have no evidence that the attack on Galanter was motivated by politics. Although the June 2 run-off election is less than a month away, the incumbent, Russell, has compassionately suspended campaigning until further notice.

Galanter now knows at first hand the fears of those who question their safety even behind locked doors--whether they live in the 6th Council District, which stretches from Crenshaw through the communities around Los Angeles International Airport to the beach, or elsewhere in Los Angeles. We hope that she recovers from those fears as well as from her wounds.