Developer Relents, Picks Black to Head Mall

In response to mounting criticism by local civil rights groups, developer Alexander Haagen has named Leo Ray, a black man, to manage the newly refurbished Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, the nation’s first enclosed mall serving a predominantly black area.

Civil rights leaders criticized Haagen for abruptly firing the mall’s previous manager, Louis George, also black, and replacing him with a management team that included Janice Hahn Baucum, daughter of County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, a longtime friend of the developer. Baucum is white.

To end the controversy, Haagen broke up the management team, which included Baucum and Ray. He promoted Ray, a 37-year-old architect who has worked with the developer since 1986, to the position of general manager of the $100-million mall. Haagen transferred Baucum to a management marketing position at the developer’s corporate headquarters in Manhattan Beach.

Showcase Mall

Haagen said he decided to promote Ray and transfer Baucum to silence criticism by civil rights leaders who accused the developer of not keeping his promise to make the mall a showcase for black opportunity.

“I want to get back to the business of running a first-class regional shopping center,” he said. “I want it to prosper and to succeed for the retailers and the community.”

John Mack, president of the Los Angeles chapter of the Urban League, praised the developer’s decision to promote Ray. “I don’t know what caused Mr. Haagen’s turnaround, but it is a big step in the right direction,” Mack said.