Choosing Words for Inglewood

Seldom do I write editors regarding the content of their publications, primarily because doing so serves little purpose other than to provide an escape valve for one’s pent-up emotions. I must admit that this letter stems from an emotional reaction to an article appearing in your South Bay edition on Sept. 24. The headline was in eye-catching type: “Inglewood, Jamaican City Plan to Become ‘Sisters’.” What triggered my near state of apoplexy was the first paragraph of the story: “One is a tough urban community that serves as home to a professional basketball team and horse racing.” This article appeared under the byline of Marc Lacey, Times staff writer.

I am not asking Mr. Lacey nor anyone else on your staff to give undue prominence to our city, neither do I wish to have Inglewood reduced to a mere “urban community.” Certainly, we can live without the very demeaning adjective: “tough.”

SAMMY L. REED

Inglewood