Shootings at Movie Opening

I applaud your objective and straight-forward reporting of the tragic events surrounding the July 12 opening of “Boyz N the Hood” (July 13-15). Like the film’s writer/director, John Singleton, I weep for the victims and their families. But the tears I shed over the violence were the same tears I’ve been shedding for the last several years as more and more of our young people destroy each other on the streets of our cities. Singleton was correct when he said the violence was more indicative of the “degeneration of American society” than the content of his film.

As with the Westwood riot that accompanied the opening of “New Jack City” in March, the nation’s movie theaters must bear some of the responsibility for what happened on July 12. The Cineplex Odeon at Universal City was sufficiently concerned about possible violence to have additional police outside. However, no one checked for weapons at the door. Why didn’t the theater hire a security agency to watch for gang colors, frisk patrons as they entered the theater or scan patrons with a metal detector? The Baldwin Theater complex in South-Central Los Angeles screened “Boyz N the Hood” without experiencing any of the violence that occurred elsewhere. The Baldwin uses metal detectors.

CAMERON M. TURNER, Pasadena