At Last, Good News About Public Housing

I’ve just read your article on the Comite Pro Paz en el Barrio in Aliso Village and Pico Gardens and am moved to respond (“Standing Together,” Dec. 24).

Among the most heroic people in America today are the resident leaders in public housing. In an environment where calling attention to yourself and demanding changes can be a dangerous proposition, we see a growing number of residents doing just that.

Through resident management initiatives, leadership training and a variety of resident empowerment programs, public housing residents are beginning to gain control of their environments and their destinies. It’s a slow process, of course. But the answer to drugs, gangs and violence in the projects has to come from the community itself; it can’t be ordained or imposed by outside forces.

Together with elected resident leaders, grass-roots efforts such as the Comite Pro Paz en el Barrio demonstrate that the residents themselves can make a difference and, indeed, hold the keys to their own futures.

However, they need positive reinforcement, encouragement and recognition. Since Pico-Aliso usually finds itself in print only when there is bad news, your feature article is tremendously appreciated and welcomed by everyone who lives and works in public housing.

MARSHALL JAY KANDELL,

Public Relations Director Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles