Cleaning Up Riot Aftermath

I noticed the beating of Reginald Denny got front-page coverage (May 1). I hardly need to be reminded of it. I have seen dozens of replays of Denny on the news.

I agree--it was a horrible incident. And I suppose I should be concerned about what happens to whites on the wrong side of town. I’m white. I teach school in South-Central Los Angeles. I normally drive through the intersection of Florence and Normandie every day, and that included Wednesday afternoon (just a few minutes before the riot erupted). I am concerned about the bias in news coverage. Why must that be the only incident on the front page?

At the same time Reginald Denny was beaten, a black man, I believe his name was Gary Williams, rescued an Asian--at great risk to himself. Yet I saw that video only once. Williams certainly did not get the recognition he deserved. Why?

There were many black males who performed heroic deeds, yet rarely did they get nearly as much coverage as a white man in peril. Why can’t the media emphasize more positive, black male role models? Maybe if you did this, we could eliminate some of the violence.

WILLIAM JOSEPH MILLER

Los Angeles