Understanding the Riots Part 4 : Seeing Ourselves : Understanding the Riots

To help explain the rioting in Los Angeles, The Times will be publishing these sections this week:

* On Monday, The Times explored the roots of the problems leading to the riot.

* On Tuesday, The Times revisited the emotional images of the riot, to feel the scope of the chaos.

* On Wednesday, The Times looked at the turmoil through the words of participants to hear what was going through their minds, what lessons were learned.

* Today, essays will examine what has happened to the image and sense of Los Angeles as a multicultural city, to give a sense of how we see ourselves and how others see us.

* On Friday, The Times has invited public policy analysts and citizens to discuss what we need to do.