Panel Urged to Ease Path of Minorities : Relations: Education, economic action needed to forestall possibility of violent outbreaks in the county, speakers say.

Exhibiting more frustration than anger and espousing multicultural education rather than violence, about 50 Orange County residents on Thursday urged a county commission to tackle the increasing tensions among local minorities and avoid violent outbreaks like the riots that ravaged Los Angeles.

The nighttime forum was sponsored by the Orange County Human Relations Commission to debate ways to avoid racial disturbances as the county becomes more ethnically diverse.

“We have seen the tragedies . . . the loss of lives and property and business,” said Manuel Pena of the Minority Business Council. “We cannot wait for something like this to happen in Orange County. . . . It is so close. We were very, very lucky that we did not have it.”

The Rev. John McReynolds, pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Santa Ana, said he warned county and state officials years ago that “if we don’t get a handle on some of these problems, South-Central Los Angeles would be arriving right here on our doorstep.” He said it has since proven true, with increased gang shootings and hate crimes in Orange County.

McReynolds said local government officials and others are hiding in a “bubble of protectionism” by failing to address issues that divide the haves and have-nots. He suggested multicultural training starting in kindergarten to give minority children pride and knowledge of their heritage.

“Our failure to do that will bring us to a point where people will overthrow. It won’t just be a riot, it will be anarchy,” he said.

One Yorba Linda resident said he worked as a census taker in 1990 and was horrified by “pockets of poverty” he saw in his city. “We don’t have a Watts, we don’t have a Daryl Gates here in Orange County--fortunately. But the problems are all here,” he said.

But some say it is unlikely that Orange County would erupt in riots.

“Personally, I don’t think it would ever happen here,” said Matthew Vinson of Orange. Instead, he said, African-Americans will “get more entrenched in apathy” and the gap between the races will widen unless African-Americans get more economic opportunities.

According to 1990 census data, the county has almost 1.6 million whites (65%), about 39,000 blacks (1.6%), 557,000 Hispanics (23%) and 244,000 Asians (10%).

Speakers urged everything from reform of the education and welfare systems to more concern for the homeless. Several said more police officers, especially minority officers, are needed to help the community feel safe.

“For a few nights (during the L.A. riots), everybody felt what it was like to live in fear. It was good for you to feel that, to see what the rest of us feel when we call police and nobody comes,” said Frank Castillo of Santa Ana.

Most speakers, a majority of whom were African-Americans and Latinos, encouraged more forums to get people of all races talking and exchanging ideas.

“It is sad that L.A. has to burn down for people to talk about race,” Castillo said. “During the rioting, that’s the only time you saw Hispanics and blacks on prime time (television). There are a lot of sides of us, you just don’t see them.”