Latinos Hope Coalition Brings Unity : Activism: New group wants community members to ‘play a leading role in shaping the future of Los Angeles.’

In an attempt to find common ground in the aftermath of the riots, more than 120 leaders and activists from Los Angeles’ diverse Latino community joined in a new coalition Saturday to press for a stronger, unified Latino voice in civic affairs.

In a one-day conference held at Adams Junior High School near the USC campus, the newly founded Latino Unity Forum urged members of its community to “emerge from the margins and play a leading role in shaping the future of Los Angeles.”

A succession of speakers called for action to correct a multitude of social problems, from inadequate housing to political factionalism to gang violence. But each was careful to beseech coalition members to work together to exert more leverage on the city’s other political and ethnic factions.

“We are not always going to agree on everything,” said Geraldine Zapata, executive director of the Plaza Community Center in East Los Angeles and the driving force behind the creation of the Latino Unity Forum. “But we can no longer continue to be divided as a community.”

Several activists warned that Latinos will be unable to flex their political muscles until they end a rift recently exposed between veteran Latino political leaders from the city’s Eastside and activists representing newer immigrants who live in central and South Los Angeles.

Dr. Jorge R. Mancillas, a professor at the UCLA School of Medicine and another Latino Unity Forum leader, said that organizers “felt because of the circumstances of division in the community, it was a major weakness we had to address.”

Jose L. de Paz, of the California Immigrant Workers Assn., warned that “we fail in assuming that politicians have equal leadership. . . . We won’t wait anymore for the entire universe to reach a consensus on our issues. Leadership is not about consensus. That’s just politics.”

City Councilman Mike Hernandez faulted English-language television stations for fostering impressions among viewers that immigrants caused much of the riot’s violence and for a dim understanding of who comprises the Latino community’s leadership.

“There were 500,000 Latinos in this city who do not speak English, and no one was prepared to talk to them,” Hernandez said. “Until we understand that it’s not a matter of us versus them, we’ll continue to have problems in this city.”

Mancillas said: “This is the start of the development of a community agenda. From out of this will come action.”