Bakewell Vows to Continue Shutdowns of Non-Black Work Sites : Recovery: Activist condemns recent violence but refuses to apologize for tactics that have raised tensions between Latinos and African-Americans.

Brotherhood Crusade leader Danny Bakewell said Thursday that he has no intention of abandoning his campaign to close down South Los Angeles construction sites that do not employ black workers, an effort that has angered Latino leaders.

“People want me to apologize, but I won’t apologize for standing up for the honor and dignity of black people,” Bakewell said. “I stand on the premise that if blacks don’t get to work in (helping to rebuild) South Los Angeles, nobody should.”

In recent weeks, tensions have increased between blacks and Latinos over who gets hired to rebuild the estimated 500 structures that were destroyed in the riots.

Bakewell’s highly publicized campaign drew sharp criticism from some Latino activists this week after two Latino laborers and their Anglo foreman were attacked and chased off a construction site by about 35 young black men earlier this month.

Latino businessman Xavier Hermosillo and Father Juan Santillan, pastor of an East Los Angeles Catholic church, complained Wednesday that intruders at a South Los Angeles work site vandalized the site and spray-painted “Equal Rights” on the foreman’s truck.

Although not directly linking Bakewell’s organization to the attack, Hermosillo said Bakewell’s tactics may have incited others to violence. Latino activists have vowed to deal aggressively with such attempts by demonstrators in the future.

On Thursday, however, Bakewell disavowed any connection with the incident and lashed out at Hermosillo for “trying to divide the community along racial and ethnic lines. I abhor violence. That’s absolutely not what we are about. We had nothing to do with it whatsoever.”

But Bakewell insisted that his organization will not let up in demanding that black workers “get their fair share of the job pie” in rebuilding riot-scarred areas.

In an interview at an awards ceremony sponsored by the Brotherhood Crusade to honor dozens of volunteers who helped with riot recovery efforts, Bakewell dismissed the brouhaha over the incident as a “tempest in (Hermosillo’s) mind. I don’t have a problem with the Hispanic community.

“The people really to blame are the white contractors from places like the San Gabriel Valley who’ve come into South-Central and hired illegals at slave wages, which has shut out the blacks and Hispanics who live here.”

Hermosillo could not be reached for comment.

Bakewell said a group of church leaders, business owners and others had volunteered to keep an eye on South Los Angeles construction sites where no blacks are employed and to organize protests when necessary.

He said the group has made a practice of first contacting contractors, and “only as a last resort” engaging in picketing and “holding discussions with foremen and workers” at the job sites.

“We intend to stay vigilant,” he said. “We’ve got teams of volunteers constantly on the watch for construction sites where there are no blacks on the job, and we’re not going to let up.”

At the ceremony Thursday night, Bakewell and other Brotherhood Crusade officials singled out dozens of individuals, including Motown Records founder Berry Gordy and Alice Coltrane, the widow of jazz tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, as among the “real unsung heroes of the riot recovery effort.” Gordy and Coltrane donated funds that paid for food, clothing and medical supplies for riot victims, Crusade officials said.