Weed and Seed Coverage Is Not the Whole Story

As a longtime worker and Westlake homeowner, I was disheartened by The Times’ coverage of an Oct. 24 meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on Recovery and Revitalization to outline the federal government’s Weed and Seed Program (“Disarray Swamps L.A. Riot Recovery Aftermath,” Oct. 22).

About $18 million is proposed for the Seed portion (neighborhood revitalization, prevention, intervention and treatment) and an additional $1 million is proposed for the Weed portion (law enforcement, prosecution, adjudication and supervision).

Our area is plagued with crime, drugs, gangs and violence to the point that life is becoming almost unbearable. We are primarily interested in the Weed portion, for our community cannot benefit unless and until the streets are safe.

I attended this meeting after learning of it from the Westlake Task Force, a community improvement group. A number of community members attended, but we were outnumbered and outshouted by outside groups, who were there to demand that the program be rejected out of hand, primarily due to their opposition to the law-enforcement aspect.

The opposition was there to disrupt the meeting. I believe that Times reporter Carla Rivera bought into this, and her article gave a false impression. She needs to meet residents and workers of the community (and) perhaps attend some community meetings which consist of local residents dealing with local issues.

NOLA-MARIE MOTT

Westlake