Inner-City Games

Your article, “L.A. Faulted for Inaction After the Riots” (Oct. 25), wrote of factionalism and disharmony among the interests seeking to rebuild Los Angeles. This is not necessarily the case. Let me reveal a much more positive view of what is being accomplished in L.A. Within the past few days, we have just wrapped up the second annual Los Angeles Inner-City Games. Volunteers from every walk of life and cultural heritage worked cooperatively to present inner-city youth with alternatives to drugs, gangs and dropping out.

Residents of South-Central, Watts, East Los Angeles, Koreatown and the Valley worked side-by-side toward the common goal of making our city a better place to live. Nearly 100,000 youth participated in athletic competitions, essay contests, in-school motivational presentations or attended the Inner-City Fitness and Career Expo. I think it is important to emphasize that there was not one incident of violence throughout this entire 10-day effort!

What better proof is there that community spirit is still alive and flourishing in Los Angeles when inner-city youth cross over gang and territorial boundaries to join forces with representatives of Southern California business, the mayor’s office, the City Council, state and federal agencies, grass-roots self-help organizations, as well as with celebrities such as Arsenio Hall, Paul Rodriguez and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the games’ executive commissioner?

DANIEL L. HERNANDEZ, Executive Director, Los Angeles Inner-City Games