Lawndale Meeting Will Cover Riot Contingency Plans

City officials and Sheriff’s Department representatives, deluged by calls from worried Lawndale residents, will sponsor a public meeting this week to discuss local plans for dealing with potential civil unrest in the wake of the Rodney G. King civil rights trial.

“We’ve gotten a ton of calls,” Sheriff’s Lt. Charles Schultz said. “So we decided to hold a meeting to provide information to Lawndale residents regarding law enforcement and government preparations in case we have riots.”

In the riots a year ago, 15 stores were looted and one case of attempted arson occurred in Lawndale. Damages were estimated at $300,000.

“There are a lot of concerned people right now,” Lawndale Neighborhood Watch coordinator Nancy McKee said. “We’ve been getting quite a few calls.”

City officials had a similar meeting two weeks ago with Lawndale business owners to discuss riot contingency plans. The business people were advised to have plywood on hand to cover windows, make copies of business records, have water hoses available and stock up on food.

This week’s meeting will be similar to the earlier one, Schultz said, except that it will focus on homeowners. Among the steps officials expect to discuss are: getting neighbors to keep an eye on your property if you are not home, becoming acquainted with school contingency plans, and talking to your children about the possibility of unrest.

Representatives from the Sheriff’s Department, Lawndale city government and local school districts will be on hand to provide information and answer questions.

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Anderson Elementary School cafeteria, 4110 154th St., Lawndale.

For further information, contact McKee at (310) 970-2146.