Job Fair Draws Thousands in South-Central

A mile from one of the flash points of last year’s riots, a huge crowd of a different sort gathered Friday--about 3,000 inner-city residents, many in business suits with resumes in hand, seeking hard-to-come-by work.

The occasion was a community job fair organized by several South-Central Los Angeles elected officials and held in the parking lot of the Playground, a Florence Avenue sporting goods apparel shop that was opened after the riots by gang members gone straight.

Many in the crowd, which was composed primarily of African-Americans, waited patiently in the hot sun for more than two hours to enter the grounds to pick up applications and hand resumes to representatives of 45 employers, ranging from oil companies to check-cashing services to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The large turnout, sponsors said, provided stark evidence of the city’s recession-racked job market and the profound impact it has had on black neighborhoods, where the unemployment rate among teen-agers is a whopping 45%.

The line, which snaked past a soul food restaurant and down two residential blocks of tile-roofed bungalows, also put the lie to any stereotypes about the willingness of African-Americans who are unemployed or on general relief to seek jobs, said City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, a co-organizer of the fair with state Sen. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles) and the state Employment Development Department.

“This shows there is a substantial appetite for work,” Ridley-Thomas said. “It dispels any myth about laziness when people are standing here in the hot sun, waiting with their resumes.”

The job fair, a mile west of the intersection where truck driver Reginald O. Denny and several other motorists were assaulted hours after the not guilty verdicts in the first Rodney G. King beating trial in April, 1992, was one of the largest of its kind in memory, according to state officials. Unfortunately, they added, huge lineups for job opportunities are occurring with increasing frequency.

In Oxnard this week, an estimated 2,000 people showed up to apply for 250 low-wage hourly positions at a Wal-Mart store due to open in October.

Friday’s fair also demonstrated a willingness on the part of major firms to venture into the heart of South-Central Los Angeles to offer job applications and initial interviews.

Watson predicted that 1,000 jobs could result from the fair, although it was unclear how she arrived at that figure. Moreover, interviews with prospective employers showed that many of the available jobs are seasonal or start at $6 or less an hour.

Jiffy Lube had three lubrication technician openings at $5.50 an hour, said area manager Ron Adams, who added that superior workers could graduate to management positions that pay $30,000 to $40,000 a year. Ticketmaster had about 50 phone sales openings at $5.25 an hour plus commission. And a United Parcel Service official said his firm anticipates part-time openings for the Christmas season paying up to $9 an hour.

Some employers were less precise in identifying their job needs. Steve Meli of the Disney Stores said: “If 100 great people come out here, Disney would find 100 great jobs for them.” Asked to elaborate who would qualify under those guidelines, Meli, assistant manager of the firm’s Century City outlet, said: “People with an indefinable unique quality.”

As for the pay, he said, “it’s negotiable . . . we’re really not allowed to say.”

One of the few employers that was definitely hiring was the Los Angeles Police Department, which, as Mayor Richard Riordan has pledged, intends to hire 3,000 more officers during the next four years.

The employers, who offered virtually no jobs on the spot, distributed applications and brochures at folding tables under a white awning on the basketball court in the parking lot of the retail shop, which opened in February through an unusual partnership between ex-gang members, a lawyer and a Marina del Rey doctor who provided the capital.

On a trip to Los Angeles in May, President Clinton toured the Playground, shot some hoops and told spectators that “if everyone in this country who wanted a job had one, we wouldn’t have half the problems we’ve got.”

Those in the crowd Friday, which dwarfed the 200 on hand for the President’s appearance, agreed wholeheartedly.

“Jobs were the main reason for the riots,” said Vincent Hall, 29, an unemployed pipe fitter. “If you’d have had jobs, you’d have had a lot less violence.”

Hall, who lost his job when the City of Commerce foundry where he worked left California in 1988, was the first in line Friday, arriving more than two hours before the gates opened at 10 a.m.

“I just want an opportunity to work,” said Hall, who filled out applications for jobs paying from $5.50 to $9 an hour.

Many in the crowd blamed the economy for the large turnout.

“American companies are no longer saying: ‘I’m the biggest and baddest, because I have the most employees,’ ” said Earnestine Nettles, 42, who holds a master’s degree in public administration and was laid off six months ago from her human resources management post at a major food distributing firm. “Companies are now downsizing.”

Others, such as Carlton Gamblin, a computer operator out of work for two years, said that racial discrimination is also a factor.

“Anytime the economy goes down, the discrimination goes up--it’s the skin game,” said Gamblin, 36, who waited in line for more than two hours to enter the fair. “And since the riots, it’s been nothing but lip service.

“I can burn a tank of gas in a day looking for work and still get nothing,” he said. “But no matter how rough the road, you still have to put forth the effort.”

Outside the Playground, the fair caused traffic congestion on Florence Avenue, created an instant business opportunity for the driver of the Big Mouth Hot Lunch wagon who set up shop on 5th Avenue, and resulted in a poignant show for neighborhood residents.

Billy McClellan Sr., 60, a retired oil company chemist, sat on his porch, puffing a cigarette and perusing the crowd waiting patiently on his sidewalk.

“I’ve earned my right to sit,” McClellan said. “But I feel sorry for these people. At the same time, I’m happy to see the people here and wanting to work.”

Those attending ranged from high school students and dropouts to laid-off aerospace company managers. Some, such as Trevor Smith, 24, who shielded his face from the sun with his briefcase, were dressed to the max in white shirts and ties. Several younger job-seekers wore Malcolm X T-shirts and baggy shorts.

Eric Bailey, 17, a Carson High School senior, was one of the thousands of disappointed Los Angeles youngsters who unsuccessfully sought a post this summer with the federal youth jobs program for low-income families. When Clinton’s domestic agenda was slashed by Congress, the number of jobs plummeted, with Los Angeles receiving enough funds for 10,700 positions rather than the anticipated 40,000 jobs.

“It’s discouraging getting turned down all the time,” said Bailey, who wore a white T-shirt and baggy shorts. “People say: ‘We’ll call you,’ but they never call.”

After an hour of completing applications at several booths, however, Bailey seemed somewhat buoyed. “UPS is hiring part-timers for $8.50 an hour,” he said. “It gives you some hope.”